johnnyd
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Posts posted by johnnyd
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Visiting Portland this week and looking for foodie places to visit. Thanks to this thread, we'll hit Harbor Fish and The Cheese Iron. Any other places worth tracking down?
Rabelais Books on Middle Street
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Visiting Portland this week and we're overwhelmed by the great restaurants. We hail from rural PA with little to brag about beyond shoo-fly pie. Tonight we're heading South to Arrows and my brother suggested Hugo's. Anything else we should not miss?
Thanks in advance.
Depends on what you are after. I would go for local seafood personally, but that's me. The following places focus on local seafood, meats and produce.
Evangeline is a highly regarded French bistro on Longfellow square.
Fore Street Restaurant is a favorite of mine. The open kitchen is bustling and the service is 1st rate.
555 on Congress Street has impressed many as perhaps Portland's best.
Local 188 is a bit more casual and has a diverse menu (see link). I was chatting with chef/owner Jay this morning and he was braising something delicious in the back.
Hugos is not just a meal it's an experience.
Portland is indeed becoming a destination for people who take their eating seriously. To help sort it all out, an enterprising software developer has arranged everything nicely using google technology, including a complete inventory of critic's reviews. Go to Portland Food Map .com and click the map on the right.
Bon Apetit
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You know, I've had bacon-infused bourbon, but the thought of cynar and sherry in there gets me thinking like how I insulted a perfectly good shot of cachaca last sumer - as seen above
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Damn you all! I miss Portugal and it's food very much. Don't forget to report back, if even for a moment, to tell us how it all was.
Boa Viagem!
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You guys are wussies. I submit the highly unrecommendable Clamparinha
While making littleneck clam ceviche and caipirinhas one summer weekend a light bulb of dubious wattage winked on, and here you have it.
It wasn't half bad until I made another with a much less chilled clam meat. Never again. -
Great stuff, Steven! Lobster prices are relatively low right now here in Maine so I've had the great fortune to include them in the food budget often. These guys are inspiring me to take Bugs to a higher level.
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The Associated Press reported today that Maple Syrup annual production in the USA jumped 22% overall with a few high-producing states getting record-high numbers.
National Agricultural Statistics Service Report
The season started off cold and then warmed up quickly. This meant a very short season for all the States. However, producers in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine experienced more consistent and steadier sap flows with Maine hitting an all time high production level and Vermont reaching it’s highest since 1944.In most States, the season started later than last year. The earliest sap flow reported was January 15 in Pennsylvania. The latest sap flow reported was May 1 in New Hampshire. Sugar content of the sap for 2009 was down from the previous year. On average, approximately 43 gallons of sap were required to produce one gallon of syrup. This compares with 39 gallons in 2008 and 45 gallons in 2007. The majority of the syrup produced in each State this year was medium to dark in color with the exception of Maine.
The 2008 U.S. average price per gallon was $40.50, up $7.70 from the 2007 price of $32.80. The U.S. value of production, at $77.5 million for 2008, was up 55 percent from the previous season. This is the result of an increase in price and production from 2007. Value of production increased in all 10 maple syrup estimating States.
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I had to share this nugget with you all! The Bull and Claw Restaurant in Wells, ME offers a two foot long lobster roll that costs $33. I saw a pic of it in today's sunday Press Hearald and tracked down their website. Scroll down a bit and see this stuffed monster baguette! "Almost a half pound of lobster!" they declare.
Not to be outdone, a challenge mounted recently to raise funds for childrens' swimming lessons resulted in a 61' 9" lobster roll - a pending Guinness Book record - here on Portland's waterfront yesterday.
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Willard Scoops - a new ice cream shoppe in Willard Square has been open a couple weeks now. This from The South Portlander:
Willard Scoops has started doing business in Willard Square, offering ice cream made and shipped from a Mount Desert Island farm. The ice cream is sold in cones. Willard Scoops plans to soon offer fruit smoothies, agave-sweetened ice cream and gluten-free cones to its menu. The shop is owned by Paul Leddy and his wife.Word in the neighborhood is that this is some serious stuff. I live nearby and can't get excited about Beal's or Red's anymore, so this news is welcome as summer slowly unfolds.
