Don't miss the Kotzschamar Centennial Festival, Aug. 17-22, 2012; next chance to hear the organ will be in 2014.

Tour Portland’s Kotzschmar organ

The Kotzaschmar Organ, the first municipal organ in the country to be designated a municipal organ and one of only two still in existence...
Seek out Caiola's in Portland for creative and well prepared Mediterranean fare. Hilary Nangle photo.

Nibbles and bites in Greater Portland, Maine: Local 188, Caiola’s, and the Inn by...

I'm traveling along the Maine Coast this summer researching a new edition of Moon Coastal Maine. I'll be posting updates every now and then...
Docent-led small group tours of Winslow Homer's Maine studio are expected to sell out. Hilary Nangle photo.

Don’t miss touring Winslow Homer’s studio on Prouts Neck, Maine

  You can visit painter Winslow Homer's studio in Prouts Neck, Maine. In September 2012, the Portland Museum of Art opened the studio where the...
The inn by the sea participates in the Out of the Blue program promoting sustainable seafood in Maine.

Q&A: Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich

UPDATE: Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich is now at his own Maine restaurant, MK Kitchen. I think one of Greater Portland's best dining secrets is the Sea...
Travelers with mobility issues will find a warm welcome and accessible rooms at the HArraseeket Inn, in Freeport, Maine, Charles Pannell photo.

Accessible travel expert Candy Harrington praises Freeport’s Harraseekett Inn

I asked accessible travel maven Candy Harrington to write a guest post about accessible travel in Maine. Here she shares her thoughts on Freeport's...
View the images, read the comments, then look at the images again.

Exhibit at Maine’s Portland Museum of Art examines friendship in the Facebook era

Make it a point to wander all the way to the fourth floor of the Portland Museum of Art to see Tanja Alexia Hollander:...
Vegan and vegetarian entrees share the menu with more mainstream choices at Franie & Johnny's, in Cape Neddick, Maine.

Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free fare fills the plate at these Maine restaurants

Health food stores and natural foods groceries, along with Asian, Indian, and Mexican restaurants, are the usual go-tos for on-the-road vegetarians and vegans. While...

Maine chefs and restaurants well represented among 2012 James Beard semi-finalists

The James Beard Foundation has announced the semi-finalists for its 2012 James Beard awards. Maine chefs and restaurants in the running are, by category: Best...
Take a free guided hike in one of Maine's state parks on New Year's Day

Start 2012 on the right foot with a First Day Hike in a Maine...

Maine's State Parks are offering four, free, First Day Hikes, each led by park staff, on Sunday, Jan. 1: Aroostook, Cobscook Bay, Wolfe's Neck...
Brandied orange, mocha latte, and Maine potato chip are all chocolate bar flavors from Dean'sSweets, in Portland. Courtesy photo

Dean’sSweets & Fox Family Potato Chips: New chocolate bars marry two of Maine’s best

Chocolate-maker Dean Bingham, of Dean'sSweets, has found inspiration in the bar—the chocolate bar. The Portland, Maine, chocolatier has introduced three chocolate bars to his...

Hungry for Maine fare? Portland’s Harvest on the Harbor is an event to savor

Portland, Maine's, annual Harvest on the Harbor food and wine experience has become the culinary event in a state renowned for its locavore culture,...
People line up to purchase bread from Barak Olins' Zu Bakery. hilary Nangle photo.

Barak Olins’ Zu Bread gives meaning to life

Barak Olins is passionate about bread. Every Friday, he handcrafts 200 loaves, using traditional French bread-making methods and certified organic ingredients, including whole grains...
Penny Jordan and her siblings and dad saved the family farm by working with the Cape Elizabeth Land Trust. Hilary Nangle photo.

All is Well at Jordan’s Farm, in Cape Elizabeth, thanks to development easements—and don’t...

Last week, I had the good fortune to visit a number of Maine farms with the Maine Farmland Trust, an organization that's working to...
Authentic Somalian and Morocan flavors come out of the tiny kitchen at Fez, in Portland, Maine. Hilary Nangle photo.

Fez, Portland’s new Somalian-Moroccan Restaurant dishes out authentic flavors

On a lark, I had lunch at Fez, Portland, Maine's, new Somalian-Moroccan Restaurant on Washington Avenue. Loved it! That's the short story, now let...
For those venturing into the world of Japanese cuisine for the first time, the salmon lady Miyake-style roll at Miyake restaurant, in Portland, Maine, is a good intro. Hilary Nangle photo.

Miyake’s new restaurant in Portland, Maine, is a perfect backdrop for the master’s cuisine

Miyake has barely been in its new location in the Portland Harbor Hotel building on Fore Street for a week, but judging from my...