Jack Rose

Second to the suggestion of Moat Mountain Brewhouse in Conway. Great beers and much more than the usual gamut of pub food - potstickers, Thai chicken pizza, and the Smoked Brisket Nachos are all definitely called for if visiting.

Planning a night out for drinks some time in the future would be fun. I will not be here in Portland for the next few weekends, being out of state, but let me know and we can try to plan something for May. I want to try my hand at clamming to see it first hand and agree that it surely is a lot of work. If enough are interested and have the know-how, I will gladly do the cooking with the fruits of our labors - fried wholebelly clams and steamers, anyone? They would probably taste that much better knowing the work that went into harvesting and would wash down well with a local craft brew (or wait just another month or so for the next homebrew batch).

Any local Egulleteers have experience with clamming? A picture in the Press Herald a few days back has put the idea in my head and running the Back Cove most mornings serves as a constant reminder, seeing the different levels from the tides. Johnnyd mentioned the idea of planning a lobsterbake or other get-together, which I am in full support off and offer any help that is needed. My only concern would be the sheer cost of "renting" the area over at Willard/SMCC and the hiring of a licensed caterer, etc. Likely to cost well over $50/person and coupled with travelling expenses may make it difficult to attract enough interest. I am more of a bare bones enthusiast and suggest buying lobsters from a local lobsterman and doing it ourselves with eveyone pitching in and the price tag coming in close to $20. Only need to come up with a date and working on someone to host it.

Siren, stop in Maple Organics when you have the chance for I think that you would like it. The owner's name is actually spelled Christie and introduce yourself and how you heard about it. It's still developing every day but it is starting off on the right foot and her heart is in the right place.

The bit about John at the Greengrocer looking to open a seafood restaurant is a bit of a surprise. I am usually in the store a couple of times a week and chat with him a bit. The surprise part is that he did not mention anything. Actually asked him about getting artichokes into the store, being spring and all.

Just got back from a visit to Maple's five minutes ago and still finishing my ice cream. Cute place and a charming owner, Christy, who I met. I hope it does well and that people stop in to patronize.

Ok, I will bite. At least a little bit. Overall, I think that Geary's has the best beer in Maine. Hands down. My favorite is the London Porter, although the Hampshire is great (albeit strong alcohol-wise) as is the Pale. I think that Shipyard is not very consistent and I think have gotten too big with regards to contract-brewing and have let the level of quality slip in recent years. I could ramble on for the next hour, but I will leave it at that for the moment. I think that One Fifty Ate has a good baguette, but I have been playing hit or miss with the vast majority of their offerings.

I actually do not have anything to add as of yet. Tough critic and all, but wanted to express my surprise at the lack of responses. There are several members in the Portland area that I talk to that surely can add to your list and step on the figurative soapbox. I would love to hear more about the great things in Portland.

Cynical is not the word, but welcome nonetheless if your intentions are honest. I was thinking the same thing after reading the fourth, fifth, and subsequent close to identical posts looking for Lichido. Try Google, it comes right up and found a source in less than three seconds - Transatlantic Spirits, LLC, but my guess is that you knew that.

That is good to only get a scare about Honey's closing. I never got a chance to try it, even though it is in walking distance from my neighborhood. You had mentioed a while back that you were fond of it. Any suggestions or recommendations to try out, Siren?

Thanks for the mention Janet. I will try to stop in the Clown tommorrow to chat with John and hear about it. Maybe he will even join us in grabbing a drink there after work.

I was in the market today and heard from the horse's mouth that the management group (Boulus, who runs the PPM for the Libra Foundation) had approached current vendors and stated that they would help them find new locations and negiotate leases. Kind of a back-handed compliment of sorts and the tell-tale sign that the market is being finally sold. It is pretty hush on what exactly is the outcome, but that is basically bold writing on the wall. From what I deduced there is still the month of March remaining for bidders but it sounds like a buyer is already in place.

A Bloody Mary has evolved for its intiial recipe as a Red Snapper at Harry's New York Bar in Paris and when it was brought over to the King Cole Bar by "Petey" Poirot. It was originally made with gin as well and adapted later to vodka, for Heublein and its brand, Smirnoff, were aggressively marketing and promoting their "white whisky". As for lime juice, the first recipe called for lemon and I think that creating a contemporary Bloody is something akin to a poetic license - make it as you see fit or how your customers like them. For me, I use both fresh lime and lemon juices and a bit of the latter's zest. I feel that the bit of acidity creates an overall fresher flavor and harmonizes well with the tomato juice, Worchestershire, Tabasco, and pepper. Although, I like the subtle heat of the horseradish and prepare Bloody Marys with it, one can certainly omit this. As for finding the texture off-putting, try grating fresh horseradish and macerating (steeping) it in vodka. Might as well throw in the peppercorns and chilies while your at it.

The White Heart finally opened on Friday the 17th. Opening on Saint-Patrick's Day was likely not the plan, but after so many months of waiting for the construction, one would open at the earliest possible day. I have been by it a few times since then in the day but have not had an opportunity to stop in when it has been open. I am thinking about stopping in on Thursday to see it in action. The bar manager is Andrea Spencer, formerly a bartender at the Porthole and at Bull Feeney's and I talked to her a bit last month about what their focus was and she showed me a cocktail list, albeit one subject to final editing and review. The much-heralded Corpse Reviver No. 2 was on that initial list, but wondering how their adaption would turn out since they are eschewing Cointreau because of price and using a brand triple sec instead. I think her "Heart" is in the right place but there is a reason why Arrow, Dekuyper, and Leroux cordials are in the $8-12 range. I have high hopes that they can put it together and create a unique bar for Portland. As a sidenote, I found a bottle of Al-Awadi Orangeflower Water this morning at One Eighty Ate in South Portland. May have to mix up some Ramos Gin Fizzes this weekend with the bottle of Martin Miller's that I recently procured.

I would just like to echo johnnyd's comments and thanks for a fun night of cocktails at Oolong. John Myers really is a consumate professional and a true practitioner of mixology. In a city where it is truly hard to find a well-mixed drink, be it a Manhattan or a Moscow Mule, Oolong is a veritable oasis. Residents and even visitors to the port city definitely need to visit the restaurant and sample the bar's creations for themselves. I find myself looking over the desk calendar and trying to find a date for a return visit. Thanks again, gents.