BostonZest

Why Maggie Mae Loves Portland Maine

Maggie Mae and her canine friends find that Portland Maine is a city that welcomes them and makes them feel at home--even if they're just visiting. This is another in our reports on a weekend getaway to this city two hours North of Boston.

From the very fabulous "Fetch" store for pets, to our favorite coffee shop, Portland Coffee Roasters, Maggie was invited in with us. She strolled through gourmet shops, kitchenware, bakeries and gift stores.

Casco Bay Lines' ferries post animal fares on their schedule and simply ask for good behavior and a leash. This means you don't have to leave your companion in the hotel room while you explore the Islands or spend a few hours on the water.

The city has worked hard to recognize the recreational needs of those who choose to spend their leisure time with dogs. They have a page on the city site with the areas where you can have your dog on a long leash or off leash and under voice control.

http://www.ci.portland.me.us/voter/doggie.asp

If your getaways include a well-behaved canine companion, consider a trip to Portland. If Amtrak allowed dogs onboard, it would be a regular run for us. But, even though we're forced to rent a car, we make it to Portland at least once a year.

In our next report, we'll to tell you about Portland's other great attraction for us- excellent restaurants and fabulous food.

Down East Magazine is a perfect way to prepare for a trip to Maine or to keep up with what's happening in Maine if it's one of your favorite vacation spots.

Details:

(Photo: © 2009 Penny Cherubino)

Other posts in this series:

http://www.bostonzest.com/2009/05/portland-maine-getaway.html

Fetch - 195 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101

www.fetchportland.wordpress.com

Here's the Yelp on Fetch. We're not the only ones who love it.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fetch-portland

Portland Coffee Roasters - 111 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine

www.portlandcoffeeroasters.com

Casco Bay Lines Ferry Terminal - 56 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine

www.cascobaylines.com

Back Bay from Beacon Hill

This is a photo I shot for the cover of last week's Back Bay Sun. I've had so many comments about it that I thought I would also post it here.

You can walk from one side of Boston to the other. Here are some special interest tours that are yours for the cost of a book.

   

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(Photo: © 2009 Penny Cherubino)

Boston Organics Dogma Box

Customers who order a weekly Boston Organics "Dogma Box" have had reason to smile the past couple of weeks. After a winter of eating like our ancestors -root vegetables and items that store well- they are now enjoying fresh greens, asparagus and tomatoes.

Boston Organics is today's Friday link. This is a service that delivers a box of fresh produce to area homes on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Last year they responded to requests for more local products by creating the Dogma Box. This is a box consisting of items sourced as close to Boston as possible.

Company founder, Jeff Barry added, "It represents our best effort to provide food coming from a healthy food network. Local is a big part of the equation, but so are organic, sustainable growing practices."

He continued, "This is an exciting week for the dogma box; more than half the items are fresh and not from storage, and we have reduced the distance the food has traveled significantly to an average distance of 185 miles/item. The
asparagus from New York has traveled the furthest at 370 miles.".

Jeff also explained how he's working with local farmers like Gideon Porth of Atlas Farm to improve the supply of products for next winter. "I consider Atlas a key partner. We've put together a plan for seasonal vegetables we were going to buy. This year I've given him estimates - if he grows it we'll buy it."  

We've been Boston Organics customers almost from their founding in 2002. They allow you to change your upcoming box with two days notice. That means that if you'd like to try the Dogma Box, you just have to click over to their site and request the change.

Details:

(photo courtesy of Boston Organics)

Related Posts:

http://www.bostonzest.com/2008/01/boston-organics.html

http://www.bostonzest.com/2008/01/boston-organics.html

Boston Organics

Charlestown, MA

www.bostonorganics.com

Atlas Farm
www.atlasfarm.com

Atlas Farm's Early Strawberries

When you cut into an Atlas Farm's early-season, organic strawberry you find a fully ripe, fully red fruit, bursting with flavor.

