Farmers Fare and Bay Chamber Concerts collaborate Thursday evenings this summer!
Farmers Fare has a great treat for Bay Chamber Thursday evening concert
goers!
If you attend the Thursday evening Bay Chamber Concerts at the Rockport
Opera House please consider going to Farmers Fare prior to the concert for
a light evening dinner in their airy Cafe or on the outside deck, weather
permitting. They will be serving up soups and salads, charcuterie and cheese
plates, wine, beer and soft beverages and also coffee and desserts made
in-house from delicious local and/organic ingredients where possible.
You may then leave your car at Farmers Fare and take advantage of the FREE
shuttle to the Opera House which leaves in time for the 7PM pre-concert
lecture and then the 8PM concert. After the concert you take the FREE
shuttle back to pick up your car at Farmers Fare. This collaboration runs
through the final Bay Chamber Thursday Concert on August 26th.
The Farmers Fare Cafe will remain open until 8PM each Thursday and of
course anyone is welcome whether they are attending the Bay Chamber Concert
or not.
No more worries about parking in downtown Rockport on Thursday evenings!!
Chef Erik Desjarlais of Portland’s Evangeline has planned an event called Discover the Tastes of France that celebrates all things French to benefit Share our Strength Maine and help fight childhood hunger in our state.
Continue reading “Evangeline’s of Portland Shares Their Strength” »
A garden delivers so many little pleasures, and peas hidden behind the leaves is certainly one of them. Who can resist sugar snap peas right off the trellis? The challenge is to refrain from picking them too soon, before they’ve developed sweetness; when ready, the pods will be swelled with large peas. The Asian greens in this salad add a spicy note, and they’re so easy to grow.
Rock shrimp, which come from the Gulf of Mexico, are small and delicate (similar to Maine shrimp), and they stay quite firm after cooking. Any small shrimp will work in this recipe.
image of sugar snap pea courtesy of flickr.com
Continue reading “Sugar Snap Pea and Rock Shrimp Salad” »
Food lovers, listen up. This past week, Primo opened their new Antipasti Bar, and, trust me, it’s an addition you don’t want to miss. Six days a week (every day but Tuesday), one of Primo’s chefs will be behind the counter preparing dishes right in front of you. And Monday evenings, head chef Melissa Kelly will be the one behind the counter.
Photo above: patrons enjoying Primo restaurant’s new antipasti bar, courtesy of Chelsea Sonksen
Don’t worry, from the counter you can still order anything off Primo’s menu, but there is an additional menu as well—a menu that boasts a variety of specialized meats and cheeses, Primo wood-fired pizzas, various vegetable and antipasti plates, dessert dishes, a Piatti del Giorno (‘Dish of the day’), and more. As always, you can enjoy $1 oysters on Sunday and Thursday evenings.
On the back of the new Antipasti room, Primo has also added a new deck with chairs and a few tables. With these warm summer nights that we have been having lately, it may be the perfect time to go enjoy a glass of wine or one of Primo’s specialty beers or cocktails on the back porch.
Primo doesn’t take reservations for the new room, so you no longer have to plan your dinner weeks in advance. The next night that you are looking for some delicious food and a great atmosphere, head over to Primo and check out the new Antipasti Bar.
This post was written by Chelsea Sonksen, a junior at Colby College who is interning with Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine this summer.
Lynn Archer, chef and owner of the Brass Compass Café in Rockland, does it again! First she beat Food Network Chef Superstar Bobby Flay with her classic “King of Lobster Clubs” in last summer’s Throwdown. Then she made an amazing recipe for “Lobster Stew” on 207. She’s back again tonight, sharing an easy Maine summer meal called “Penobscot Pasta” with 207’s Rob Caldwell.
Rockland, Maine’s “Queen of Clubs” Lynn Archer, with her famous “King of Lobster Clubs.” (photo by Jim Bazin)
Lynn is all about letting the “Maine ingredients” speak for themselves in her dishes. Simplicity with just enough flavors added to enhance rather than mask favorite seafood like Maine lobster, shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels is what Lynn Archer is all about.
The Brass Compass and Lynn Archer were featured in our 2009 #2 issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle Magazine. Don’t miss Lynn on tonight’s edition of 207!
