Leslie Bridgers

Columnist

Leslie Bridgers is a columnist for the Portland Press Herald, writing about Maine culture, customs and the things we notice and wonder about in our everyday lives. Originally from Connecticut, Leslie came to Maine by way of Bowdoin College and never left. She joined the Portland Press Herald in 2011 as a reporter and spent seven years as the paper’s features editor, overseeing coverage of arts, entertainment and food.

Do This, Food

Bar Guide: Despite opening during a pandemic, there have been bright spots for the new Batson River

by Angie Bryan February 22, 2021February 18, 2021

The Kennebunk brewery and distillery opened a second location in Portland in December.

Arts & Entertainment, Do This

Indie Film: ‘A Glitch in the Matrix’ shows how the search for meaning can turn into an obscure obsession

by Dennis Perkins February 22, 2021February 18, 2021

The documentary is streaming through PMA Films.

Arts & Entertainment, Review

’17 Blocks’ opens a remarkable documentary window into the life of a family in Washington, D.C.

by Michael O'Sullivan The Washington Post February 21, 2021February 18, 2021

A companion piece to a documentary called “Time,” the film uses nearly two decades of footage to chronicle the challenges encountered by a 9-year-old boy’s family in Washington, D.C.

Arts & Entertainment, Review

Art review: Maine Jewish Museum reopens with exemplars of art and craft

by Jorge S. Arango February 21, 2021February 16, 2021

The first exhibition at its renovated Congress Street home features 10 artists and makers.

Arts & Entertainment

Deep Water: ‘On a Film Set Playing Mary Bowser,’ by Maya Williams

February 21, 2021June 30, 2021

Maine poems edited and introduced by Megan Grumbling.

Food, Recipes

Sauce, gravy or stew too thin? We’ve got 3 ways to fix that

by Aaron Hutcherson The Washington Post February 21, 2021February 18, 2021

We’ve all been there. There being left with a thin, watery sauce when instead we’re in want of one that is thick, luscious and full of body-ody-ody. While a roux is a common thickener that we should all master for dishes such as gravy and gumbo, it is of no use once we’ve already reached […]

Recipes

Chili-tinged sweet potatoes are loaded in all the right ways – flavor, nutrition and satisfaction

by Ellie Krieger Special To The Washington Post February 21, 2021February 18, 2021

You can count me in for pretty much any dish with “loaded” and “potato” in its name. Either of those words alone point in the direction of filling, comfort-food satisfaction, but together they are practically a guarantee. With this loaded potato recipe, as a bonus, that gratification is delivered in a healthful way, too. It […]

Recipes

Bacon and egg fried rice is the back-pocket recipe you need for busy weeknights

by Ann Maloney The Washington Post February 21, 2021February 18, 2021

Let’s be honest. From time to time, many of us throw weeknight dinners together with what we have on hand. It happens to me and I write a weekly column about getting dinner on the table in minutes, so supper recipes are almost always on my mind. Toward the end of the week when the […]