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From Portland to Boston and beyond, the food and restaurant scene is constantly changing. Chefs come and go, restaurants open and close, and once sleepy towns become hot spots for little martini bars and fine cuisine. It's a challenge to keep up with it all, but here's a glimpse into what's been happening in the past few months and what we have to look forward to in the months to come.
Spring was a season of national honors for several local culinary stars. Mark Gaier and Clark rasier of Arrows' Restaurant in Ogunquit were nominated by The James Beard Foundation for Best Chef: Northeast; along with Boston area talents, Michael Leviton of Lumière in West Newton, Frank McClelland of L'Espalier and Marc Orfaly of Pigalle both in Boston. Food writer and cookbook author Kathy Gunst, (we are proud to have Kathy as a contributor to Taste) was nominated for best webcast by the Beard Foundation for her work as producer of the food segments for the Here and Now webcast on WBUR in Boston with host Robin Young. Portsmouth's Pesce Blue, featured in this issue, has been listed as Editors' Choice in the 2006 edition of the Yankee Magazine Travel Guide to New England. Look for another award winner in Food and Wine Magazine's July issue. Chef Mary Dumont of The July issue. Chef Mary Dumont of The Dunaway Restaurant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has been named one of the magazine's Best New Chefs for 2006.This is the first time a New Hampshire chef has been given the honor. Dumont also appeared on the Today show on April 12 and beat out two fellow Best Chefs including Pino Maffeo of Boston's Restaurant L in an Iron Chef-style challenge using only convenience store ingredients. Her potato chip and shredded wheat encrusted scallops with a ragout of bacon, bologna and Cheese Whiz with sautéed spring vegetables and a red wine chocolate sauce looked delicious, believe it or not! In other Dunaway news, Carla Snow, featured in our Uncorked column, has joined the team as Sommelier. She'll bring her expertise in wine to a carefully selected expanded wine list and will be on hand to help diners choose the right vintage for whatever dishes they select from the ever changing menu. Smuttynose Brewery has expanded and welcomes a new arrival-their sixty-two hundred gallon fermentation tank which will be filled when they complete construction on their new addition at the brewery in Portsmouth. Be sure to get a taste of their new Farmhouse Ale which debuted in April. In area openings, closings and changes, Portsmouth's 43 Degrees North closed its doors in April, but has reopened as KNR's Wood Grill and Specialty Sandwiches in the same spot at 75 Pleasant Street in Portsmouth. Chef and owner Geno Gulotta offers sandwiches, appetizers and dinners with fresh seasonal ingredients cooked in a wood-fired grill. In Dover, Little Louie's Fish House, (a Louis Hamel and Jay McSharry joint venture), has merged with sister café and martini bar, Dover Soul. The new menu offers more casual cuisine but with the same creative flair diners have come to expect. This evolution should continue to rev things up in downtown Dover. Now open in Portsmouth is Aroma Italian Café on Commercial Alley.This quaint spot offers fresh panini sandwiches, coffee, cool drinks and wonderful Italian pastries. And old favorite Molly Malone's has redesigned its downstairs space and transformed it into a martini style lounge serving Asian Fusion food it's called The Mint. In other area openings, check out Robert's Maine Grill and Market, Michael Landgarten's new full service restaurant across the street from his awardwinning Bob's Clam Hut. It's gorgeous inside and out and features an all Maine menu.There will also be a full bar and raw bar. Get a taste of things to come with a recipe from their chef, Valerie included in this issue. In Portland, Maine, Bandol restaurateur Erik Desjarlais has opened a wonderful little restaurant called Ladle Soup House on Exchange Street.The chef is partnering with local businessperson Zahra Borden to offer up to six soups daily all made with fresh ingredients like porcini mushrooms in a creamy base or a Rockland Clam Chowder. More changes abound on the Seacoast. Hagan's Grill in Hampton has livened up their cuisine considerably with the arrival of Chef Kurt Holzweiss, formerly of Newburyport's now defunct Kiwi Grill and Portsmouth's 100 Club.The friendly neighborhood bar scene is no longer the big reason to go to Hagan's now that Holzweiss has brought his great talent and skills to the kitchen here. New owners, Bob and Dora Hand are shaking up the little town of Hampton this season with great food and live music. Just up the road at The Galley Hatch, restaurateur John Tinios is remodeling and opening a new retail store called "Provisions".The shop will offer take-home meals prepared by the restaurant's chefs as well as gourmet products, wines, cheeses, and gift baskets.Their award-winning bakery is expanding to include more pastries, breads, coffee, espresso and they offer extended hours of operation. Food lovers are excited about a few recent openings in Exeter, New Hampshire. Chip Caswell, formerly of the Tavern at the River's Edge has opened 11 Water Street in the old Dam View space with more upscale cuisine and a great basement lounge right on the river. Around the corner on Portsmouth Avenue, Exeter will have its very own Margarita's.The brothers Pelletier open their new Mexican cantina and watering hole as of June 6. If it's as busy as their Portsmouth location, the Cantina will liven up Exeter's nightlife considerably. A few doors down in the Globe Mall is the recently opened On The Vine. Scott Edwards and Abel Schultze, formerly of the Golden Harvest in Kittery, Maine, are using the open space market concept found at Fiddleheads in Dover, New Hampshire, to offer fresh produce, a fish market, Terra Cotta Pasta, and baked goods from Me and Ollie's and other local bakeries as well.The Meat House provides a first rate butcher shop, and there will be a cheese case with both local and imported dairy products and over 120 different wines. It will be the place to find everything you need for home cooking, dinner parties and festive occasions.There will also be a health food shop called Salt of the Earth with supplements and gluten-free products. A few local restaurants now offer some great nightlife.The Metro Restaurant in Portsmouth has revamped their martini list and offers a special martini night each Thursday from 5:30 until 8:30 with top shelf cocktails at $7.50, passed canapés and live music. Further South in Newburyport, Massachusetts, David's is offering a Sunday Buffet Brunch with live music by classical guitarist John Tavano, just one more reason to get out of bed for breakfast on a lazy Sunday. Rachel Forrest is a freelance food writer and former restaurateur. Her food and wine column, Wine Me, Dine Me appears Wednesdays in The Portsmouth Herald.
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