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I just found a link to a pretty cool initiative here in Portland to promote green living. Portland Green Streets is

a grassroots effort to encourage the use of alternate transportation – and is comprised of people who commute through, live, work, study, or send children to school in Greater Portland.

Their most visible effort is Green Streets Day, which is the last Friday of every month. Participating is simple and helps raise awareness for green transportation. To join the effort, simply wear green and travel green on the last Friday of the month. This month’s Green Streets Day happens to be Halloween, so wearing green should be pretty easy!

If helping out the environment and saving on the cost of gas isn’t enough reward to get you interested, a number of local Portland businesses also offer coupons, gift certificates, and other incentives to join the effort via a monthly raffle for all participants (see September’s winners).

With the overnight low in the mid-30s, and the projected high not quite 60°, I gave up and turned the heat on this morning. It’s not unbearably cold inside, but there is definitely a lingering chill that was making it harder to type. And yes, I’m already wearing long sleaves and heavier socks. I try to go as long as I can before turning on the heat (even though the oil is included in our rent), and I’m pretty sure I’ll turn it off and on again a few more times before it stays on the for the season, but for now, I’m enjoying the warm air wafting from the radiator near my desk.

After hearing my positive comments on Chef et al., Amber said she’d like to try dinner there. I readily agreed, and we walked down (it’s only a bit over a mile) after calling to check availability a few Saturday evenings ago. We arrived a few minutes late (it’s not that short a walk), but the place had only a few tables taken, so we were seated immediately. The same gentleman with his guitar was there entertaining diners, again to positive comments. The dinner menu was somewhat lengthier than the brunch menu, and included several seafood and fowl choices in addition to a couple of vegetarian dishes.

The always helpful wait staff had our orders taken and drinks served quickly. Our apps (soup for me, and salad for her) took a little while arriving at the table but were good. The entrees, however, were well worth the wait. We ordered the fillet of beef tenderloin and the pan-seared scallops special. The tenderloin was fabulous, with a delicious hollandaise sauce. I ordered it accompanied by the fingerling potatoes and asparagus for a thoroughly satisfying meal that had Amber trying to share as much as possible. Her scallops were expertly cooked and delicious with their honey truffle frites accompaniment. The creamed spinach was a little too rich, but overall both meals were excellent. At $126, including a pretty generous tip, this was one of the better meals we’ve had in a while, and a little cheaper than some of the others. We’ll definitely be trying them again, though I think Amber might be getting the tenderloin for herself next time.

Just wanted to throw a quick note up here assuring everyone that Amber and I are, in fact, alive. We’ve just been busy lately. We’re heading out of town this weekend for a camping trip at Keyser Pond outside Concord, NH. We’re hopeful it won’t rain the whole time. I’ve got a handful of restaurants to review when I get back, so stay tuned…

We are on the Vignola/Cinque Terre email list and have gotten a few notices about their upcoming dinner/wine presentation in NYC. Vignola is hosting a preview event next Tuesday for those of us up here in Maine unwilling or unable to pony up the $200 a ticket (plus a hotel stay and transportation, I’m sure). From the announcement,

Join us this coming Tuesday, September 9, for a special night at Vignola, when we host the complete six-course dinner and wine pairings we’ll present at New York’s James Beard Foundation on September 17.

The theme for the dinner is “From Maine to Veneto,” and the evening showcases many of the things we enjoy about living in Maine: farm-grown vegetables, fruits and herbs from Vignola’s Grand View Farm; lobster from Maine’s cold ocean waters; local lamb from nearby Stone Heart Farm; and locally made small-batch artisan cheeses.

The crew at Vignola has been working overtime – tweaking recipes, finding perfect wines to pair with each course – to make this event a standout success. We hope to see you Tuesday! To make your reservation, contact Vignola at (207) 772-1330.

Visit their Web site to see the menu >>

Details
Date: Tuesday, September 9
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Place: Vignola (10 Dana Street, Portland)
Cost: $80 per person; includes tax and gratuity
Space is limited and reservations are required: (207) 772-1330