These recipes from Michael Salmon of Camden’s Hartstone Inn are sure to cool you off deliciously this summer! Of sorbet making, Michael has this to say:
“We serve a fruit sorbet at the Inn as a cleansing course before the entrée. Any fruit can be used for sorbet, you just need to consider the type of flesh or juice a fruit produces, and match it to one of these recipes. I use a simple electric ice cream machine that spins an insulated freezer bowl. You plug it in, pull the frozen freezer bowl out of your freezer and place it on the machine, place the lid on top turn it on and pour in the ingredients. In about 20 minutes you have sorbet. Transfer the sorbet to a plastic container with a lid and let it freeze for at least 2 hours to set up firm. ”
Hartstone Sorbet
Simple Syrup:
4 cups water
4 cups granulated sugar
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a 4-quart saucepan, giving it a gentle stir every 30 seconds. Once the boil is reached, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Use the simple syrup in the recipes below to prepare many different flavors of sorbet.
lemon sorbet image courtesy of foodnetwork.com
Continue reading “Summer Sorbets” »
Wow, warm sunny days…we are getting spoiled. I fear though, I should not get used to this. I know some people are rolling their eyes at the word warm. These days have been downright hot! Here’s where I have to make a tiny confession. I’m not a true Mainer. I know the state is full of transplants and I am happily here now as one of them. I was born in Texas and although you couldn’t pay me to suffer through one of those summers, I admit I love these sweltering days! So while I’m listening to everyone else complain, I’m smiling away as I nod sympathetically as if I agree.
Alright, some of you are probably wondering what my point is, am I right?
Well when you’re sweating away, what is one of the best refreshers? A cocktail.
Continue reading “White Port Refreshment” »
I remember being in elementary school and listening to Feed the World. Most of my favorite singers of the time were involved in that production in some way (I’m dating myself here). But I was lucky, because I was 11 years old and got to enjoy that song as nothing more. Just a song. But to the nearly 17 million children who live in a household that struggles to make food an important part of their lives, that song hits home. One in 5 American children will go to bed tonight hungry.
Continue reading “Taste of the Nation” »
About six years ago, a fire ravaged the structure of The Black Pearl Restaurant, putting it out of commission. But this summer, Rockland’s restaurant on the harbor has reopened—with a new vision and new vigor.
image of The Pearl in Rockland: Chelsea Sonksen
Continue reading “The Pearl Reopens in Rockland” »
Let’s talk turkey, the abundance of Maine turkey and its versatility, that is!
image: outdoorlife.com
With all the family turkey farms around the state, coupled with the fact that it was recently Maine wild turkey season, it’s time to talk turkey recipes. There are so many deliciously different ways to prepare this bird, and we share three of them in our Recipe Roundup.
Creative chefs Niko Regas of Portland’s Emilitsa Estiatorio, Melody Wolfertz of Rockland’s In Good Company, and Bob Hoyt and Janet Strong of Southwest Harbor’s XYZ give us a new spin on this favorite fowl.
Read the new issue of Maine Food & Lifestyle magazine, on stands now and available by subscription here!
In issue #11 of Maine Food & Lifestyle, join us in taking a tour of some of the great stores, markets, and restaurants in Damariscotta. This article shares spots you’ll want to explore Around Town, some old and some new. A picturesque harbor dotted with many quaint shops and amazing eateries, Damariscotta is bustling with activity and plenty to do, see, and eat!
image courtesy of mermaidcoveinn.com/seascape
There is definitely something for everyone in Damariscotta. Check out our guide and see what you might want to discover for yourself in this lovely coastal town. Order this magazine issue now.
Local Rockland Maine hero and owner/chef of The Brass Compass Cafe, Lynn Archer, made a recent visit to our local NBC affiliate to show us how she makes her Maine Lobster Stew. True to form, Lynn emphasized simplicity in her recipe preparation, avoiding the masking of natural lobster flavor by adding unnecessary ingredients.Fresh Maine Lobster, salted butter, half-and-half, and some Parsley for color…that’s all it takes to make Lynn’s delicious Maine Lobster Stew. Watch Lynn prepare her Maine Lobster Stew on the WCSH6 207 show.
Lynn Archer with her Food Network Throwdown winning Lobster Club
And if you missed Lynn’s Throwdown Victory against celebrity chef Bobby Flay this past summer, you can read about it here. Lynn Archer and Maine Lobster are rapidly becoming synonymous in Maine.
I am so proud of my “little” brother. He has become quite a talented chef. Get down to the Thomaston Café to enjoy his great cooking. His fishcakes (I may be biased) are the best in the area.
