Down The Hatch, As Fast As Possible

I volunteered at Cultivating Community's "Twenty Mile Meal" today. It could not have been a more beautiful afternoon at Turkey Hill Farm. While I grilled pizzas, my family grazed on foods (and I had my fair share too) made 100% from ingredients grown or raised within twenty miles of the Cape Elizabeth farm. Some of the food providers even used items grown at Turkey Hill. Pretty cool stuff. Let me assure you, it was all very delicious.

While my daughter and son took part in storytelling and harvesting activities, I struck up some interesting conversations with guests of the event, folks I have never met. We talked a little about politics. We chatted about buying local. We laughed about a lot of things. We also shared some pain when someone broached the topic of speed eating. Specifically, the embarrassing contest that took place in So Portland last week.

The kind folks I was chatting with, like me, hate speed eating. We all agreed that it sends a ridiculous message. We could not understand why any brand would want to associate itself with speed eating. The marketing minds behind Costa Vida’s burrito eat-off must be seriously confused. Have they not listened to or watched any news in the last few years? -- Diabetes, obesity, blood pressure, stress and anxiety -- all of which are either aided or worsened by eating habits. OK, I understand the need to get paid. We all have responsibilities to take care of, but for goodness sake, speed eating. I mean, really. Could there be a more embarrassing way to get paid, or attract attention to your brand. (My rant stops here.)

All I can say to the people and brands of the world, who like speed eating, is find something that matters. Invest in something that really stands for something real, something that is worthwhile and good.

The folks of Cultivating Community stand for something real: feeding our hungry, empowering our youth, and Healing Our Planet. Lofty stuff, right? And they deliver. Under Craig Lapine's leadership this organization is accomplishing great things in our community. Cultivating Community is setting standards and raising the bar when it comes to nutrition education and fostering growth of social systems that connect us all. (Don't let me be the messenger, learn more at cultivatingcommunity.org).

Costa Vida, Maine Lobster Promotion Council and some of the other area organizations who have created eating competitions, on the other hand, are in it for publicity’s sake. In other words, they’re in it for the wrong reason.

Speed eating advocates of the world, I challenge you. Make me a believer. While you do that, I invite everyone to do what I do, call it what it is, stupid. And like me, make brand decisions that matter -- join me in going out of the way to not do business with companies or organizations that advocate speed eating.

Martinis Anyone?

Mediocre Restaurants, Average Shopping

I was invited to a meeting recently to meet Maine's Tourism Director. Everyone in the room represented one thing or another -- the airport, trains, ferries, cruiseships, business districts, hotels, restaurants, etc. Most of us were there to listen. Others were there to be heard. One such guest felt the need to comment on the idea that Portland's culinary buzz could be a tourism catalyst. She bragged to everyone in the room that she had just moved to Portland from the New York City area -- she went on to say "Portland's restaurants are mediocre at best and our shopping here is average." The gasp emitted from right behind me nearly knocked me out of my seat. It came from Freeport's retail association executive director. It's a good thing that there were no chefs in the room. Had there been, I imagine a few James Beard, Gourmet and Food & Wine awards would have been flying.

I am not going to try to convince anyone that Portland has a "better" restaurant scene than New York. It's an impossible debate -- residents: 200M Vs. 8MM, eating establishments: 200 or so Vs. 25K. My take on New York Vs Portland, anyplace Vs Portland, really, is this, there are a few things that set us apart from other cities: where our dining spots are located -- close proximity to one another; the caliber of our chefs -- world class award winners and rising stars; ingredient quality -- none fresher, none better. One other thing we have that other cities and town are misisng is our dining scene's passion for authenticity.

I do love New York. In fact, I was there this weekend (which is what made me think of the comment about our medicore dining scene). We had some delicious fun that I want you to know about. We also had some bad food, which I also want you to know about. Here goes.

Friday afternoon:
Quartino (11 Bleecker St.)
We were invited to Quartino by a friend who works nearby. It is one of her favorites. It was a great choice to start our weekend. This small So Ho eatery serves wonderful Italian. Their use of organics and fresh ingredients was brilliant. My focaccia sandwich was melt in your mouth good. The Moretti was cold and crisp. The setting was perfect -- the heart of the city, quiet tree lined street. An all around fun time.

Dinner
Pegu Club (77 W Houston St.)
We followed the advice of a contact of mine at Food Network and headed to Pegu. This place was exactly what we needed to kick off our night on the town. The bar menu here is inventive, the appetizer choices are delicious and the setting is gorgeous. The drinks were expert and the appetizers were unique and all very tasty.

Pravda (281 Lafayette St.)
After Pegu was headed to an "underground" caviar bar called Pravda. I have to admit, when we approached the unlit entrance with no sign of any kind and an enormous bouncer screening customers I was a little nervous. A little out of my league, I guess. But as soon as we were led down to the entrance and told to enjoy ourselves, I felt "a celebrity rush." Winding down a dark stairway into a dimly lit restaurant was too cool. The drink menu features dozens of Russian vodkas, authentic Russian foods and of course, caviar. We enjoyed ourselves immensely. The people watching alone made the trip to Pravda worthwhile.

