Winning Drinks and Desserts from MRW's Signature Event

Snow White offers a cocktail at the Signature Event. [Photo: Facebook]

Last night, Maine Restaurant Week's Signature Event featured drinks and desserts from two dozen of the state's top bartenders and chefs. Some 500 folks turned out for the MRW finale, held at Prime Mercedes-Benz in Scarborough, with Susan Axelrod of the Portland Press Herald and MaineToday, Greg Bell from the Michelin-starred Spotted Pig in NYC and Andrew Volk of the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club serving as judges. The winners were:

· Judges' Best Cocktail: Wind Tracy, 40 Paper, "Root & Smoke"
· People's Choice Best Cocktail: Joshua Miranda, Top of the East, Westin Portland Harborview Hotel, "Snow White's Poison"
· Down East Magazine's Best of Maine: Shelby Stevens, Natalie's, Camden Harbour Inn, "Maine Pinetine"
· People's Choice Best Dessert: David Turin and Bo Byrne, David's Opus Ten, "Rum Flambeed Banana with Chocolate Brownie and Ice Cream"

Here's the full press release from the event:

Maine Restaurant Week The Signature Event Celebrates Maine's Finest Dessert Makers and Bartenders
SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Desserts and cocktails took center stage at The Signature Event, the finale to Maine Restaurant Week 2014. A total of twenty-four mixologists and dessert makers competed for top honors while serving tastes of their entries to 500 attendees at Prime Mercedes-Benz in Scarborough.

Joshua Miranda earned People's Choice Signature Cocktail with "Snow White's Poison," featuring vodka sponsor Double Cross vodka with pear, lemon and cider. The Signature Dessert, also selected by attendees, went to Chef/Owner David Turin and Chef Bo Byrne of David's Opus Ten for the second year in a row. Their 2014 winning dish was "Rum Flambeed Banana with Chocolate Brownie and Ice Cream."

Down East selected the Best of Maine cocktail, "The Maine Pinetini," created by Executive Chef Shelby Stevens from Natalie's, Camden Harbour Inn. The cocktail was praised for its great taste and strong ties to Maine, featuring a pine foam on top made by steeping pine needles in water and then adding gelatin to create a foam.

Professional guest judges, Susan Axelrod, Maine Today Media, Greg Bell from the Michelin starred The Spotted Pig in NYC, and Andrew Volk, Portland Hunt & Alpine, named 40 Paper's "Root & Smoke" the top cocktail of the night. Created by Wind Tracy, the winning drink featured mezcal with lime, Brown Simple, beet-ginger shrub, house made grapefruit bitters, Maine Root Ginger Beer and a dash of Angostura.

Catering was provided by CVC Catering Group. The Signature Event partners included MEMIC, Prime Mercedes-Benz and Double Cross Vodka.

Maine Restaurant Week culinary events benefited Preble Street and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Meredith Goad of the Press Herald also wrote a recap of the evening. MaineToday has both a recap and a photo gallery. The MRW Facebook page also has a collection of photos posted.
· All Maine Restaurant Week 2014 Coverage [~EMAINE~]