johnnyd

The tour of Bower's is terrific. Now I'm starving...

Rachel, It started as a joke in Burlington one year. A few years passed and I overheard two women in the parking lot cursing a blue streak. As I passed I glanced over to them and one was going "You should know better... you have to LOCK your car during Zuchini season!" They noticed me, grabbed a paper bag from the back seat and started to move towards me. I broke into a run. I'm NOT JOKING here! Believe it! It's a jungle out there!!!

Living in Vermont had it's high points, like not having to lock your car, except when the zuchinis start coming out: If you didn't lock your car in August, you can bet on a pile of 'em appearing mysteriously in the back seat.

Okay, you're a spoiled, fussy New Yorker! Very true, this. I'm afraid I have to plead guilty to being short on time and thought the variety at the PPM would be entertaining for the short amount of time Aquitaine had in town. Miccuccis was a bit out of the way at the time. Instead there is now something to look forward on your return Aq! Bingo!

eGullet member Aquitaine popped into town yesterday for a look around, so we went to my favorite sushi place YOSAKU. The chef/owner used to buy big tuna from day boats in the harbor here and ship them off to Japan. He knows fish. Now he is holding court in a terrific location (#1 Danforth St) next to the statue of Portland Native, film director John Ford. We sat outside by the little Japanese garden under a pink umbrella. On the way out to the deck I asked Tak if he had any Mentaiko, a spicy cod-fish roe, and indeed he did. It's a challenging flavor, but one of my favorites. Aquitane and I had never met before but quickly lost ourselves in conversation. This was the first time I had met an eGullet member so there was an instant bond of recognition and familiarity. We had Maguro Sashimi, Toro Sashimi (and Sushi!), Hamachi Sashimi and Sushi, Bonito, Bincho Maguro, Beni-Sake, Ika with Shiso leaf, and Mentaiko Sushi. We took a bite of toro and glanced at each other, both nodding our heads, struggling to smile with our mouths full and going "...mmmmm!" There wasn't a bad piece in the bunch. Aquitane decided the Ika was a bit too much but was game to try a tiny bit of mentaiko in spite of her avoidance of all things egg-y (and roe-ey). We can agree that eGers are more likely to try something new than the masses at-large. Bravo! We also had some nice cold sake, a first for Aquitane. I don't remember the brand but it was crisp and just right. I confess I ate the lion's share of our beautiful plate of tasty morsels and we split the bill, but if Aquitane decides to move here I'll have lots of opportunity to help her sort out the "good places" in return. Portland has recently been named among the top 20 places to live by Outside magazine. I was living in Burlington VT when that town got listed in Outside and within a year the place transformed itself. I dropped Aquitaine off at the Portland Public Market as she was searching for some decent olive oil. Could have been a mistake: with so much to see, she might still be there!

That box is da bomb, dave! Didn't that area just get socked with a storm? You may therefore have the most equipped kitchen in the neighborhood... right in your car!

Magnifique!

Great work D! We really must find a way to write off your gas expenses... anyone? Hmmm... tomatoes. Tomatoes.... in chowder? You New Yorkers crack me up!

Wow, what a report. Thanks so much for these updates. You hit almost all the jewels in Portland's crown. Do come back soon!

Outstanding dinner, Pan! Spicy and Tasty dishes look incredible.

Clam flats from Scarborough to Freeport are open for harvest as of Monday. The Yarmouth Clam Festival starts today and runs all weekend. It's a hoot and the fried clams will be tasty. There is also Lobster, corn, steamers and a couple of more typical festival food booths. If you are in the area, check it out. Pan Fried Steel Band on at three; Maine's hottest bluegrass band the "Jerks of Grass" play at eight.

Ahem. If I may be brazenly presumptuous, owing to our fearless bloggers apparent routine it is conceivable that this request may yield disturbing results. If I went out at this frequency, I think the only reason to OPEN my fridge was to deposit doggy-bags (leftovers for you foreigners). Back when I lived a pell mell, urban existence, my doggy-bags began resembling other forms of... well, life. I bet I'm wrong but I couldn't help projecting the image

Oh. My. God. I am laughing my ass off here! "Yo, you want fries wit dat?"