Portland needs a Pegu and Pravda.

Saturday morning:
Grand Central Market

Everyone and everything goes through Grand Central - and they have a fabulous market. This is the kind of place that the Portland Public Market dreamed of becoming. The spread here is amazing -- fresh baked everything, freshly picked everything else. We chose some rich coffee and breakfast items and hit the streets. (Why couldn't we make the Portland Public market work -- why couldn't Libra Foundation get their heads out their butts and make it work? You can feel a city's pulse in its indoor markets. They should have tried harder. Another blog for another time.)

Saturday afternoon:
Cafe Opalince
For lunch Saturday we ate at Café Opaline at Dahesh Museum. This place was a favorite of the friends we met that afternoon. I say "was" because Sunday was their last day. The food was, well, mediocre. Maybe it was the lack of spirit because of the looming end of business. Maybe it was the cause of the close. Either way, the food was average -- my crab cakes were burned and frankly missing the crabmeat. The accompanying salad lacked taste on every level. One of our friends sent back part of her meal. Comments from everyone at the table were consistent -- the food was not good.

Saturday evening:
Oyster Bar (Grand Central)
We could have gone lots of places but we thought we would try an institution. Big mistake! More than anything, we were served attitude. The food was slow coming, overpriced, served sloppily, and not that great. Note to all New York visitors -- skip Oyster Bar.

Sunday morning
Eli's Manhattan (1411 Third Avenue)
Our New York pilgrimage was complete -- we made it to Eli Zabar's. What a treat -- Enough to make you want to live in New York. Well, not really. Zabar's is however everything they say it is -- the best of everything supported by a friendly and knowledgeable staff, offered at a fair price. Eli Zabar makes where he lives a better place not by operating a business. He does it by delivering an experience. There is a lesson to be learned by all food industry professionals. We picked up breakfast and lunch at Zabar's and headed into Central Park for a long morning walk. What a treat.

We returned home totally satisfied that yes, New York is a great place filled with limitless food choices. We also returned more confident than ever that our chefs and our friends working at places like Hugo's, Back Bay Grill, Local 188, Eve's, Fore Street and all of the others, are truly first class. The food choices here are second to none. We have the best of everything, including a quality of life that is unmatched. Our restaurants serve some of the best food – and some of the best experiences.

Cheers.

It Was A Feast of Funk

The place: Red Hook Brewery in Portsmouth. The event: Red Hook Fest. The feast: Funk. Incredible live funk from no less than Parliament Funkadelic (and thankfully, the funk was backed up with good food and drink.) The folks at Red Hook have mastered this event.

How One Feasts On Funk
Feasting on funk is not exactly a refined dining skill. It's more of an intuitive kind of thing. You sort of have to toss aside your inhibitions -- and, as they say, let it all hang out. Feasting on funk involves a lot of dancing, waving of hands (in the air, like you just don't care).

Did I mention that my six year old son, Simon, came to the show with me? The event was billed as family friendly. Kids under twleve with an adult were invited in free. Simon didn't have any idea what to expect. He's just an easy going kid who, like his dad, loves live music. After he caught a glimpse of Garry (Starchild) Shider in his diaper on stage -- he realized this was going to be fun. He immediatley asked for the best seat in the house -- Dad's shoulders. Simon was my photographer all day -- and on my shoulders, all day. He also led our charge to the picnic area. We had a ton of fun with PFunk and the incredible vendors that Red Hook had invited to feed the crowd.

The food was fresh and delicious. Our options included sandwiches, grilled burgers, veggie burgers, NY style pizza and even smoothies made from the freshest local berries I have seen all year. And by the way, the smoothie truck was solar powered. Huge panels up top. It was something to see. I should also mention that Newick's seafood was there serving up the standard fried fare. Sadly, only a few were in the Newick's line.

And the beer -- I savored one pint while Simon enjoyed root beer and a bottle of water. My choice for the day was Red Hook's hoppy as heck IPA. Their beer spread was pretty amazing -- if I recall correctly, this list included ESB, IPA, Black Porter, Blonde, Winterhook and Copperhook, Late Harvest and Sun Rye. This lineup was as mouthwatering as the aroma of the fresh burger grill smoke.

You know, it's too bad that we had to travel to Portsmouth for this fun. Portland needs something like this -- and don't tell me that is what Baystock is. Hey Fred Foresly, maybe there's a Shipyard fest in your future?

Cheers.

*Moms and dads...I tucked a bit of cotton into Simon's ears to protect his hearing.

