Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100As recognizable on the restaurant scene as his signature dishes,Jason Loring shows no sign of slowing his foodie reign in 2017. Lastyearwasabigoneforyou.TheFifthFoodGroup openedtwonewspots(Rhum&GrogandBigJ’sChicken), effectivelydoublingyourrestaurantrealestate. It was an extremely busy year. I was do- ing things at a pace I’d never done before. Mike [Frazer of Bramhall Pub] and I had been working on Rhum for about a year, but Big J’s was born out of necessity. Chris [Thompson] and Jeb [Troubh] saw the po- tential for a small food slot in the space be- low the Cryptozoology Museum next to Bissell Bros., so we decided to go for it. It could have been as simple as a coffee shop, but that’s not really what I’m into! What’sonthehorizonfor2017? Thompson and Troubh have big plans for Thompson’s Point. We’re going to be work- ing together to develop the Brick South building into a big events space with a func- tioning kitchen and bar and even a whole- sale bakery. I’m consulting and helping to plan out the food side of things. The Point is even bigger than the Old Port in terms of square-footage—and it has parking! WecaughtyoufilmingOfftheMenu.AreyouaTVstarnow? A friend from Nosh put me in contact with Off The Menu, [whose] CEO is friends with [actress] Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Li- ars), who was filming [Cadaver] in Boston. They came up to shoot for their Youtube channel, so I took them for back-to-back meals at Slab, Big J’s, and Rhum. She total- ly stuffed her face. I didn’t even know who Shay was when we met. She’s cool as s**t. People started following us around town as soon as they spotted her. It was surreal. 36 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine Hungry Eye Clockwise from top left: CC-Conor Peter Nolan; mine potato board; knack factory - Zack Bowen; courtesy Slab 28 Channel your inner poet on Rabbie Burns Day Pull on your ghillies and strap on your sporan for the annual Robert Burns Luncheon at The Daniel Pub in Brunswick. The St. Andrews Society of Maine celebrates the Bard of Ayrshire with an annual birthday feast. “We pipe in the haggis; then there will be a poetry reading, naturally. Tradi- tionally, one of our male members gives a ‘toast to the last season,’ and one of the ladies gives a ‘toast to the laddies.’ Entertain- ment includes a piper, kilt- making demonstrations, and a harp recital,“ says president Patti Tillotson. mainehighlandgames.org 29 Pork Osso Bu- co and the Art of Braising Expand your culinary uni- verse by learning how to prepare this classic Italian meal. TIQA’s chefs prom- ise to teach you the per- fect braising techniques to master the “warm and wonderful winter dish,” in- cluding how to cook and enjoy the flavorful bone marrow at TIQA restaurant on Commercial Street. tiqa.net 29 PIES ON PARADE Downtown Rockland is dessert mecca for one special Sunday. Make a pilgrimage for the coastal town’s 13th annual Pies on Parade. Sweet, savory– even seafood pies make the cut, served up solo or paired with wines at inns, restaurants, and bakeries all over town. Ticket sales benefit the Outreach Food Pantry. 596-6611 histori- cinnsofrockland.com February 4-6 Brunswick Ice Bar The Bruns- wick Tavern promises all the luge shots you can stomach this winter at the annual Ice Bar. “We usu- ally completely sell out! But you can always buy the hotel package deal, just in case you overin- dulge on the luge shots,” Four’s the Charm January