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according to the map in the article, why is the cave so far away from the bar? Hey, I'm a novice but it seems weird
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now thats what Im talking about. I hope I can start a "Scallopgate" with my article
Agreed. That "test" sounds outrageous and a market-killer. Why should a sovereign nation not patrol it's waters for safety's sake, for both military and commercial reasons? It sounds like they are putting the responsibility - health and financial - on the diver's shoulders instead.
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That's a damn fine tour - and great timing: Hugo's is booked solid according to this article in today's local paper.
The article also lists some new restaurants opening soon:
Chef Jeff Landry recently opened the Farmers Table on Commercial Street. El Rayo Taqueria, a new Mexican place created by chef Cheryl Lewis, is set to open this month on York Street. Eric Simeon will be the executive chef at Grace, a soon-to-be-opened restaurant in a remodeled 19th-century church on Chestnut Street. Chef Harding Lee Smith is working on his third Portland restaurant, the Corner Room, a rustic Italian-inspired place on the corner of Exchange and Federal streets. -
Here in the Gulf of Maine one needs to purchase either a commercial or recreational license to harvest scallops "by hand" - which means the use of SCUBA systems and manual labor - versus "by drag" which deploy an underwater device to collect the animal in large quantities.
There are no tests beyond a thoughtful sniff at the dock but shellfish harvesting areas are constantly monitored for toxic bacteria and/or pollutants owing to excessive run-off after rainy periods, or potentially dangerous industrial mishaps. Daily reports are broadcast on marine-band radio and posted on State DMR websites.
Also, because the State government has determined that owing to higher perishability rates, whole scallops are not permitted to be landed save for the abductor muscle - the most common part used on the market and also, for some reason, the part of the scallop with a comfortably long shelf-life. So harvesters - by any means - must process (shuck) their harvest before reaching port or risk the seizure of all harvesting assets (like your boat).
As a result, no scallop roe survives to make it to restaurant kitchens and instead is thrown with the shells over the side where a cloud of sea gulls await. Vessels tie up with gallon freezer bags full of scallop meats destined for market.
Personally, I hold a recreational license to harvest scallops "by hand" (US$50) which permits me to gather enough scallops to yield two quarts of scallop meats per day - enough for a good party.
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Maine's island community broadsheet of record is The Working Waterfront, published by The Island Institute a membership-based community development organization based in Rockland.
This month, editor Philip Conkling - who also sits on the Task Force on the Economic Sustainability of Maine's Lobster Industry - weighed in on the current state of Maine's lobster fishery in this month's issue:
The recent story begins in the spring of 2007 when boat prices shot up by 68 percent after the traditional spring spurt of lobsters failed to materialize. Prices stayed high throughout 2007 because Maine's total lobster harvest declined that year by over 11 million pounds from its recent average. Prices of lobster tails from Canadian processors, which have become the largest buyer of Maine lobsters during the past decade and a half, stayed high throughout 2008.The largest buyers of lobster tails are two "casual dining" restaurant chains: Darden's that runs Red Lobster restaurants and OSI that operates Outback Steakhouses. Faced with very tight competition in an over-saturated casual dining market and high lobster prices, these huge buyers balked. They began substituting spiny lobster and shrimp for lobster tails. Canadian processors still have a huge unsold inventory of frozen lobster tails that augers poorly for a rebound in prices in 2009.
The task force contracted with a food industry consulting company - The Moseley Group - to collect information on the structure and function of Maine's lobster industry. Their report is due on the Governor's desk later this month.
Meanwhile, I bought two lobsters of undetermined poundage from two guys in a pick-up for $6 each this weekend. "They're all within legal size, we just didn't bother to weigh 'em."
