The Salt Exchange

For the tasting on Wednesday night (11/24, 5 - 7 p.m.), we're doing four really outstanding Scotches for $12.

One of the Scotches, Ardmore, is a Highland Scotch. Typically Highland Scotches that are less peaty, which I like as I am a bourbon drinker. However, this is the only fully petted Highland Scotch, so I am interested to try this. It's a single malt. It's double cask-matured, which gives it longer exposure to the oak, which is going to give it deeper notes and flavors.

The other three Scotches that we're doing are all from the Laphroaig series.

• September: Bourbons
• October: [Naturally infused] Vodkas
• November: Scotch

Stay tuned for details.

Our favorite part of the New York Times' piece "36 Hours in Portland, Maine" is its opening:

PORTLAND, Me., is known for three L’s: lobster, lighthouses and L. L. Bean (O.K., make that four L’s). Here’s another: local. In recent years, this city on the coast of Maine has welcomed a wave of locavore restaurants, urban farms and galleries that feature local artists. Abandoned brick warehouses are being repurposed as eco-friendly boutiques. In the main square, a 19th-century building has been refashioned into a farmers’ market. And everywhere you look, this once-sleepy industrial town is showing signs of rejuvenation — usually by keeping things local.  

We are happy to know that folks have been noticing! 

The pictures above are of produce Chef Jacob picked up at the Portland Farmers' Market this week.

For your reading and web-browsing pleasure:

• Maine Blueberry Malted Waffles, photographed by Dana Moos.
• More on Maine Blueberries: "Love at first bite"
• This interview with Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich of Sea Glass at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth also yields a killer recipe for slow braised beef short ribs.
• The AP reports "Maine lobsterman in tiny boat pulls traps by hand"
• Mmm. Early farm and garden bounties in Maine, reports the Press Herald.
• Last week the Bangor Daily News initiated a conversation about maintaing a food economy in Maine.
• DownEast on The Little Red Lobster Shack and on baconized cornbread (and how to make it!)
• In Maine hunger news: WCSH reports that York County food pantries are hurting, Bangor Daily reports that the soup kitchen in Belfast is in dire straits, and WBLZ reports that - after a push for food - Windham food pantries are stocked.
  

Mitch Miller, resident forager extraordinaire, poses with his fresh-picked, beautiful black trumpet mushrooms. They will be served tonight (Friday) and tomorrow night along with our Grilled Pork Flatiron with Mushroom-Cabrales Blue Cheese Bread Pudding and Crispy Artichoke.

On its website, Big Think describes itself as a "global forum connecting people and ideas." It offers a collection of videos of people - from the ordinary to the brilliant, entertainers to astrophysicists - reflecting on their respective crafts, fields of study, and/or passions.

We sorted through the video and attempted to find some of the most compelling commentary on food from some of the most interesting and compelling thinkers on the site. Further, we tried to match up some of the themes with our own passions (local agriculture, seasonal food, etc.) Big Think is so rich in ideas and content that we will very likely be doing this again in the near future, and we suggest you check out some of the other ideas on the site as well. We hope you enjoy.

• Marion Nestle, Nutritionist; Professor, New York University, weights in on whether organic food should be more regulated.
• Epicurious Editor in Chief Tanya Steel, discusses how the Internet is changing the world of food.
• Dan Barber, Chef, Blue Hill, suggests why we have disassociated food from agriculture.
• Inda Bastianich, Chef, Restauranteur and author, explains that food is love.
• Jacques Pepin, Internationally recognized French Chef, personality, and author, lays out why seasonal food makes sense economically, environmentally, and - of course - gastronomically.
• Scott Conant, Chef/Owner of Scarpetta, discusses a range of topics (including local farms, sustainable agriculture, and organic foods)

Happy viewing!

We found this hilarious edition of the tongue-in-cheek advice column "Sedariatives" in an old issue of The Believer (Mark/April, 2009). This particular column is guest-written by standup comedian Patton Oswalt and we had to share. We think that Joe Appel (of Rosemont Markets and The Press Herald's Appel on Wine) will especially appreciate this:

Dear Sedaratives,

There's a nice, small, family run grocery store on my block. Recently I've been reading about the upsides of feeding your dog real food, not the cardboard that passes for 'dog food.' Anyway, I fed him some carrots and beef from this grocery store and now my dog is dead. Do you think I could sue the grocery store, and is it possible to sue for a new dog?

