johnnyd

I had several hours to kill in Portland OR before traveling back here to Portland ME on the red-eye, so I wandered around River Place on a beautiful Sunday. The Newport Bay Restaurant sits out on the river by a marina. They had oyster shooters on the happy hour menu which I had to try. In spite of the inelegant presentation, these oysters were extraordinary - plump and delicious - they had a very faint coppery aftertaste that lingered for hours. I'm not a fan of Belons as they strike me as too metallic - but these were gentler in that regard. More robust than the Maine oysters, which have a sweeter flavor, and paler in color - almost pearly white. I have to buy a couple here for comparison before my taste-memory fades. The staff said they were from Washington. Doesn't Oregon harvest oysters?

Rosemont is take-away only and is really not downtown, more than a mile out on Brighton Ave (Rte.25) I can sense the crowds left high and dry by the PPM closure filtering out around Monument Sq and beyond. We'll have a list for you before June 1, Mr. Rider.

I just got back from a five-day conference in the other Portland. Thanks to eG, I had a plan going in but it was such a whirlwind all my plans went bust. The first night in town we hit the happy hour at the City Grill on top of the bank tower. NY strip w/roasted red peppers on bruschetta was excellent - California rolls were stuffed with good crabmeat - thai beef salad was superb. I took full advantage of the food carts downtown (We were at the Hilton) my favorite being UGARIT Mediterranean meals, run by the jovial Mohammed - great gyros for $4. My colleagues raved about the various burrito offerings too. We were generally frugal all week and blew the wad on a delicious dinner back at City Grille (we tried the Brazil Grille but there were no tables until very late). I've never had Dungeness Crab Cakes and these were delicious. I made a bid for Oba but my shellfish-avoiding colleague nixed it. The beer in this part of the world is fantastic. As is the coffee: The Hilton had two big urns of killer fresh-brewed bean available at all times during our conference of community radio broadcasters. Imagine a couple hundred radio people jacked-up on high-test coffee... My thanks to the City of Roses. I can't wait to come back.

The thing is, they were going for less than a dollar a pound here by the very dock they were off-loaded. It was almost embarrassing. The fishermen eventually just said "forget it! I can't even make back the diesel I use out and back," So if you can't get 'em any cheaper - one would think they were a shoo-in for local chefs and retail, which in-turn spreads to other places in New England but no, it didn't happen. I'm beginning to think that they were priced too low where people actually thought they are valueless and not to be trusted, a kind of reverse psychology here. To be fair, the cleaning issue was a turn off to a lot of consumers, so next year, the fish stores should hold "shrimp appreciation days" and teach people to clean 'em fast - cook 'em a couple different ways and generally chat them up - give a free pound to the first fifty people.

I heard on the street that John at the Rosemont Bakery is cooking up a seafood restaurant OR retail, or both, somewhere on Portland's waterfront. He was a seafood dealer for a spell so his heart's definitely into it. Stay tuned... edit to add: John was a partner in founding the now-closed Portland GreenGrocer.

Got a call from Dan, chef at Shahnaz Persian Grille who said a customer drove down from Bangor to dine there but got lost looking for it. Apparently he was looking for them opposite a Dunkin Donuts. Dan tracked it to this post that I made in December so the good news is that someone in Bangor reads eGullet, but for future reference, Shahnaz Persian Grille is directly opposite the new Maples Organics which serves certified organic baked goods and ice cream... and they are right next to a DOMINOS pizzaria. oops Shahnaz Persian Grille 795 Forest Ave (Liberty Plaza) Portland ME 04103 207-879-2400

I've been so busy lately I couldn't come up with two let alone ten... but I'm determined now! - the "Tuna Plate" at Yosaku: Maguro, Toro, Bincho, Bonito (or Hamachi), a sashimi order my wife and I get when we visit Tak, the chef/owner. - the Sazarac cocktail at Oolong made by that mysteriously handsome barkeep. - endless countnecks from Harbor Fish, on the half-shell and doused in fresh lime juice - best served on the washrail of a wooden lobsterboat, tied to the DiMillo pier. I'll think of more but this thread has done it's job: It's pointed me in a number of new directions for some particular dishes at places I haven't been yet - thanks everyone!

Wow Dave! Pity about the crab. Too delicate for chowder I suspect. I made a chowder at the start of shrimp season with simmered shrimp shells and in my haste, didn't do the reduction step. Big mistake: the broth was way too weak. I compensated by adding lots of seafood and when thawed, made a roux first (pix here). To which I added more shrimp. I pull my chowders off the heat just about when the fish has cooked through or the clams have tightened up. Since I usually make a gallon or more, the residual heat continues to cook the brew and the flavors come together. If we have some that day, I'll draw off enough for that meal and pack the rest in the freezer or let sit another day in the fridge first. Personally, I never put any dairy in until ten or fifteen minutes before serving, so it's in the chowder long enough to heat up and absorb everything before it breaks down.

