Maine Foodie Tours

The Kennebunkport Festival always signals the start of a Maine summer, and this great foodie, art, music and drink festival returns June 4-9 this year. The list of events is long (and some are sold out already!), so if you’re looking for the chance to experience an intimate dinner with a famous Maine chef in a private home, get your tickets quick.

If you’re more of a “drink beer in the sun” type, the Brews & Tunes event on June 8th may be more your style. Come enjoy the River Green, by the Captain Lord Mansion, while you sip local beers and enjoy Maine artists Spencer Albee as he recreates the Beatles. Our friends at Kitchen Chicks Catering are providing the food, which is always delicious.

And if you’re planning to be in Kennebunkport already, we’d love to have you on one of our tours. We have many Culinary Delight walking and trolley tours scheduled during the week of the Kennebunkport Festival.

Tags: beer, Brews & Tunes, Kennebunkport, Kennebunkport Festival, music

‘Out of the Blue,’ the collaboration between the Gulf of Maine Research Institute and local restaurants to promote sustainable local seafood is back!

Through May 19th, chefs will be featuring Redfish in their nightly specials, with four more species highlighted through the Fall. Maine Foodie Tour favorite, The Salt Exchange, recently served Redfish with Gnocchi, locally foraged ramps, wild mushrooms, and fresh parsley.

By showcasing lesser-known species from the Gulf of Maine, GMRI and local chefs hope to increase diners’ knowledge of these under-utilized species with healthy populations.

Visit the GMRI ‘Out of the Blue’ page to find a participating restaurant new you, and be sure to take advantage of the creative specials our Maine chefs are creating with these new-to-you fish.

Tags: GMRI, Kennebunkport, Portland, restaurants, seafood, The Salt Exchange

This is shaping up to be the summer of beer in Portland. In the last few years, we’ve seen an explosion of local craft microbreweries – including Rising Tide Brewing, Bunker Brewing Co., Maine Beer Co., and Oxbow Brewing Co., standing alongside old favorites Allagash, Shipyard, and Gritty’s.

Upcoming beer events will give you a chance to sample exclusive beers and collaborations brews, meet the brewers, and try plenty of beers “from away.”

Tomorrow is the release of Prince Tuesday, a Belgian-style IPA that is a collaborative effort from Allagash, Rising Tide, and Maine Beer Co. The beer will be on tap tomorrow at 2pm at Mama’s Crowbar, in Portland’s East End, with food provided by the upscale pub, the East Ender.

The second annual beer festival from Massachusetts brewers the Shelton Brothers, known only as The Festival, comes to Portland June 21-22, and brings over 70 brewers from the U.S. and Europe. The usual local Maine beer suspects will be there, but the biggest draw is the rare and unusual breweries coming and that the brewers will be pouring your beer, which is sometimes a rarity at beer festivals.

Saturday July 13th is Craft Beer on the Maine State Pier, a fundraiser for the Maine Brewers’ Guild. Again, the heavy hitters of local brewers will be represented (including Belfast favorite Marshall Wharf), and Victory Brewing Co. is the featured out-of-state brewery.

If you’re not going to be around for any of these events, you can always plan your own by following the Maine Beer Trail. This self-guided tour details 25 breweries from Eliot to Bar Harbor to Sunday River. A stamped passport from brewers earns you Maine beer swag.

We hope you take advantage of one of these great opportunities to enjoy the newest and best beer from your favorite Maine brewer!

Tags: beer, events, Portland

Maine Foodie Tour founder, Pam Laskey and her parents

Mother’s Day is this Sunday, May 12th, and maybe you need a little help thinking of ways to show Mom just how much you appreciate her. Add a handwritten note to any of these gifts below, and she’ll be sure to feel the love.

• Chocolates from Dean’s Sweets or Sweet Marguerites – Both shops ship, so even if you don’t live in Maine, but want to remind Mom of the good times you’ve spent here, you can still share a bourbon buttercream truffle or Fleur de Sel caramel with her.
• Mead from Maine Mead Works or wine from Old Port Wine Merchants – The new Ram Island Iced Tea Mead is a sparking surprise that would be a nice addition to a homemade brunch. If you’re stumped for other wine recommendations, Jacques at the Old Port Wine Merchants can help you find one that will be your mom’s new favorite.
• Local food picnic basket from K.Horton’s Specialty Foods in Portland Public Market House – Between the local cheese case, olives, specialty crackers, and spreads, Kris and staff will help you assemble a foodie’s delight (while sampling some yourself, of course!).
• Maine Foodie Tour gift certificate - Give Mom the experience of getting to know the foodie side of Portland or Kennebunkport by taking a Culinary Tour.

If you want to take Mom out to your favorite brunch spot in Portland, be sure to make a reservation soon! Some restaurants are offering special Mother’s Day brunches, so check out the Sunday Brunch list on the Portland Food Map.