Warm regards,
James David Lighton

---

Dear Mr. Lighton,

"Carrots and beef"? I'm going to assume you served your dog sliced carrots and some sort of ground beef, possibly chuck. Quaint, tasty, and simple, yes? It's clear your dog died not from any food-borne illness but from mortification. Any pairing of a root vegetable with "upper-half" meats (chuck, rib, short loin, the three sirloins and round) should also include a dark, bitter vegetable to counteract the intensity of the beef and the sweet/starchy quality of the vegetable. When your dog realized he was forever shackled to such a culinary philistine, he surely willed his bodily functions to cease.

I shudder to think of your idea of a wine pairing. The poor mut probably died with the sad tang of an overpriced Nebbiolo on his tongue.

Patton

We found this hilarious edition of the tongue-in-cheek advice column "Sedariatives" in an old issue of The Believer (Mark/April, 2009). This particular column is guest-written by standup comedian Patton Oswalt (pictured below) and we had to share. We think that Joe Appel (of Rosemont Markets and The Press Herald's Appel on Wine) will especially appreciate this:

Dear Sedaratives,

There's a nice, small, family run grocery store on my block. Recently I've been reading about the upsides of feeding your dog real food, not the cardboard that passes for 'dog food.' Anyway, I fed him some carrots and beef from this grocery store and now my dog is dead. Do you think I could sue the grocery store, and is it possible to sue for a new dog?

Warm regards,
James David Lighton

---

Dear Mr. Lighton,

"Carrots and beef"? I'm going to assume you served your dog sliced carrots and some sort of ground beef, possibly chuck. Quaint, tasty, and simple, yes? It's clear your dog died not from any food-borne illness but from mortification. Any pairing of a root vegetable with "upper-half" meats (chuck, rib, short loin, the three sirloins and round) should also include a dark, bitter vegetable to counteract the intensity of the beef and the sweet/starchy quality of the vegetable. When your dog realized he was forever shackled to such a culinary philistine, he surely willed his bodily functions to cease.

I shudder to think of your idea of a wine pairing. The poor mut probably died with the sad tang of an overpriced Nebbiolo on his tongue.

Patton

(Photo Credit: LullaByes)

Just a nice little list of updates (get ready for a handful of exclamation points):

 For your reading and web-browsing pleasure:

• Tatum was on Good Day Maine discussing being a bartender in Portland, and her part in Portland Monthly's Portland Bartender issue. And in case you needed another reason to pick up said issue, our very own Ben Row is also featured for his acting skills. We've got a talented bunch over here.
• We just read this from the folks at Eat Maine / Maine Magazine (on their Facebook Page): The Eat Maine Guide was printed and delivered to the offices of Maine Magazine. It's amazing and we would NOT nor could NOT have done it without you. Magazine subscribers: yours will be mailed. Fans: if you don't subscribe you can buy a copy before it gets shipped. Get yours for just $5.95 -- be the first kid on the block to have one.
• The ever-excellent Joe Appel writes about enjoying red wine in the summer.
• Meredith Goad tastes some of the best ice cream in Southern Maine.
• Publications are still taking a really close look at the President Obama's trip to Maine. Take a look at the Detroit Free Press' piece on the Bar Harbor trip.
• The Forecaster discusses preparing a barbecue feast.
• Don't forget that the Festival of Nations is coming up this weekend. The Press Herald previews it here.
• Many congratulations are due to Cheryl Dixon: "Congratulations to Cheryl Dixon for winning a national award of excellence for her work as the food service manager at Kittery’s Horace Mitchell Primary School! In addition to teaching good nutrition and promoting healthy eating habits, Dixon’s award-winning program includes a Farm to School initiative to provide schools with farm fresh foods, and a third component on composting and recycling." Keep up the great work!
• We are hosting a Cruzan Rum Tasting event on Wednesday evening. You can learn more about it here. Also, did you know that some folks just sort of sit around and edit movie scenes into dance remixes? Fortunately, someone has made one featuring Jack Sparrow asking, "Why is the rum gone?" Go ahead and throw away a couple of your hard-earned life minutes.