September 2009

At certain glittering moments in its history, Portland steps into the spotlight and presents her best face worldwide.

Like the time Lucky Lindy addressed thousands at Deering Oaks after his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927, or when Portland hosted the National Governors’ Conference in 1983, or when tall ships graced our shores during OpSail Maine 2000.

Just when we least expect it, all of the ‘vibrancy,’ ‘livability,’ and ‘Paris of the Northeast’ stuff actually comes true and we’re reacquainted with why we’re excited to call the Maine coast our home.

We feel our energies building toward just such a moment on October 22-24, when, at the Harvest on the Harbor, we’ll be treated to incredible seafood, wine tastings, a starry array of visiting celebrity chefs, a little night music, and dancing in the streets while the world watches. What the Sundance Film Festival brings to Utah, this celebration could bring to Maine. It’s up to us to make the most of this chance.

Frankly, we’re overdue for both the experience and the exposure.

Coastal Living magazine has upped the ante by naming Harvest on the Harbor a “top 10 seafood and wine event.” Look for coverage on the Food Network, CNN, and a host of national morning shows.

Kudos to the Convention & Visitors Bureau, who cooked up this “culinary tourism destination” attraction that is rapidly gaining international cache. “Last year’s celebration, our first, was just an appetizer compared to what we have planned for this year,” says the CVB’s Barbara Whitten. “Attendance should top 5,000.”

Don’t miss the dreamy Grand Tasting on the Harbor ($50 per person), with its starry setting in the Ocean View Room of the Ocean Gateway Pier, featuring delights from gourmet restaurants including Azure Cafe, Chef Chris Bassett; Bibo’s Madd Apple Cafe, Chef Bill Boutwell; Cinque Terre, Chef Lee Skawinski; Eve’s at the Garden, Portland Harbor Hotel, Chef Earl Anthony Morse; Harraseeket Inn, Chef Gallit Sammon; Robinhood Free Meeting House, Chefs Michael Gagné and Troy Mains; Sea Glass, Inn by the Sea, Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich; Solo Bistro, Chef Esau Crosby; The Cliff House, Chef Michael Semancik; The Corner Room, The Front Room, the Grill Room, all by Chef Harding Lee Smith; The Farmer’s Table, Chef Jeff Landry; Twenty Milk Street, Portland Regency Hotel & Spa, Chef Alan Cook; Walter’s, Chef Jeff Buerhaus; and the White Barn Inn, Chef Jonathan Cartwright.

For the full list of gourmet seminars; Food Network personalities; live music performances; cuisine-book authors; wine tastings; a food and wine marketplace; and crowd-pleasers like the People’s Choice Lobster Competition, visit harvestontheharbor.com.

And yes, in the interest of transparency, we at Portland Magazine are proud to be one of many contributing supporters who are coming together in the spirit of this fabulous soirée. How sweet it is to believe “fall is the new summer.” Harvest on the Harbor–can’t you just taste it!