SoPo Eatery Fundraises After Flood; Earth Gets NYT Nod

SOUTH PORTLAND—Flooded by a water main break last week and forced to close, owner Tom Howard and the staff of JP Thornton's set up a grill in the parking lot and sold burgers and steak tips for whatever customers were willing to pay, according to WCSH 6 News. "Unfortunately I was a little weak in the insurance area, especially for a water main break, admitted Howard." The restaurant has been given the health dept.'s blessing to reopen today.

KENNEBUNKPORT—"Ambitious chefs all over are suddenly wallowing in buttermilk," writes Julia Moskin of The New York Times in a story that highlights chef Ken Oringer of Earth at Hidden Pond. Oringer (who with five restaurants in Boston and one in Maine certainly qualifies as ambitious) "adds a drop of tart, icy buttermilk to each oyster on the half-shell, contributing the usual sourness of lemon but also the richness of dairy.

PORTLAND—Bar Lola will host a Tuscan wine dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 18, as reported by The Portland Press Herald. The cost is $75 per person. Reservations: 207-775-5652 or barlola,net.

CARRABASSET VALLEY—The Maine Restaurant Association's Chef of the Year, David Turin of David's in Portland and David's 388 in SoPo, will be cooking for the third Guest Chef Night in Maine Huts & Trails dinner series on Sat. Sept. 22 at the Flagstaff Hut. The four-course dinner paired with wines, lodging and full breakfast is $150 per person for a shared bunkroom; $250 pp or $450 per couple for a private bunkroom. Reservations: 877-634-8824 or mainehuts.org.

· Restaurant Staff Cooking For Their Own Cause [WCSH]
· Buttermilk, Often Maligned, Begins To Get Its Due {NYT]
· Food & Dining Dispatches [PPH]
· Maine Huts & Trails [Official Site]

[Photo: JP Thornton's/Facebook]