Oh the Places for Dough

Guess what, not everyone knows that you need good quality pizza dough to make good pizza. I am talking about pizza at home. The realization came when a friend of mine was entertaining some adults and kids with homemade pizzas. They chopped fresh mushrooms, peppers, and onions, grilled some sausage and shredded the mozzarella. I watched while this was happening and was quite pleased at the idea of eating fresh homemade pizzas. Then, in an instant, all hope was dashed. From the pantry came the pre-made cardboard pizza crust. Needless to say, the pizza was all right --- but not nearly as good as pizza made at home using fresh dough.

OK -- here's what you should know about me. I am a snobbish in the following categories: coffee, wine, cigars, and now, after professing my disdain for ready-made pizza shells, you know that I am a pizza snob.

Here's my three-step remedy for the ready-made pizza shell habit:

Step One:
Throw out your cardboard crusts and head for the closest Portland Pie. This jewel of a pizza restaurant has three locations: Portland on Middle St., So Po on Main St., and in Westbrook, also on Main St. Walk into any of these locations and complete your cardboard crust liberation by demanding your right to freshly made pizza dough. Portland Pie sells dough balls in large and small. A large costs two bucks and a small is just a buck fifty. Their dough recipes are beer, garlic, wheat and original (it has specks of basil). I love them all, but the beer is the favorite at my house.

Step Two:
Return home and start baking -- using raw dough is easy. Preheat your oven to 450. Use the same baking pan you use for your pre-made crusts. Flatten out the dough with a rolling pin or use your hands to flatten it. Add the sauce and other delicious toppings. Pop it into the oven. Within minutes you will smell the difference that fresh dough makes. Then ten minutes later, you will taste the difference.

Step Three:
Fight the desire to return to the pre-made pizza shell hapit by keeping it fun and constantly refining your pizza making style. An easy first option is to add a pizza stone and paddle to your kitchen. Another good move is to visit Miccuci's on India St once in a while, to stock your pantry. And don't forget the cheese -- oh the luscious cheese. Ask the great folks there for help choosing alternates to mozzarella.

A Doughy Side Note:
I recently made another dough discovery worth mentioning. I found fresh pasta at Whole Foods Market in Portland. Amazing quality stuff. I purchased the Fresh Lasagna Sheets. That night at home we made the most delicious lasagna I have ever eaten. Layers of this fresh dough, fresh mozzarella, pesto, sweet Italian sausage and artichokes. It makes my mouth water to even think about it.

Anyway, using fresh dough is quick and easy, and it's, well, fresh. The number one reason to use fresh dough is the flavor. Pizzas and pastas made with fresh dough simply taste better.

Cheers!

(If you have your place for fresh dough, I invite you to tell me about it. I would love to broaden my doughy horizon.)

For the Love of Cookbooks

Have you heard of Rabelais - the cook book store located on Middle St., right next to Hugo's? It's dedicated to new, used, out of print and rare books on food, wine, farming and gardening. They opened during spring of 07. It's a wonderfully inviting place. I ask because I listened to an NPR story this week about a jewel like Rabelais closing in LA. (I've included a link to that story below).

Rabelais has been mentioned on WMPG, WCLZ and MPBN. I've also read about them in the Boston Globe, Press Herald, Switch and the Phoenix. I've seen posters in the Old Port announcing upcoming author appearances. I have even seen emails describing the art hanging on their walls.

And yet I keep running into folks I know, folks who love to eat, who have not been to Rabelais.

I'm suggesting September be called "Buy A Cook Book Month" and Rabelais is the place to treat yourself or someone you know to a cook book. Let me tell you about my first experience in the store. I had been at a dinner at the James Beard House and made a new friend. We enjoyed a wonderful meal and agreed to stay in touch. Shortly after arriving home I walked into Rabelais and asked for help picking out a book for this new friend in NYC. Samatha, one of the owners, was friendly and eager to help. She asked me a few questions about this person and then recommended "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," Ina Garten's first cookbook -- it was exactly what I was looking for. This was my first of many Rabelais experiences. I was treated to the sort of service available only at boutiques like Rabelais -- the likes of which Borders and Barnes and Nobles dream of providing to its customers.

More Rabelais Suggestions
1) If you have shopped there, please go again and again and help this great store survive and thrive.
2) If you've heard but not been, make time soon to go and experience this special store.
3) Regardless of how you answered A and B, tell some friends about Rabelais. (You could, for instance, forward this blog.)

I could go on about titles on the shelves and the art on the walls, how much fun it is talking to the owners, Samatha and Don. But I won't. Instead I leave you with a link to the NPR story mentioned above, by Kenneth Turan. It's about the closing of an independent bookstore called "Other Times." This story is what made me think of telling you about Rabelais in the first place. I offer you this link because stores like Rabelais are too few and too special for us to ignore.

NPR : Independent Movies Take Back Seat to Sequels
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14075161&ft=1&f=1008

Include Rabelais in your "Buy Local" mindset and get there soon.

Cheers, Jim

(Here's where to find Rabelais on the web -- rabelaisbooks.com)