Cool. I haven't been down there in ten years. Go for it Maestro! East Village denizens in full battle array!! Red-hot woks a-blaze!!! What, if I may ask, do you have for a kitchen? Is it extra, extra small?

Well, that one's empty! My first impression of Beleza Pura was that it was relatively smooth, no bite to it. That is a good thing. Some labeless bottles I've had were good for their fermented cane flavour, but snapped your head off with alcohol. BP had only a modest cachaça "nose" which disappointed me, but a smooth passage down the hatch. I felt a tingling on the tongue that was a little worrisome, but add limes and sugar and we were in business. We had a traditional feijoada to celebrate the bottle's arrival. Started cooking the popular brasilian black bean dish on Friday morning, so it was perfect for lunch on Saturday. There is a little Brasilian store on Forest Ave here in Portland where I got Farofa (manioc flour), guarana soda, goiabada (guava paste), cafe caboclo and a few other things. The dish was served with collard sauteed in olive oil and garlic, valencia orange segments and toasted farofa. After three caipirinhas, it was especially welcome. Time to order another bottle!

I'll echo Lucy here. Your PShop tips are very helpful. A stupid question perhaps: I was trying to make a creamed corn base for a lobster tail dish and found the result too kernel-y, little bits of cellular stuff dominated. Should I have cooked longer to soften these or strained the mixture? Can I come down and do some prep??? If I get on my trike now, I'll get there by Christmas...

No, That type of scallop is not native here. They are plentuful south of Cape Cod on the US Eastern Seaboard. I did find a personal web page about diving for scallops in Florida and they look a lot like those in your picture. Scallops here are much bigger. The meat alone is the size of those shells. Gulf of Maine scallops can get to 10 inches in diameter. Divers are required to land scallops in accordance to the same law as draggers. When I went diving for scallops, we went out to a spot where a power cable lies between two islands. The nautical chart depicts a 50 yard area that is prohibited to draggers. Great spot to dive for scallops! Upon surfacing, we shuck (open and clean) each scallop and make sure there is nothing else but the allowed meats on board. If we have a particularly huge shell ("platter"), we'll keep it as a souvenir at no consequence.

They are indeed. Scallops are harvest primarily by dragging a dredge from the stern of a boat, a bit invasive but effective. They are picked out of the dredge and shucked on-board using a knife like this which neatly follows the contours of the large scallops common to the area. It is required to reach port with ONLY the abductor muscle and no other part of the scallop animal. Clouds of seagulls follow scallopers into port as deckhands cast the roe and other debris overboard. If the harvest is prodigious, boats will idle in the harbour and finish shucking their scallop haul.

A recent scallop ceviche made from a local diver harvest. Full report here.

Red Tide Abates - Flats Open - Portland Press Herald. Seven towns in Mass cleared for clam harvesting also Let's go people! Need some clam shack porn!

Flats in Brunswick, Freeport, Scarborough and Biddeford have been cleared for clam harvesting as of Thursday. Areas in Eastern Casco Bay, Middle Bay, Long Reach, Harpswell Cove and Thomas Point Beach, remain closed to digging. Seven towns in Massachussets have also opened their clam flats for licensed diggers. Steamed Clams may be safely consumed this weekend. They run about $12/plate "Red Tide Abates" from today's Portland Press Herald

Outstanding. Beautiful plate too. Did you put anything in the cavity before poaching?

Very, Very cool Daniel! Those plates set a standard for me. I guess the hombres grandes know where the good cooking is.

I've been using some Goat Milk Yoghurt for my Raita lately. Really good stuff. Fabulous photos of the farm, thanks!

You should be finestkind, Fred. Stop by the Harbor Fish Market and see what's up. I just got Soft Shell Primes for $1.99 each today