Making Whoopie... Pies

Cranberry Island Kitchen just back from Dover-Foxcroft and the Maine Whoopie Pie Festival, where they won Best Original Pie for the 2nd year running, has it's retail store on lower Danforth Street just outside of the Old Port. It also makes it's  whoopies as well as it's shortcake cookies and specialty desserts at this location.

Sourcing ingredients locally wherever possible, using award winning Kate's Homemade Butter and imported French chocolate.  It's scollop shape pies are decidedly of the gourmet variety often using liquors and spice to flavor them; like this years winning Mexican Whoopie Pie: chocolate with a little heat. They also don't use any preservatives! so only the goodness stays with you. The business came about from a 15 year friendship between co-owners Carol Ford, Karen Haase and a mutual interest in cooking. The recipes came from family and the Cranberry Island connection. In business since fall 2006 Cranberry Isle ships to all 50 states and has four employes with head baker and first hire Meg Broderick supervising the 3 person kitchen.

For retail store hours, to find a whoopie outlet near you or order online visit the website at 

http://www.cranberryislandkitchen.com/

Cranberry Island Kitchen

52 Danforth Street

Portland, ME

207-774-7110

info@cranberryislandkitchen.com

Happenings #1

One festival I didn't have complete info on the other day is this Satuarday's Whoopie Pie Festival in Dover-Foxcroft. Portland's own Cranberry Island Kitchen will be there for the 2nd edition of this culinary decadence.

info here

Havana South is now open for diner. It opened in  shakedown mode in the last week while construction continues around the edges.

Mura, the companion bistro next door to Shima has been open for a few weeks with a similar menu and a different feel to the insides. Toby and I haven't made time to get down there yet, but a good friend is very high on Shima.

1st Friday June 2010

As I mentioned in the last post, today, the 1st Friday in June,  is National Donut Day.  Heading out early for Art Walk I stopped at Duckfat for a coffee and an order of their Beignets! As I was leaving I spotted a table with a couple of orders of these lovely, light as a feather little dollops of goodness...

One of my first stops on the Art walk was Cranberry Island Kitchen,  whoopie pie central, for their open house, featuring paintings by Lauri Rothrock.

My next stop was Corduroy, on Market Street for the opening of 13 year old wunderkind, Leander Johnson's photography / music design show.  Shows at Corduroy usually run later into the evening, something that's happening at more places around town during Artwalk. Running With Scissors in Bayside is another, often going till 10PM.

Leaving here, I had planned to move the car uptown, but passing Akari Wellness, Beauty & Style Salon, on Middle Street I spotted a crowd staring at the windows. What I saw was a  Live Window featuring a "Roaring Twenties Show" of lovely ladies and bemused passer-bys.

At this time two more "Live Windows" are planned for the July (40's & 50's)  and August (60's & 70's) Artwalks. I wish I had been here for more of this, so I could have focused on the looks of the startled crowds of people as they approached the front this window.

Next I wanted to see the expanded indoor  dining, call Enzo Pizzeria,   at Otto's Pizza on Congress across for the start of Forest Ave. and of course get a slice of their delicious pie. It opened during my trip to Europe and I hadn't been by since returning to Portland. It looks to have room for maybe 20 people plus the small bar. I like the feel of the room with the creamy tile work and the muted color of the wood below.

Last I walked back down Congress Street to take a look at the new sign on the front of Port City Music Hall. I don't like it, it's hard to read, it also cost the tax payers so $$$, as the first of the cities effort to help with signage along the street. It is somewhat ironic that it appears across the street from the first of Portland's modern high rise buildings,the old Maine Savings Bank Plazza,  which met the new building classifications brought about by the  reaction to the tearing down of the railroad station on St Johns Street. As part of the must be brick mentality that captured Portland during that timeframe an unfortunate color, (think Buffalo chip) was chosen for the exterior. Neither of these architectural additions will go down as improvements to the city!