April 2016

Take a croissant, split it in half, lay it on a grill or flattop and heat all those wonderful buttery layers to unleash that moment of umami smoothness.   Then when you load the croissant with a seared crab cake, local, fresh arugula and spinach, a tomato slice, citrus mayonnaise and the final glory of a beautiful duck egg fried just right and you’ve just had one of the greatest morning breakfast sandwiches.

It was at the Salt Box Cafe where this gustatory revelation occurred.  On a perch along the Eastern Prom the truck is parked overlooking the water where owner/chef Matt Glatz holds court.  He built the kitchen cabin, which is on a flatbed hooked up to his truck.  His apt motto “tiny house, big taste” says it all.

Terrific croissant and crabcake sandwich

Terrific croissant and crabcake sandwich

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Had the weather been more seasonally spring like rather than my barbecue station being covered with a few inches of snow I would have grilled these two beautiful pork chops for dinner. That, at least, was the plan several days ago when I took the chops out of the freezer to defrost and put in an overnight brine.

Instead I changed course and went to one of my favorite “winter” recipes for pork chops.  I came across this method in one of my favorite regional cookbooks, Shuck Beans, Stack Cakes and Honest Fried Chicken by Ronni Lundy, a book filled with the cooking of the Mountain South–hearty, delicious fare indeed.

Baked pork chops with onions and potatoes

Baked pork chops with onions and potatoes

The center cut loin chops on the bone were from that great butcher shop in Warren, Maine, Curtis Meats, the country butcher who cuts everything into great big slabs.  These chops (from Canada) were nearly 2 inches thick. To get them to emerge tender they need either quick cooking at high heat or slow and steady such as how these baked chops were prepared.

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By the time we arrived at 158 Pickett Street Café in South Portland, only about a dozen bagels were left in the shop at noontime. The big Sunday bagel brigade at 158 was winding down just as it had at  their neighbor and one-partner, Scratch Baking.

the charming cafe bake shop at 158

the charming cafe bake shop at 158

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When the Portland Whole Foods Market opened in 2007, the event was as momentous as discovering the apogee of chopped liver.  At the onset the store has been one of the most profitable in the chain’s international lineup.  On any given day, even during a snowstorm, the market is jam packed with shoppers.  Who knew that the otherwise frugal mindset of New Englanders would embrace such a store whose often-used nickname is Whole Paycheck Market?

Portland's Whole Foods Market

Portland’s Whole Foods Market

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Whether brunch energizes you or creates the perfect scenario for an afternoon nap, one thing is certain:  It has to be thoroughly satisfying.  And these days what goes beyond the norm of eggs Benedict gets my vote for culinary rapture. That happened this past Sunday at Terlingua, now a mainstay   along the bustling restaurant mecca also anchored by  Roustabout across the street and  the newly opened Drifter’s Wife.

A hale and hearty scene at Terlingua's well- attended Sunday brunch

A hale and hearty scene at Terlingua’s well- attended Sunday brunch

I chose Terlingua for my brunch destination because after scanning many restaurant sites and their online menus, one dish stood out: smoked brisket hash with sweet potatoes and eggs.

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Masa Miyake tried the izakaya concept—the Japanese version of a gastro pub—formerly at his tiny aerie on Spring Street, which is now the Home Catering take out and sandwich shop. It closed shop a few years ago.   But Portland newcomer, Chef Thomas Takashi Cooke, and his wife, Elaine Alden, are exploring similar opportunities here to open his restaurant, Izakaya Minato.  On Tuesday evening, he held a pop up at Bao Bao showing off his  menu.

He hails from San Francisco where he was head chef of that city’s highly regarded Tsunami.  He and his wife Elaine moved to Portland recently.

Quite a crowd convened at Bao Bao to sample Cooke's fine Asian fusion menu

Quite a crowd convened at Bao Bao to sample Cooke’s fine Asian fusion menu

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