Mine had huge claws and I'm cool with that.
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The Gulf of Maine is a major source of green sea urchin. The Wall Street Journal Magazine sent a reporter there to find out how urchins get to the table and filed this report.
A 30-knot north wind builds along the northeast coastline of Maine and the seas rise to a choppy 8 feet. Snow falls sideways; nearly 2 inches of it since first light on this early spring day. Rob Odlin, a commercial fisherman, sits in the cockpit of his 36-foot boat, the Maine Lady III. He’s half-dressed in a dry suit, staring at the floor like a boxer before a title fight. Odlin is preparing to dive 40 feet in 33-degree water to fetch the green sea urchin—the spiky jewel of the echinoderm family.Rob is an old friend and Captain of F/V The Maine Lady III, the boat I dove for urchins from in the late '90s. A 3rd generation fisherman, he is very active in the State capitol on behalf of fishermen on the Maine coast.
WSJ Article and VIDEO - click here.
The video takes you out on a typical urchin-dive on a snowy day in March. Having done it a zillion times, I say they got it totally right. Check it out.
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Deathmatch Ringmaster Joe Ricchio describes the lead-up to The Last Meal in his excellent blog Portland Food Coma
Nothing else matters outside of Deathmatch. Relationships, Bills, Family, and Reality all get put to the wayside for this last stretch. Alcohol consumption nearly triples and sleep becomes scarce. People try to talk to me about other things and I can barely even listen. Deathmatch is all that matters. We spend huge sums of money on massive and rare bottles of wine but can barely pay for modest day to day expenses. The party becomes a monster that grows out of control as we desperately try to keep the guest list in check. Chefs need to know numbers, I have to track everyone down for the second time and collect money, songs, and services... I'm to the point where I hope this party actually kills me. -
By popular demand, the chef photos from the Last Meal booklet, specially made for the recent Deathmatch, are posted below, pretty much in order of their appearance. Affiliations with Portland eateries, food purveyors or otherwise are noted.
The two Hosts with the Most are pictured up-thread. Then we have,
Samantha Hoyt Lindgren
Sam and her husband Don run Rabelais Books, an internationally-recognized purveyor of books about all things culinary, on Middle St. in Portland.
Stephen & Merry Benenson
Stephen & Merry run One Longfellow's Square, Portland's au-courant Arts & Music venue.
Leslie Oster
Leslie is the whirlwind behind Aurora Provisions busy catering department, among other hats worn at this highly-regarded Portland West End food-landmark.
Erik & Krista Desjarlais
Erik Desjarlais, chef-owner of Evangeline, his well-received eatery in Portland. Erik's take on daring bistro fare earned Evangeline Portland's only 5-star distinction.
Krista (Kern), Erik's recent bride, runs Bresca, a unique and oft-recommended Portland dining experience.
Between these two, much ink - and many pixels - have been cast by those lucky to sit at their tables, accounting for much of why Portland commands it's station in the American Food Arena.
Jason
Jason holds down the BOH at Novare Res Bier Cafe deep in the bowels of Portland's Old Port
Nolan
Nolan works the historic floors of Downeast Beverage on Commercial Street, the waterfront drag in the Old Port.
Joel
Joel manages Portland's premier bakery, Standard Baking Company
johnnyd
Johnnyd plays guitar and shucks a mean oyster.
Nat
Nat is part of the 10-person staff of R.P. Imports, importers and brokers of boutique wines from around the world.
Kate Squibb & Josh Potocki
Josh and his wife Parker own and operate 158 Pickett St. Cafe near Willard Beach in South Portland. Kate is their chef extraordinaire, First Mate and keeper of the keys to the brig.
Pieper
Pieper helps cook up a storm at 555 a famous eatery on Congress St. and sometimes helps out Brian with his inventive new menu at Brian Boru on Center Street
Meg Swoboda
Meg is the tour de force behind Sweet Marguerites artisanal chocolate makers of South Portland. I swear she's trading that kid's soul for a brick of bittersweet.