I was curious about how Sara and Gideon Porth had managed to deliver so much flavor so early in the season.

The first clue was on the sign. It said the berries were "grown directly in the earth under an unheated greenhouse."

I contacted Sara to learn more. She explained, "This is the first time we've tried this and we really like this method. We can get them earlier, better protect the plants from rain and cold and the fruit quality seems to be good. Healthier plants make better tasting fruit!"

Greenhouses can produce delicious fruit

Often, consumers react negatively to food grown in greenhouses. Sara thinks it's because much of the greenhouse produce we've had in the past was picked unripe.

She says, "When done well, greenhouse production can produce very tasty fruits. The strawberries are really field grown- they are directly in the soil just like everything else we grow, but there is a frame of plastic over them (often called a high tunnel) for added warmth and protection. We roll the sides up and down depending on the weather."

As you can see from this cut berry, Atlas workers picked the fruit fully-ripe and delivered it to their stand at the Copley Square Farmers' Market with care. 

We splurged and bought two pints yesterday. I did managed to save a few berries for breakfast this morning. But, most of them became a special treat for dessert last night.

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Here's The BostonZest Amazon Selection of the Day

"Eat Where You Live" will help you be a locavore even in New England.

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(Photo credit: ©2009 Penny Cherubino)

www.atlasfarm.com

Portland Maine Getaway

Portland Maine is the perfect getaway for Bostonians who love good food and friendly people. Just over two hours from Boston by car, bus, or train, it offers a change of scene at a reasonable cost.

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Portland and will give you a series of reports over the next couple of weeks.

We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown Waterfront hotel. Right in Old Port, it is located in the heart of Portland's fine dining area. Fore Street restaurant and Standard Baking Company are next door. Hugo's and Duck Fat are two blocks away.

What's more, the hotel not only allows pets, it welcomes them and makes your stay easy with a straightforward and reasonable pet policy.

Small to large dogs (up to 200 pounds) are allowed. There is a $50 pet fee. You sign a pet agreement, provide them with a cell phone number where they can reach you, and promise that you'll return to the hotel if your pet is causing a problem for other guests.

This meant that we could enjoy leisurely dinners in the city's finest restaurants and not worry about our Westie, Maggie Mae. After walking all over town, she was ready to nap in her "PupTent" while we went to dinner.

The room she where she rested was beautiful. We treated ourselves to one of their waterfront corner rooms and had views up and down Portland Harbor.

Each room has a small kitchen set into hutch. With a microwave, refrigerator, coffeemaker, and work area, we enjoyed a picnic in our room one rainy afternoon. We also kept breakfast supplies and snacks on hand saving a bit more on the trip expenses.

The hotel staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating. We had always stayed at another hotel in Portland but last year found ourselves stood up by their limo service after a late meal at Fore Street.

We stopped into the Hilton and asked if they could find a taxi for us. They were so helpful that we returned the next day, took a tour and decided to change hotels for this trip. This Hilton will now be our home away from home in Portland.

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Here's The BostonZest Amazon Selection of the Day

This was our first trip since we bought our Kindle. Our Kindle edition of the Boston Globe arrived in our hotel room each morning.

When I finished the book I was reading, late at night, I purchased a new one on Amazon and was reading it moments later.

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Details:

Hilton Garden Inn Portland Downtown Waterfront

65 Commercial Street, Portland, Maine

Esplanade Landmark Commission Hearing Tonight!

Today we turn the keyboard over to Sarah Kelly, Executive Director, Boston Preservation Alliance

She answers your questions about the Boston Landmark Petition for the Charles River Esplanade

What is a Boston Landmark?
A Boston Landmark is a property (or a district comprised of multiple properties) with historic, social, cultural, architectural or aesthetic significance to the City and the Commonwealth, the New England region, or the nation. It has been designated through a formal process, and once designated, proposed changes to Landmark properties require Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) design review and approval. Landmark designation does not regulate use or occupancy.

