New2Maine.com

For the past nine months or so, I’ve been blogging here using the entirely uninspired pseudonym He. And my wife has been referred to as She. Since the vast majority of the readership here are friends of ours anyway, I’ve concluded that this serves no real purpose, and that revealing our names (well, at least our first names) will do very little to damage our privacy and may help increase our readership a little. Thus, let me introduce us. My name is Jason. And my wife is named Amber. Hello, and welcome to our blog.

Cinque Terre announces a special dinner this weekend:

Join us at Cinque Terre this Saturday, March 1, for a treat. We’re excited to host close friend and exceptional talent, winemaker Gianni Masciarelli.

This is an opportunity to enjoy the wines of Masciarelli, spend an evening with owner and winemaker Gianni Masciarelli, and enjoy an Abruzzo-inspired menu.

Gianni’s passion for wine and food runs deep in his life and work, and it shows in the wines that he produces.

This will be an exciting dinner: I feel the same way about our food as Gianni feels about his wines. This is an event not to be missed.

Buon Appetito!

- Chef Lee Skawinski

The menu for the evening (pdf) includes the following highlights:

• Soup of Maine mushrooms, black truffle and tallegio cheese crostini
• Hand cut pasta, lamb pancetta and spicy tomato ragu
• Applewood Farm venison, faro, and porcini mushroom sauce

Details
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 7:00 pm
Cost: $75 per person (+ tax and gratuity)
Reservations are required: (207) 347-6154

To celebrate the 400th anniversary of its original license to distill, Bushmills, Ireland, is conducting a nationwide search to find its “Twin City of Bushmills in America.” Portland is one of three finalists (in addition to Boston and Louisville, KY), and you can help. The winning city will receive a $40,000 grant – if we win, the Southern Maine Chapter of Share Our Strength and citywide responsible drinking programming are the winners.

Visit www.Bushmills400years.com to cast your vote for Portland! Oh, and everyone who votes can also enter a contest for a three-day trip for two to Ireland, so there’s something in it for you, too! I already voted for Portland, so what are you waiting for? Boston is currently in the lead, with 52% of the voting. Portland is in second, with 33%. Help the cause—go vote for Portland!

This little blog is on the map. The Portland Food Map that is. As of yesterday (Saturday), New2Maine.com is on the list of blogs that comment on food in Portland. Portland Food Map “is a directory of all restaurants, bars, groceries, and other food related resources in Portland, Maine—plus a small but growing number of places in the extended local area.”

The concept is pretty cool. You’ll have to visit the site to really see what I mean, but the Food Map consists of six major categories:

1. Eat Out—places you go because you want to try something different and eat out
2. Grab a Bite—diners, pizza joints and other casual eateries where you go when you need to eat
3. Nibble and Sip—coffee, tea, snack food
4. Take Home—food, raw or prepared, that you’ll eat at home
5. Drinks—bars, lounges, clubs, etc
6. Non-Edibles—magazines, blogs, and other resources for the foodie in you

We are, of course, part of the Non-Edibles section of the map, and we’re honored to be there.

I just finished reading an interesting article on The Vigorous North entitled Preserving real estate, not nature. In it, the author relates a story of a recent trip to one of the nature preserves down in Cape on a warm winter day in Maine. There are numerous pieces and parts to the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, and Cape itself is a beautiful little peninsula town. The most photographed lighthouse in America, Portland Head Light, is in Cape Elizabeth, as is the previously mentioned Crescent Beach State Park. Our church is in Cape, and the ride down there is quite lovely.
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