Tags: gifts, Mother's Day, Portland, restaurants

The weather here in Maine has been beautiful, and somewhat miraculously, is predicted to be so through the beginning of next week. That means a great Spring weekend is around the corner, with both the Kentucky Derby and Cinco de Mayo happening. Here’s your guide to maximizing your fun this weekend, while enjoying some of our favorite Maine food and drink.

On Saturday, you can choose to host a Kentucky Derby barbecue, while enjoying a Maine lobster roll. On our facebook page, we shared a short video that will show you the best way to get all of the meat out of your cooked lobsters. Then follow our instructions to make the best lobster roll, and of course, serve them with some locally brewed beer, like the newly released Spinnaker Hefeweizen from our friends at Rising Tide Brewing.

If you’d rather go out and watch the races, Brian Boru in Portland is having a Derby Day celebration, with a best dressed competitions and even dog races in the parking lot!

Sunday is Cinco de Mayo, which is little more than a drinking holiday here in the States, but also serves as a good opportunity to brush up on your tequila knowledge. Down at Zapoteca, where they boast over 60 tequilas, the knowledgable bartenders will help you find your new favorite drink, like maybe their GuavaRita made with fresh squeezed lime juice, guava puree, silver tequila and premium orange liqueur. MaineToday has 9 more spots around Maine where you can find tequila done right on Sunday.

Enjoy your weekend and this beautiful spring weather to the fullest. Cheers!

Tags: Brian Boru, Kentucky Derby, lobster rolls, Portland, Rising Tide Brewing, tequila, Zapoteca

Truffles from Dean’s Sweets

Fans of our ‘Oh So Sweet’ Chocolate Tour in Portland know how many great sweet treats are available in the Old Port. If you’re looking to revisit the fun of a chocolate tour, consider participating in the ‘Sweet Weekend in the Old Port’ which returns in two weeks.

Portland Press Herald food writer Meredith Goad reports on her blog Maine a la Carte that passports will be available to lead you on a tour of Old Port chocolatiers, ice cream shops, and candy companies while you sample their offerings. Pick up a passport at any participating sweet shop in the Old Port, have a sample, and head to your next spot.

Our friends at Dean’s Sweets, East End Cupcakes, Old Port Candy Co, GoBerry, Gelato Fiasco are participating as well as many other great local businesses.

Tags: chocolate, Old Port, Portland, tours

El Rayo’s Shuck Truck

 
When the Portland City Council passed legislation allowing food trucks within city limits, they set the stage for a food truck boom. Previously, food trucks were only allowed in Portland on private property or in other neighboring towns that allowed them, such as Bite Into Maine, the lobster roll truck at Fort Williams in Cape Elizabeth. Now, plans for food trucks are hitting the news as chefs get ready to prepare mobile feasts on the streets of Portland.

According to Portland Food Map, there are three food trucks in currently in the works, joining the three that operated last year (Love Cupcakes, Gusto’s Italian Food Truck, and Teresa Esposito’s On the Go). Despite complaints from some that the areas where food trucks can operate are too restrictive, we hope that the food truck trend continues and that chefs find the venture profitable.

Tags: chefs, food trucks, Portland, restaurants

Those who have been on our Portland Culinary Tour and Beer Tour have had a good time sampling the brews from Shipyard and Allagash Brewing Companies. Both are widely distributed in the U.S. so perhaps you can even enjoy a bottle if you don’t live in Maine.

According to the Portland Press Herald‘s What Ales You blog, a list of craft brewery sales in the U.S. compiled by Brewers Association has ranked Shipyard as the No. 15 selling beer in the country, with Allagash hopping onto the list at No. 48.

We’ll drink to that! Here’s hoping that the increased sales mean that more and more fans of Maine craft beer are able to enjoy these brews even if they’re not in the Pine Tree state.

Tags: Allagash, beer, Portland, Shipyard, tours

Maine was ranked #2 in the country for its commitment to supporting a local foods system, second only to Vermont. Local food system advocates Strolling of the Heifers released their list based on factors such as the number of farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agricultures (CSA), and local food distribution systems.

Since you know we love to share the great food that our state produces, we’re thrilled to be recognized as a locavore foodie loving bunch. If you’re looking to support local food in Maine, find your local farmers’ market and sign up for a CSA share.

Tags: buy local, eating local, locavore, Maine

From Fisherman’s Voice

Alewives are small schooling fish that live in salt water, but return to fresh water to spawn. In Maine, they populate the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean, supporting our cod and haddock populations as a food source. The problem is, the number of these small fish has declined in the last twenty years, affecting our ground fishing population as well.

New regulations are being considered in the Maine legislature that would allow alewives back into their spawning grounds of Maine rivers. Currently, these fish are blocked from entering dammed rivers in Northern Maine, such as the St. Croix River. While many groups support the proposed legislation, others are concerned about the alewives’ effect on the smallmouth bass population in rivers.

The balance between outdoor recreation and environmental regulation is an ongoing issue in a state as rich in natural resources as Maine. Whatever the outcome, we hope the ground fishing industry in Maine can remain sustainable, so many can continue to enjoy local seafood.

Tags: Maine, seafood