Nothing published about this season yet - it's technically open for another couple of days - but Maine Department of Marine Resources secured two years season dates on the basis of four (five?) years research that told them the stocks were healthier than usual. Hell, the season was only two weeks one year! The shrimp take four years to reach harvest size. I think the problem is cheap imports of larger species - and lame marketing. Who was that dude who made the Pet Rock a hit? What's his number!?!?

As a former FOH and BOH, I know the drill. 20% or more unless things are really out of hand - then it's nothing.

By the way Chris, what's a bag of 100-count cherrystones go for down your way? They're Narragansetts I presume.

I hear you there, brother! ...and I am all too familiar with "losing it" in the store! Those were some wicked nice looking clams y'had theyah, by jeezuss!! Pity about skipping the blanche step. If you think of it next time (or still have this one), freeze the chowder in small containers and use as a base for future chowders - thus diluting the saltiness in new batches. I do this when I make mine too thick/starchy/fishy/salty, as the next batch can be short on an ingredient to compensate.

Not since a school chum's stories 30 years ago have I "visited" your beautiful country. After this short week I add another place to the "must visit" list. Thank you Gerhard! Much luck in JBurg and may you see your way back in haste.

Just called Sharon at HONEY's and got her on board the WMPG-FM restaurant donation list for our spring Fundraiser next week. Thought she could use the promotional boost if things were getting rough. Turns out there was a death in her family so she took two weeks off. -snip- What a wonderful woman! Not only is there a sparkle in her eye and a helluva smile, she's one determined lady. She's definitely back in business and changing her menu next week. I hope she keeps the oxtail, hamhocks and pigfeet - I'll have to ask later...

Order some good sherry - a lot. Make sure some are expensive so you earn some street credit and ensure decent tips. Get some good shoes - you'll need them. It'll be fun - looking forward to your success.

Farmed mussels grow on 40 foot (on average) ropes hung from rafts anchored in 60 feet of water out in the Bay here in Maine. I've never experienced grit in these particular shellfish, only those picked off the rocks at the water's edge run the risk. I think areas with a fast current and tides also allow less grit to get in the local shellfish. What say our Mediterranean members?

Gerhard, I remember fondly your mini-blog while you were hunting for what is now Mes Amis. Such gorgeous scenery. The dining room looks smashing. I am looking forward to seeing how the renovations went. Cheers, Johnnyd

So, how are things going, Steven? With this kind of press I hope steps have been taken to elevate the quality of this audio endeavor to at least amateur level - never mind NPR. But speaking of NPR, there are some useful guidelines that may be helpful. see pages -5-6-7-8-

Now this sounds good. Where abouts is it?

Our recent evening at Oolong. Mr.'s Rose & deko A wee bit dark but very pleasant atmosphere.

While at the Hannaford Back Bay supermarket last week I made my usual detour to see how the fish counter looked. The pile of maine shrimp was smaller than usual and had a yellowey hue. "Not very appetizing," I thought to myself. Yesterday, my SoPo Hannaford had no maine shrimp at all. "Lately, we've had to through out two pounds for every one we kept," said the young fishmonger. And so this year's Fresh Maine Shrimp season limps to an end. If I find any for sale this week I'll make a farewell feast, hopefully photo-worthy. I plan to make a few calls and see what industry opinion is and ask what should be done about improving demand next year.

It appears that they will be taking over a building on Franklin Arterial and Somerset St. This from a couple folks at Wild Oats I chatted with y'day. ← Yesterday I drove by this site, occupied until this week by the former SONDIK building. It is being dismantled, chunk by chunk, and will be shipped to somewhere in South America for re-assemblage as a school. Talk about large-scale recycling! This from former owner of Whole Grocer.

Cool! We used to use the EXACT same dish for our cat. The best chinese I've ever had was a hole in the wall in the SF financial district. Any chance of prowling around there this week?

Last night, eG member JackRose and I visited eG member fatdeko at his perch behind the bar at Restaurant Oolong, at 100 Commercial St here in downtown Portland. I had just awarded a trophy to the winner of our annual Community Radio Fat Tuesday Cook-off to Beale Street BBQ who in turn gave me a bucket of their Jambalaya - so what else could I possibly order but a Sazerac? It was my first one, second one and possibly third but I don't remeber fatdeko swirled pernod in my rocks glass before pouring in this amazing cocktail. It was a truly magical experience. Owner and eG member Oolong stopped by and before long we were undoubtedly the jolliest crew at the bar. It was a blast. John & Paul gave me a bottle of Peychaud bitters from their stash. I also had a whiff of the Fee Brothers bitters which was delicious. I had the best time at a Portland bar that I've had in a long time - quality cocktails and top-notch company. Go visit them sometime if you are in town. The menu (drinks and dinner) is available on a PDF from the site above. Mr.Rose and I never got around to trying the menu but we saw some delicious things walk by (no, the food!). Mr.Oolong brought out a heap if excellent calamari at about the time we realized we were the only ones left in the restaurant. It says something when the most memorable evenings are spent with eGulleteers. Many thanks guys!

But where is the hangover?