In my last post, I revealed some of the best things about being a waitress, which is a kick-ass job most of the time. But there’s no doubt about it: Sometimes, serving is the WORST. Rude or high-maintenance tables can turn the joy of serving into a professional nightmare. In fact, you might be committing restaurant transgressions that are causing your server to curse your name and—don’t you doubt it—take her sweet time getting your order to the kitchen. So I’m here to help! The following is my personal list of the most annoying things customers do in restaurants. In a city where dining out is an integral part of daily life, every customer should learn how to act like an upstanding food citizen.

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A new reality show is coming to Portland with the goal of sharing the often overlooked story of Portland as a home to young, thirsty, and single.  And as a city that offers them amazing and unique experiences through a world class food and drink scene. They are currently looking for two Portland locals to host the show. Try your luck. [Read more…]

Every year on March 17^th, St. Patrick’s Day is a day to celebrate the color green, four-leaf clovers, and drinking (the latter evidenced by 6 a.m. bar-openings). Here are all of the events happening in Portland this St. Patrick’s Day! [Read more…]

Click here to read Part II of the series. 

I must begin with the most terrible, most humiliating secret of all: I am a waitress! I am yet another overeducated, underemployed, late-twenties-to-early-thirties Millennial that, despite all the initial promise of my generation, has found herself trapped in the food service industry even though I am, like, way too old to being doing this. The TV soundtrack goes wah-wah.

But it’s okay! Thanks to years of therapy, in which I have dealt with the fact that I’m surely letting my pulled-themselves-up-by-their-bootstraps Baby Boomer parents down, and thanks to the last legal drugs for those moments when all that therapy fails, I have come to terms with the undeniable truth that I actually enjoy being a waitress. I like it so much that I’ve stopped skirting the issue when people ask what I do. A few years ago, I would answer, “Well, I’m working as a waitress, but I’m looking for something better.” Or maybe, “I’m a waitress, but I’m really working on my short story collection.” [Read more…]

Part 2: Electric Bugaloo

Back in July the Portland Old Port crew was invited to be among the first visitors to the newly opened The Escape Room. In case you missed our first article, the premise is simple – up to 10 people are locked in a room and must work as a team to crack codes and solve puzzles in order to unlock the door and “escape” within the allotted 60 minutes. In our first go-round we came close…but failed. Just one unsolved clue stood between us and victory.

When The Escape Room opened they had one room, The Hunting Lodge, and one mystery – you are locked in a hunting lodge and needed to solve the clues and escape before the hunter returns. A few months later, they added a second room with a Stephen Kind theme and all-new puzzles. We were recently invited back to preview the newest room, The Bunker, which takes the place of the original Hunting Lodge room. [Read more…]

It’s challenging to open a salon in Portland and successfully differentiate yourself from all the competition around the city. Over the past decade Portland has experienced growth in many higher-end services, haircuts included. June Juliano opened The Mensroom Salon and Lounge in 2004 and carved out a unique niche in the city by specializing in experiential haircuts, for men, along with a host of special touches to make men feel relaxed and at home the moment they walk through the door. [Read more…]

Portland’s annual Harvest on the Harbor took place October 21-25, 2015, drawing some of Maine’s top chefs, brewers, bakers, sweets makers and more in a celebration of food, wine, spirits and beer. Organized by the Portland Convention + Visitors Bureau, both locals and out-of-state visitors flocked to the events, with many traveling from throughout New England, New York, and several folks we bumped into who came all the way from Texas to dine, sip and rub shoulders with Maine’s top chefs and alcohol purveyors. [Read more…]