What is the Status of the Boston Landmark Petition?
A hearing on the designation of the Esplanade as a Boston Landmark will be held on Tuesday, May 26 at 7 pm at Boston City Hall, Room 900. The public is strongly encouraged to attend this hearing and speak in favor of the designation.

Written comments may also be submitted in hard copy or by fax at 617-635-3435 (all letters must be signed) to:
Ellen Lipsey
Executive Director
Boston Landmarks Commission
Boston City Hall
One City Hall Square, Room 805
Boston, MA  02201

In October 2007, a petition to designate the Esplanade as a Boston Landmark was submitted to the Boston Landmarks Commission. While only ten registered voters in Boston must sign a petition, the Esplanade petition was signed by an unprecedented 850 people. State Representative Marty Walz, City Councilor Michael Ross and nine other Boston City Councilors expressed their support for the petition, as well as community organizations, including the Beacon Hill Civic Association and the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay.

The Boston Landmarks Commission unanimously voted to accept the petition to landmark the Charles River Esplanade for further study. The study report was completed in May 2009 and recommends designation with specific design criteria that will preserve the key aspects of the park while allowing for ongoing maintenance and improvements.
 
What will designation mean for the future?
Boston Landmark Designation will provide the public the opportunity to weigh in on significant proposed changes to the park. It also provides an opportunity for the Boston Landmarks Commission to offer guidance for future modifications to the park in an effort to maintain its historic character while accommodating modern uses and activities. Landmark designation does not prohibit all changes to the park, but rather sets guidelines to ensure that if any changes are made they are in keeping with the park’s historic nature.

Other historic Boston parks that are designated Boston Landmarks are the Boston Common, the Public Garden, the Back Bay Fens, the Olmsted Necklace Parks (Jamaica Pond, Olmsted Park and the Riverway) and the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Each of these parks benefits from the protection that designation provides, and still has the flexibility for changes and improvements necessary to ensure proper care and public enjoyment

How can I read the study report?
The Esplanade Study Report can be found at http://www.cityofboston.gov/environment/. Scroll down to Reports & Publications and click on Charles River Esplanade Study Report.

Questions?
Contact Sarah Kelly, Executive Director, Boston Preservation Alliance, at 617-367-2458

Bourree Cheese from Vermont's Dancing Cow

 

We have another cheese to recommend from Dancing Cow Farm in Vermont.

Bourree is a washed rind, raw cow's milk cheese.

Here's how the cheesemakers describe it.

"Bourree is washed rind cheese with an earthy aroma, supple paste and a rich, creamy texture that melts into a beautiful smoky, meaty, lingering finish. Bourree is made from raw cow's milk, un-cooled, from only a single milking. The name Bourree comes from a French peasant dance with rapid foot movements, much like the cows when first turned out into lush, green spring pasture. Bourree is aged at the Cellars at Jasper Hill a minimum of eighty days and available directly from them. Bourree was a 2008 American Cheese Society winner."

As you can see from the tag in the photo, we bought it at Whole Foods but it is available at other fine cheese stores like those listed below.

Here's a  favorite cheese book.

 

Details:
(Photo by Karen Getz courtesy of Dancing Cow Farm)

Dancing Cow Farm
237 Holstein Drive, Bridport, VT 05734
www.dancingcowcheese.com

Formaggio Kitchen
44 Huron Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
www.formaggiokitchen.com

South End Formaggio
268 Shawmut Ave, Boston Massachusetts 02118
http://www.southendformaggio.com/

Artisinal Cheese
00 W 37th Street 2nd Fl New York NY 10018
www.artisanalcheese.com

Murray's Cheese
New York, NY
www.murrayscheese.com

Cowgirl Creamery
80 Fourth Street, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/prodinfo.asp?number=MENUET

Di Bruno Bros.
1730 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
www.dibruno.com