Not pictured, at least in this post, is the amazing Brad who currently works at 555 but plans to explore farming in Bowdoinham, Maine, this summer. He was photographed in an amusing, but compromising position - sitting on a toilet - so I thought it best for everybody that we leave that one out.
It is without doubt that Deathmatch cannot occur without the help and hard work of many people, only some mentioned here, who are compensated only by eating some of the best damned food prepared in New England, and knowing they are having more fun than a person should be allowed to have.
We'll be back in the not-too-distant future when our hangovers finally abate, our bank accounts stabilize a bit, and when new challenges vie for a call to arms.
All photos in this post - except Nat, Erik & Krista - are courtesy of Mr. Zack Bowen - thanks, man!
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*bump*
It's been a couple years since things got started at Ocean Approved but it seems my pal Toleff is getting good at this.
From today's Boston Globe - magazine,
"It's very versatile," says Tollef Olson, CEO of Ocean Approved, the Portland, Maine, company behind this anti-pasta. "Instead of a vegetable, you can use kelp. Instead of a noodle, you can use a kelp noodle." Packages come pre-cooked and frozen. Thawed, the strips have a satisfying firmness, a mild flavor not unlike green beans and, not surprisingly, the faint, salty aroma of the ocean."The seaweed industry in the United States doesn't really exist yet," Olson tells me as we motor past the Portland waterfront and out into Casco Bay. It's chilly, and Olson has just lit a fire in the boat's tiny wood stove below deck. "We're really just making it up as we go along," he says. So far, that has entailed the fledgling company's chief executive slipping over the side of a boat several times each week to harvest the stuff. In a few minutes he'll change into a 7-millimeter-thick wetsuit to keep him alive in these frigid waters.
Here's a couple pics from a day out collecting kelp last year,
Here's a Recipe: Mussels & Linguini with Kelp Noodles
I chatted with Bernie at Ocean Approved this morning and he tells me four more Boston-area Whole Foods markets now carry their Kelp noodles - Wellesley, Woburn, Charles River Plaza, and Andover - in case anyone here in New England wants to add them to this summer's repasts.
In Portland, Maine, these area purveyors are listed in today's Boston Globe article by Chris Ladd,
Ocean Approved kelp is available at Harbor Fish Market, 9 Custom House Wharf, Portland, Maine, 800-370-1790 ($3.25 for 4 ounces); Browne Trading Co., 260 Commercial St., Portland, Maine, 800-944-7848 ($5 for 4 ounces), and Whole Foods Market, 2 Somerset St., Portland, Maine, 207-774-7711 ($4.69 for 4 ounces).It appears plans are afoot to supply Ocean Approved Kelp products nation-wide. Kelp harvesting is a sustainable, locally-supported food product.
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The photo of Jon Dietz was actually one of two in the book taken by Katie Selva, not Zack Bowen (she also took the photo of Erik and Krista). The photo with the baby in the pot was taken by someone else but I never found out who!
What baby in WHICH pot? I didn't see no baby in a pot...
Would love to see all the pix, if you have permission to post them. 
And thanks for sharing this with us!
That's a great idea - some fun portraits still in the book. I'll see about digital versions.
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Canto XVII
Classic Pound Cake - Samantha
Served with strawberries and cream? Are you kidding me?! Just bury me surrounded by Sam's perfect pound cake, squeeze enough whipped cream to fill the coffin, and plop a strawberry in my cold, dead mouth - I'm outta here.
Canto XVIII
Cherubs & Diablos - Meg
Oh my god!
Oh my god!!
Oh my god!!!
Meg's cherubs were little clouds nestled in a handmade (milk?) chocolate cup. The Diablos were made of head-spinning dark chocolate with what I think was a candied jalepeno piece on top, but the whole package had a piquant kick that would conjure Satan himself.
I liked them both, but if I had to choose, I would join the rest of the Deathmatch crew at Satan's side...