Continue reading “Thomaston Café’s Haddock Fishcakes” »
We are pleased to share the news with our readers that Ogunquit, Maine chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier of Arrows Restaurant were named Best Chefs in the Northeast! Awarded by the prestigious James Beard Foundation last night in New York City. This is the pair’s seventh nomination, and the seventh time was a charm!
Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier in their Arrows Restaurant Garden
Well known in Maine and throughout the Northeast for their outstanding fare at Arrows, Mark and Clark also own MC Perkins Cove in Ogunquit and Summer Winter in Burlington, MA. They join an impressive list of previous Maine award winners. Last year, Maine’s Rob Evans, chef and owner of Hugo’s in Portland, took home the award. In 2004, the award went to Sam Hayward of Fore Street in Portland, and the 1999 winner was Rockland’s Melissa Kelley, co-owner and executive chef at Primo.
Congratulations to our friends Mark and Clark on a well deserved honor! You do Maine proud!! Check out the many recipes Mark and Clark have shared with us on our blog!
Thomaston Cafe invites you to join them for their 20th Anniversary on Friday, April 30th! They will be celebrating their anniversary by rolling prices back to reflect their very first 1990 menu. Come say hello to owners Herbert and Eleanor Peters, Chef Brian Beckett, and waitresses Kim and Laureh as they share great food, fond memories, and continued friendship.
Breakfast (7:30-11 am):
- A cup of coffee is 45 cents all day!
- Enjoy the Thomaston Special (2 eggs any style, choice of ham, bacon, or sausage, homefries and toast) for $2.95!
Lunch (11am-2pm):
- Thomaston Cafe’s Famous Haddock Chowder is only $1.95/cup or $2.75/bowl
- Turkey Sandwiches on homemade bread just $4.25
- Delicious homemade pies are only $1.75/slice
Dinner (5:30-closing):
- Make your dinner reservations today for Friday evening’s Haddock & Crabmeat Special at $12.95.
Come join the fun!
Thomaston Cafe
154 Main Street
Thomaston, Maine
207.354.8589
This variation on classic pesto is a rich accompaniment to lamb and veal.
Roasted Pepper Pesto
Arrows Restaurant, Ogunquit
4 red bell peppers
2/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
2 Tablespoons finely grated Reggiano Parmesan
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 450°. In a bowl toss the peppers with the 1 Tablespoon oil. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the peppers over and cook for another 10 minutes until completely soft.
Remove the peppers from the oven. Transfer the peppers to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap; set aside for 10 minutes. Remove the peppers from the bowl, and when they are cool enough to handle, remove the stems, seeds, and as much of the the skin as possible.
Combine the roasted peppers in the jar of a blender with 2/3 cup oil, the pine nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, and garlic and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed, for up to 2 days.
Makes about 2 cups.
Diver scallops in Maine are some of the best you will find anywhere in the world. The term “diver scallops” refers to a scallop that was harvested by an actual person doing the diving to the bottom of the ocean and hand harvesting usually only the larger specimens. This yields a much cleaner and more uniform product than the large and destructive draggers can conjure up. Diver scallops are also sold “dry,” which means they have not been soaked in water or a preservative to extend their shelf life.
seared scallops image: about.com
Continue reading “Seared Sea Scallops with Spring Pea Cream and Smoked Salmon” »
Clam Chowder has been on the Cliff House menu since 1872. Guests always tell us how exceptional it is. This recipe won a coveted award at the Boston Harbor Fest in July 2003. All of you non-New Englanders will please note there are no tomatoes to be seen anywhere near this soup pot. The Maine legislature once introduced a bill to outlaw forever the adulteration of Maine Clam Chowdah with that dreaded red interloper. This recipe is fun to make, but the missing ingredient just may be eating it while longing for our dining room view of the vast Atlantic.
Continue reading “Cliff House Clam Chowder” »
Sorrel Linguine with Spring Peas, Green Garlic, and Fresh Ricotta from Chef Melissa Kelly of Primo, Rockland, is sure to inspire Maine spring on your taste buds and in your heart. This dish also takes well to the addition of fresh Maine crabmeat, lobster, or shrimp.
Melissa Kelly image above: Matt Kalinowski
Continue reading “Sorrel Linguine with Spring Peas, Green Garlic, and Fresh Ricotta” »
