Episode 9: Kittery || FOOD COMA TV

For Episode 9 we joined forces with Spose went to some outlets, ate our weight in fried clams, and “drank a lotta rosé.”

If you’re new to Food Coma TV, don’t forget to watch the show all the way through the end so that you can catch the outtakes.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors: Novare Res Bier Cafe, Allagash Brewing Company, Rosemont Market and Bakery, Nosh Kitchen Bar, the Snug, and Lola’s Taqueria.

Buy Spose’s The Audacity here.Food Coma TV, based on Joe Ricchio’s exceedingly popular blog Portland Food Coma, is a series of short films that will report on the oft-overlooked food culture of Maine that exists outside of Portland’s city limits.

Episode 9

FOOD COMA TV: Kittery
Host: Joe Ricchio
Co-Host: Joel Beauchamp
Director: Kurt Graser
Producer: Alex Steed
Photography: Kurt Graser, Thomas Starkey, Zack Bowen
Design: Beth Taylor / Longstocking Design
Music: Sunset Hearts, Spose, Waiting for Sully, Matt Anderson, A Severe Joy (aka José Ayerve), Cam Groves, Kevin Grant, Educated Advocates

May 13 2012 by Joe Ricchio

A Few Thoughts on the Kittery Episode

In preparation for the release of our Kittery episode of Food Coma TV, I thought I’d share a few of the highlights of that day…

After a relaxing evening spent in a suite at the White Barn Inn, I enjoy a few glasses of Champagne before meeting the gang at Bob’s Clam Hut. Because I am early, I decide to duck into The Weathervane for a few beers to prime myself, and in the process strike up a conversation with the bartender. She is quite bored, and complaining that they have been dramatically overstaffing the bar as of late, so I urge her to quit. As of this writing, I have no news to report regarding her employment status.

Maine-based rapper Spose is our special guest for the episode, and we immediately get to bonding over a few enormous platters of fried seafood. We discuss the merits of what makes Bob’s a hut, rather than a shack or a shanty, while sampling some of the best clams in the state, slathered in tartar sauce that is made in-house.

Because Bob’s is right next door to the Kittery Trading Post, we decide to explore a little. After being warned that we will most likely be shot if we try to film in the premises, we wander about and witness Joel purchasing an actual tomahawk for god fucking knows what.

Then it’s off to the Black Birch, where we are sent out course after course of decadent food such as duck confit poutine, chicken liver mousse, and tagliatelle Bolognese. When I actually have to stop the flow due to having other places to eat, their response is ‘I thought the show was called Food Coma?” A quick shot of tequila puts us back on track, and to kill time between our next spot a few of us hoof it over to Loco Coco’s, for another round of Don Julio 1942 shots. I will add that this premium tequila is quite modestly priced here…

After going drink for drink all day, Spose is beginning to show signs of annihilation at our final destination, Tulsi. If you haven’t been here, I can tell you that it is by far the best Indian cuisine I’ve ever tasted. Chef Raj Mandekhar treats us to a spectacular feast, and after about 6 bottles of French rose Spose retires to the men’s room, where I will just say he forgets to turn his mic off and… well…

Kittery was easily one of the best shoots in relation to the quality and diversity of the food we were served. Personally, I already enjoyed eating in this town just as much as Portland, and this time was no exception.

Enjoy the episode.

Joe

all photos by Zack Bowen

Apr 30 2012 by Alex Steed

Episode 8: Hallowell || FOOD COMA TV

For Episode 8 we went to Slates, The Liberal Cup, and Easy Street, where Joe said, “I don’t get drunk a lot and I’m drunk,” to which Joel replied in disbelief, “Did he just say he doesn’t get drunk a lot?”

If you’re new to Food Coma TV, don’t forget to watch the show all the way through the end so that you can catch the outtakes.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors: Novare Res Bier Cafe, Allagash Brewing Company, Rosemont Market and Bakery, Nosh Kitchen Bar, Lola’s Taqueria,

Food Coma TV, based on Joe Ricchio’s exceedingly popular blog Portland Food Coma, is a series of short films that will report on the oft-overlooked food culture of Maine that exists outside of Portland’s city limits.

Episode 8

FOOD COMA TV: Hallowell
Host: Joe Ricchio
Co-Host: Joel Beauchamp
Director: Kurt Graser
Producer: Alex Steed
Photography: Kurt Graser, Thomas Starkey, Zack Bowen
Design: Beth Taylor / Longstocking Design
Music: Sunset Hearts, Waiting for Sully, Talking to Walls, Doctor Astronaut, Brett Tubin, Cam Groves, The Outfits, Matt Anderson, Tiki Thom Starkey, DJ Jason Keith

Special thanks:

Bruce Mayo: Mayor of Hallowell. (That’s actually Charlotte Warren, but I think she’d be cool with us calling him that in an honorary sense.)
Slates and the Liberal Cup for totally putting themselves out for us.
Nanl. Nan’l? A contraction? That can’t be right. Fucking Nathaniel. Thanks for everything!
Bruce again. Those fucking Mai Tai pails. Holy shit.
That totally random guy who drunk-talked us about some weird, vibrate-y antique sex toy.

Apr 25 2012 by Joe Ricchio

The Food Coma Lost Highway Project

“The Lost Highway Project is a fresh, progressive concept in winemaking developed and trademarked by Vine Street Imports. The project entails collaboration with the world’s finest winemakers and artists to produce critically acclaimed wine, paired with inspired original labels, bottles and packaging. The typical Lost Highway case production is small and exclusive in nature. There is no corporate timeline, philosophy or marketing model for the Lost Highway Project. Simple passion for the life of wine inspires the winemakers and the artists to participate in this innovative venture.”

- Ronnie Sanders, Creator of the Lost Highway Project

This being said, why wouldn’t we embark on an epic journey to track down one bottle of each of the ten wines that form this eclectic, highly sought-after series?

It wasn’t easy, as we were on the trail for wines that were produced up to 10 years ago in as little as 25 case quantities. Luckily, Sanders himself hooked us up with the initial release and a few others, which gets us started. We are able to locate a few in the local market, dusty from years spent unnoticed on wine racks, as well as 2 from a wine store in Chicago, and 2 from San Francisco. The price varies from label to label, but all are over $50.

Once all of the wines are in our possession, my roommate Dietz and I assemble a crew of three additional “tasters” to help us plow through all ten bottles in one sitting. We would spend several days preparing two large pots of Cassoulet to supplement this endeavor.

Welcome to the Food Coma Lost Highway Project.

Continue reading “The Food Coma Lost Highway Project” »

Apr 22 2012 by Joe Ricchio

Hubris, and Getting What I Deserve.

Back in 2001, I traveled 11 hours by train from Chicago to see my favorite band, Type O Negative, perform in Philadelphia on Halloween night. By the time I made it to the show, unfortunately, I was so annihilated and blacked out that I was forced to leave early and remember nothing, save for the horrified reaction from the cab driver who brought me back to my hotel, for what exactly I will never know.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, this kind of behavior is commonplace any time I become overly enthusiastic about attending a performance. It’s as if I use the show as even more of an excuse to ignore any kind of warning signs, social cues, or medical sensibility, based solely on the fact that “I’m really excited for it.” This is why I generally rely on impulse decisions regarding my nightly activities, as to not find myself caught in this mental quicksand.
Continue reading “Hubris, and Getting What I Deserve.” »