Thank you for visiting the Deathmatch, April 19th 2009, in Portland Maine
A crypt of thanks go to Photographers Zack Bowen and Katie Selva, without whom eGullet coverage of Deathmatch events would not be possible.
See you next time!
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The Deathmatch Wine List
The Wine: (92 bottles)
12 x Broadbent, Vinho Verde N/V
Bellenda, Brut Prosecco di Conegliano-Valdobbiadene “San Fermo”, 1.5l
Bellavista, Brut Franciacorta Cuvée, 1.5l
Perrier-Jouët, Brut Champagne Cuvée Belle Epoque “Fleur de Champagne” 1990, 3.0l (Jeroboam)
6 x Lustau, Amontillado Jerez Puerto de Santa Maria “Almacenista Jose Luis Gonzalez Obregon” N/V
Georg Breuer, Riesling QbA Rheingau Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg 2004, 3.0l (1 of 30 Produced)
Dr. Bürklin-Wolf, Riesling Spätlese Trocken Pfalz Forster Kirchenstück 1997, 1.5l
St. Michael-Eppan, Sauvignon Alto Adige “Sanct Valentin” 2004
6 x Bodegas Aragonesas, Campo de Borja “Coto de Hayas” Rosado 2007
Estancia, Meritage Alexander Valley 1989, 1.5l
Tramonti, Chianti Classico 2004, 3.0l
Nicolis, Veronese IGT “Testal” 2001, 1.5l
Poggio Amorelli, Toscana IGT “Oracolo” 2003, 3.0l
Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes 1999, 1.5l
Domaine Jean Chauvenet, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Rue de Chaux 2001, 1.5l
Louis Bernard, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 1999, 1.5l
Domaine de Vieux Télégraphe, Châteauneuf-du-Pape “La Crau” 1997, 1.5l
Château Lamartine, Cahors Cuvée Particulière 2004
Bodegas Alejandro Fernandez Tinto Pesquera, Ribera del Duero “Janus” Gran Reserva 1995
Château Musar, Bekaa Valley 1999
Hanzell, Pinot Noir Sonoma Valley 1990, 1.5l (Signed by Bob Sessions)
Marchesi di Barolo, Barolo “Grande Annata” Riserva 1988
William Hill Winery, Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1990, 5.0l (Imperial)
Librandi, Val di Neto IGT “Gravello” 2003
Tenuta Il Poggione, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 1997
Ridge, “Geyserville” Sonoma County 1999, 1.5l
Fauchon, Sauternes “Réserve” 1995, 375ml
Foreau, Vouvray Moelleux Domaine du Clos Naudin 1995
Wegeler-Deinhard, Riesling Spätlese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer 1990
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium, Riesling Beerenauslese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer Trittenheimer Apotheke 1989
Fonseca, Reserve Porto “Terra Bella” N/V
Château de Montpezat, Coteaux du Languedoc “Palombières” 2003
Condado de Haza, Ribera del Duero 2001
Mt. Difficulty, Pinot Noir Central Otago 2004, 1.5l
Etude, Pinot Noir Carneros 2004
2 x John Duval Wines, Shiraz Barossa Valley “Entity” 2005
Niebaum-Coppola, Zinfandel Napa Valley “Edizione Pennino” 1999 (Signed by Francis Ford Coppola)
Masciarelli, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Villa Gemma” Riserva 2000
Marchesi di Barolo, Barolo Cannubi 2004
Jean-Luc Colombo, Cornas Les Ruchets 1998
Bollinger, Brut Champagne “La Grande Année” 1999
The Beer
G. Schneider & Sohn, “Wiesen Edel-Weisse” Hefeweizen, Kelheim, Germany, 20l (1/6 Barrel)
St. Bernardus, “Abt 12” Quadrupel, Watou, Belgium, 20l (1/6 Barrel)
Harviestoun, “Ola Dubh Special Reserve 12” Old Ale, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 30l (Cask)
Castle Eggenberg, “Samichlaus Bier” Doppelbock, Eggenberg, Austria, 3.0l
24 x Geary’s, “Wee Heavy” Scottish Ale, Portland, Maine, 12 oz. bottles
24 x Geary’s, Imperial IPA, Portland, Maine, 12 oz. bottles
