7:12 p.m. The crew from Zapoteca won People's Choice for their Double Cross Mezcalita cocktail.

7:02 p.m. David's Opus Ten wins People's Choice in the dessert competition!

7:07 p.m. Christina Klein, bar manager at Sonny's, took home the judges' award for best cocktail!

6:57 p.m. Sonny's Entendre: double Cross Vodka, Cocchi Americano, lavender and rosehip-infused simple syrup, fresh lemon juice served over crushed ice and garnished with a sprig of mint.

6:36 p.m. Briana and Andrew Volk of Portland Hunt & Alpine Club sample some desserts with Forrest Butler of Royal Rose Syrups. Andrew Volk and Butler were judges for the cocktail competition.

6:10 p.m. "Sweet & Tangy Screw with Basil Mint Caviar" from Azure Cafe in Freeport. The "caviar" is made with ground basil and mint mixed with sodium alginate then put into a calcium lactate bath to make the little balls of caviar.

5:37 p.m. Reigning champ Tom Laslavic, the bartender at Natalie's in Camden, served a cocktail called "Simply Gold," a blend of saffron/orange Sharbat, Lillet fast roque, saffron extract, and a ginger infusion. It was garnished with star fruit.

5:24 p.m. Academe's clever "Not So Old Fashioned" - a cherry gelee is sprayed with Jim Beam, then you squirt a pipette of chai maple syrup into the drink. Finally, you scoop out the cara cara orange sorbet!

5:00 p.m. Bourbon buttercream in bittersweet chocolate from Dean's Sweets

4:55 p.m. From David's Opus Ten: Feuilletage beignets with peppered strawberry, creme chantilly and sweet balsamic redux.

4:51 p.m. Academe's cookie with a little milk shooter. Eat the cookie right off the skewer, then squirt the milk into your mouth!

4:50 p.m. Along with the milk and cookie shooter, Academe is serving raw cookie dough on tiny whisks to take you right back to your childhood!

4:49 p.m. Milk and cookies (note cute cookie jars!) from Academe in Kennebunk.

4:48 p.m. "Tennessee Tipsy Goat," a cheesecake with goat cheese, salty stout caramel topping and browned butter ginger snap crust.

4:47 p.m. Mary Paine, owner of the Pepperclub, shows off her "Black and Tan" cookie. It's an espresso and brown sugar cookie sandwich with a chocolate coconut mousse and pecan brittle dust.

4:46 p.m. Walter's clever "Panna Buttah & Jelly," Concord grape Panna cotta eaten with a peanut butter cookie spoon!

4:45 p.m. From Two Fat Cats, a vanilla cupcake filled with a homemade raspberry jam and frosted with a lemon buttercream.

4:40 p.m. The Lingot d'Or Gold Bar from Standard Baking Co. Inspired by Irish coffee, it's a rich chocolate and whiskey souffle sitting atop a flaky almond shortbread. A delicate gold dusting is on top.

4:34 p.m. El Rayo's "impossible flan," layers of chocolate cake and flan. The cake goes in first and then the flan batter. While baking the batter inverses and the cake rises to the top. Garnished with pepita brittle and dulce le leche.

4:33 p.m. A close up of the sushi boat.

4:32 p.m. From the sushi table...

4:31 p.m. A sushi boat from Genji Sushi and Whole Foods Market.

4:30 p.m. Spumoni cake from Scratch Baking Co. It's chocolate and cherry cake layered with a tart cherry jam and pistachio buttercream, and covered with a dark chocolate ganache.

4:20 p.m. Here's the scene at The Signature Event before the crowds arrive. In the Prime Mercedes Benz showroom. The whole room has that new car smell!

Meredith Goad is at Maine Restaurant Week's Signature Event at at Prime Mercedes-Benz in Scarborough tonight. She will be posting live updates - photos and text - so you can see all the foodie fun.

Subscribe to the
Maine a la Carte RSS

About the Author

Meredith Goad has harvested oysters on the Chesapeake Bay, eaten reindeer in Finland and sipped hot chai in the Himalayas. She writes the weekly Soup to Nuts column and enjoys a good cocktail.

Meredith can be contacted at 791-6332 or mgoad@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @meredithgoad

Susan Axelrod's food writing career began in the kitchen; she owned a restaurant and catering business before turning to journalism more than a decade ago. To relax, she bakes, gardens and hikes with her husband and their two dogs. A newcomer to Portland, she is an online content producer for the Press Herald.

Susan can be contacted at 791-6310 or saxelrod [at] pressherald.com.
On Twitter: @susansaxelrod

Wendy Almeida and her family have a smattering of livestock and a summer garden. After 10 years of her kids being involved in 4-H, she's finally accepted the term "hobby farm" to describe her family's work at sustainable living. These days her morning starts with milking a goat before heading into the office for her day job as an assistant editor for features.

Wendy can be contacted at wea [at] mainetoday.com or on Twitter @wea1021.

Subscribe to the
Maine a la Carte RSS

Previous entries