Tag Archives: Portland

Make Your Own Pop-Up

Feastly  is a newish company dedicated to great food and expanding our sense of community. It allows almost anyone to easily set up a pop-up dinner party. Based on location the site already has a large selection of professional chefs, caterers, and home cooks looking to bring their skills to your home. The events can be open to the public or invitation only.

The dinner we attended was hosted by a couple of young  tea makers, recently relocated and looking to meet fellow food enthusiasts.  From their perspective the set up was fun and fairly simple.  Yana G our chef for the night was also part of The Salo Project , an organization looking to bring Filipino cooking and culture to all 50 states. Living in Maine I can’t imagine having a better way to experience this excellent food.

The set up was unique, banana leaves covered two long tables.  Sticky white rice then formed a runner down the center of the green leaves. As each of the many courses arrived, the food was spooned out and set along the edge of the rice. Using only our hands we then combined bites of rice with the various dishes.  The lack of utensils was a nice conversation and the food was excellent. Despite being billed as “only” a five course dinner Yana was so happy with our local markets we ended up with a gut-busting 8.

The dinner started with okra in a spicy shrimp paste and garlic. It had a potent slow building heat that combined with the slightly sweet rice to for an almost irresistible blend. Despite my mouth being on fire it was difficult to pace myself. Luckily,  a few of the guests with Filipino heritage let us know it was a sign of appreciation to eat your way all the way across the rice. The arrival of the second course crispy fried anchovies in a shrimp garlic paste more than gave me the incentive to breach the rice wall. The brought to mind sea salt and candy and had just a hint of underlying heat. It was at that point that our feast truly began with a sauté of diced pork belly and crispy pork ears. I was in heaven! The dishes keep flowing, whole cooked fish, braised goat, Maine lobster in the shell with a coconut sauce. Quenching our thirst were pairings of beer brought by another nice couple that had relocated to Maine, in their case to start a brewery Rising Tide . Our final adventure was the chance to try a fertilized egg. The braver dinners described this as having a fermented intense chicken flavor. Desert was an amazing dish of ripe mango Maine maple syrup and rice. Overall a happy fun night. Also nice way to meet new people and experience the surprise of new food.  As an added benefit I can’t help but think of Feastly  as a solid way for new chefs, caterers and start up food ventures to build and audience..
Lobster with coconut
Pork Belly and Pig Ears
Crispy anchovies

Two Tales of Delicious Excess

I had an extra intense craving for rich full flavored food this week and decided to indulge myself through two lunches at what I think of as Maine’s top spots to indulge in over-the-top yummy goodness. My first stop was Hoss and Mary’s Tasty Grub. Open year round, this Old Orchard Beach side shack has some of the heartiest treats around. This past Thursday, I indulged in a deep-fried lobster roll with onion rings. Some of the lobster’s flavor is lost to the frying, it is more than made up for in the perfect texture of the golden batter and the succulent nature of the fresh meat. A supremely satisfying experience. Don’t feel like a lobster roll, how about trying a crab Rangoon topped burger.

Hosts and Mary's

Hosts and Mary’s

For our second stop on our tour of hearty comfort, my wife and I went to Nosh. We hadn’t been for a while,and I was pleasantly surprised to see some lighter beautifully crafted items on the menu. I loved everything but particularly enjoyed the seared tuna nachos. It consisted of expertly prepared tuna served on shrimp chips with a Asian mayo and sriracha. Tangy rich, happiness in my tummy. I moved on to a reconstructed fried chicken and waffle. The chicken was smoked and pulled, then served over a blue cheese jam topped waffle, then covered with buffalo sauce and shredded lettuce. Amazing! My wife had a Pho French Dip sandwich. It consisted of thinly sliced rare roast beast and crunchy veggies and herbs. It was served with a side of pho broth for dipping. A delicious twist on a classic. Of course, no visit to Nosh would complete without some their wonderful fries.

Nosh

Nosh

 

Nosh

Nosh

Nosh

Nosh

Nosh

Nosh

All in Saturday- Day of Brunch

I woke up yesterday in a bit of a funk. It had been a long week with a lot of negativity, and the dark forces of the world had worn me down. At that point I felt like I had two options: sit at home and wallow in my misery, or plan a day of excess and joy. I went for the later option. I promptly fixed myself a boozy coffee and let my wife Jennifer know that today was her turn to be DD. As a back-plan we always keep Home Runners on speed dial.
Our first stop was Central Provisionsto try their brunch. We arrived at 11:00, and practically had the place to ourselves. I’d say we got lucky, by the time our first drinks arrived, the place was filled with both Frankie’s crooning and a bustling crowd. Unless you get up at the crack of dawn, I would recommend a reservation. Setting the tone I decided to skip the mimosa and decided to try all of their whiskey drinks. I began with something called a corpse reviver and then worked my way through the The List. All were satisfying, potent, and flavorful.
We then began by ordering the cinnamon roll, beautiful fritters filled with ham and cheese, and a concoction of seared sheep’s milk cheese and onions.

Central Provisions

Central Provisions

Central Provisions

Central Provisions

Central Provisions

Central Provisions

Our next round of our eating frenzy was to try the breakfast sandwich, a decadent mix of Munster egg, and foie gras. Followed by a heavenly mix of salt cod lemon and a poached egg, served on top of thick toasted bread. Time for an intermission. We said our goodbyes, settled our tab and headed up the street to our favorite neighborhood barLFK. I of course indulged in more drinks.

LFK

LFK

Jennifer enjoyed some coffee. We both enjoyed the company of the crowd and the conversation of the best bar tender/host in the city Hutch.
After some proper digestion we continued our day of excess next door with lunch at Pai Men Miyake. Where we shared a delicious whiskey pot (mostly me) and enjoyed some delicious ramen.

Pai Men Miyake

Pai Men Miyake

Pain Men Miyake

Pain Men Miyake

My ramen had tender rich braised short rib as the protein, and I took the option of adding pork belly. Full to bursting, and a weeble wobbly joy. Having vanquished the Forces of Darkness we then called it a day and made our way home.

Miyake Fore St

ImageIf you enjoy sushi and Japanese cuisine than Miyake’s flagship restaurant really should be on your must try list. The photos are from a recent lunch date with my wife.  We started by sharing the Yaki Buta,tender braised pork belly with a sharp mustard sauce, and scallions added to balance the fatty goodness of the pork. Just amazing! I followed that with the chef’s choice Nigri. I love the option of letting a master chef put forth their best. I was not disappointed. Marinated fatty salmon belly, rich sea urchin, several species of snapper. It was all wonderful and of course was accompanied by perfect service. All together a relaxing lunch date splurge.