12 x Anheuser-Busch, “Bud Light Lime” Beer, 12 oz. bottles (F’n Spider)
6 x Falstaff Brewing Company, “Ballantine XXX” Ale, 16 oz. cans (F’n Gerry)
Lots x Pabst Brewing Company, “Pabst Blue Ribbon” Beer, 12 oz. bottles, 12 & 16 oz. cans
Master Myers (polishing his scythe)
The Hooch
Lillet, Apéritif Blanc, France
Cointreau, Triple Sec Liqueur, France
Cock-Russell & Co., “Boodles British Gin” London Dry Gin, England
Lucid, Absinthe “Supérieure”, France
Leblon, Cachaça, Brasil
Herredura, Tequila “Silver”, Mexico
Don Julio, Tequila “Reserva de Don Julio” Blanco, Mexico
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Canto XIV
Foie Gras Mousse Bacon Crumble - Nat
Foie is an essential part of a decidedly unhealthy final meal so it was certain to appear tonight. And when it did, it disappeared so fast that no one snapped a picture (that I know of yet).
Suffice to say that Nat made an outstanding dish that was surprising for its light touch on a rich ingredient. Bits of bacon punctuated the airy mousse with specks of salty goodness. Great gateway to the dessert portion of the evening.
Canto XV
zbCroquembouche - Krista
zbI like the deployment of a traffic cone when I cook too.
zb
zbAnd what's wrong with getting delicious caramel thread on everything? Including, probably Krista.
Most decadent nibbles, these.
Canto XVI
zbGinger Puddings with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce - Ginger Caramel Crumble - Jodi
zbWhen you bit into this, not only is the amazing praline effect knocking your socks off, but somewhere inside is a mysterious gingery pool surrounded by some of the best chocolate (so far) of the evening.
zb -
Canto XII
zbShortrib Pot Pie - Stephen & Merry
zbAbsolutely stunning little pillow of pleasure here. Flaky crust holding a scoop of perfectly braised short rib - a huge crowd-pleaser.
...but disaster looms near!
Somewhere around the middle of the evening, the usual fine-tuned hum of the kitchen was snagged by a plumbing snafu,
Naturally, several able people stepped in to remedy the situation
zbAlas, without proper tools, we settled on running buckets off the upstairs bath and the feast resumed.
Canto XIII
zbSweet & Sour Balsamic-Braised Short Ribs, Salt & Vinegar Fries - Jason
zb
I was getting pretty full, but I helped dab Jason's paprika mayo on a dozen of his plates so I really couldn't resist. This was probably the closest thing to what everybody really wanted for their last meal: a big pile of good french fries!
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Canto XI
If you know you've got one meal left on the planet, wouldn't it be bacon?
I don't know about you but I've had near nirvana-like moments with a Bacon Lettuce Tomato sandwich as my only companion. So the Pickett Street posse won me over with their selection for Last Meal,
Deconstructed BLT - Hot Mayonnaise In Your Mouth - Josh & Kate
What made this Canto different from the others was it's delivery system...
Before serving the course, the BLT Waitresses do a dry run,
A not-so-dry result, but I'll wager that was the idea.
Amazingly, it was a hit with the crowd...
As you can imagine things got, um, out of hand. But this is a family website so we'll move on now, shall we? There are seven cantos still to go!
note: all photos in this post by Zack Bowen
Lobster Prices Tank
in Kitchen Consumer
Posted
Lobstermen Take On New Role: Salesman - Portland Press Herald 6.21.09 features data recently compiled by The Moseley Group.
Another summer of low lobster prices is ahead of us. Or is it?