Crowds pack Monument Square for tree lighting

Last night's tree lighting ceremony in Monument Square was a festive and fun start to the holiday season, with what must have been thousands of people packed into the city's center. Here's one of the hosts, WBLM'S DJ Celeste, adding a little laughter to the evening. She and her fellow emcees introduced performers who included Mayor Jill Duson (who got the crowd singing), a pianist from the Portland Conservatory of Music,

dancers from the Maine State Ballet's Nutcracker and, finally,

a duet between Rick Charette and Santa.

As we - a crowd that had just as many 20-somethings as toddlers - sang about mud and reindeer, I realized one of the great gifts of the holiday season is how it brings together community and allows us all to act like kids. And those two things, at any time of year, make a priceless present.

Share your holiday finger foods

Do you have a go-to dish that is always a crowd pleaser at holiday cocktail parties? Is it something that can be consumed on a toothpick, in a napkin or from a glass, without the need for plates and silverware? Are you willing to share?

If you answered yes to all three questions, Switch Magazine would love to hear more.

Our Dec. 11 edition will feature the top recipes submitted by our readers. We're not looking for fancy schmancy recipes that require obscure kitchen tools, 27 ingredients and 10 hours of prep time. Instead we want realistic recipes that average folks with regular kitchens can reproduce. And, yes, you do get bonus points for originality and presentation.

Think you're up to the challenge?

Send your favorite holiday recipe (apps, desserts or drinks) to me at akamila@themaineswitch.com by Tuesday, Dec. 2. If your recipe is chosen for the feature, you'll be profiled in the magazine alongside your good eats.

Get your Thanksgiving eats at the season's last market

With the sun shining, it feels almost balmy after the wild weather of the past week. These warm rays of sun mark the always bittersweet passage known as the last official day of the Portland Farmers' Market. After braving last week's whipping winds, these farmers deserve a beautiful send-off for the season.

The crowds are much thinner at this time of year (especially when compared to the height of summer at the farmers' market), which makes me super thankful for the farmers who continue to show up to keep us Portlanders feed.

Such as ...

Pheonix O'Brien, who can be found manning the Freedom Farm stand.

And Chris Cavendish, who owns Fishbowl Farm.

And Daniel and Holly Perron, who own Sumner Valley Farm.

And Simon Frost, who owns Thirty Acre Farm.

The farmers from Uncle's Farm Stand and Beckwith Gardens plan to come back next Wednesday, although both say they will mainly have wreaths and holiday greenery.

Early this morning, the farmers were doing a steady trade in Thanksgiving staples, including pre-ordered turkeys. If you're looking for inspiration for your holiday table, here are a few tempting local eats:

Long pie pumpkin (Maine's preferred pumpkin pie squash) and other assorted squash.

Or you can purchase squash already chopped at Beckwith Gardens.

Apple cider makes a great holiday drink, particularly when you heat it and add mulling spices.

And what would Thanksgiving be without homemade cranberry sauce?

So before you get ready for tomorrow's big feed, head over to the farmers' market (it'll be open until 2 pm today) and give a big thanks to this wonderful group of folks who keep us fed all season long. And should you want to keep eating local all year, sign-up for the every other week email notifications that will allow you to order fresh food straight from the farm.

Thanks farmers! I can't wait to see you in the spring!

Chocolate pours into foodie enclave

Portland's East End restaurant district, which is home to such delicious eateries as Hugo's, Micucci's, Duckfat and Ribollita, just gained a new foodie storefront. Dean's Sweets opened up shop on Saturday. Located between Rabelais books and the Pepperclub, the chocolatier is offering up 18 flavors of hand-dipped, Belgian dark chocolate goodness.

These include flavors such as cinnamon, coffee and blueberry. I had the thrill of trying the cayenne variety, which was a perfect blend of sweet and hot. People who really like the heat will want to try the super cayenne, which I hear has three times the amount of cayenne.

"Super cayenne started out as a mistake," owner Dean Bingham tells me. "It's nice to be able to eat your mistakes."

Sounds like a sweet job, indeed.

For those of us who like a little booze with our chocolate, we can't go wrong with the brandy, rum, scotch or tequila lime flavors. And if anyone on your shopping list has a nut allergy or sensitivity, you'll be happy to know Dean's Sweets never uses any nuts or nut extracts in its chocolates.

Should you need a gift in a hurry, just pop in and grab one of the pre-packaged gift boxes. The 8-packs sell for $17.50 and the 16-packs go for $27.50. Sounds like a sweet gift to me.

Dean's Sweets is located at 82 Middle St. It's open Mon.-Fri. 11 am-8 pm, Sat. 10 am-8 pm and Sun. 10 am-6 pm. FMI call 774-7779.

Inked in Portland

Portland overflows with creative talent, and frequently it makes its way onto T-shirts. As of today, there's a new source for artsy Ts. Local-Ink.com just hit the internets, with an offering of six artist-designed garments.

The brainchild of Mark Ohlson, Local-Ink.com offers limited edition shirts from local designers. Right now those designs come courtesy of Theodore Bettcher and Tessa O'Brien. Each shirt is signed and numbered.

Plans are in the works to release new designs from two more Portland artists this spring. This will be followed in fall 2009 by designs from two Portland artists, two Boston artists and two San Francisco artists.

"I want to create clothes people can have a connection with as soon as they buy it," Ohlson says.

A tree rises in Monument Square

Portland's holiday tree arrived in Monument Square today. The 45-foot blue spruce was donated by Joyce Smith of Gorham. Her children planted it three decades earlier, but its current size was a bit too big for her front yard.

The tree's arrival in Monument Square was scheduled for 10:30 am, which is when I arrived. But the tree was nowhere in sight. Which was fine, as it gave me time to shop at the farmers' market.

The farmers had plenty of late season vegetables, along with wonderful holiday decorations such as wreaths, swags and winter berries. Sadly, the market is almost done for the season, with this Saturday's and next Wednesday's markets the last for the year. Of course, die-hard locavores will be signing up for the winter farmers' market.

Once my shopping was done, the tree had arrived. Super, I thought, as my hands were already going numb and my toes were beginning to tingle. So I milled about for a while, snapping shots of the prostrate tree. Then my camera batteries died (likely sucked dead from the Arctic wind chill).

So I headed inside the Public Market House, where I scored new batteries and ordered a falafel sandwich. Then I planted myself at the tables near the window to keep an eye on the still stationary tree without freezing to death.

That's when I suddenly saw one of the cranes begin to move. So I dashed back outside and started snapping photos before I figured out they were only moving the United Way fundraising sign. Turns out, the main crane was having technical difficulties and another was on the way.

This is when I realized the only people crazy enough to be standing around in this weather watching the non-moving tree were either involved in the tree hoisting operation or a member of the media. Lacking the proper winter gear that Mike from WGME-13 was smart enough to wear, I went back inside the Public Market House. To wait. And wait some more.

Finally - around 12:15 - a new crane arrived and things started to happen.

For a few moments the tree swung through the air.

Then the city staff and the volunteers from Keely Crane Service and Maietta Construction planted the tree firmly in an open manhole and the drama was over as quickly as it started.

But the real fun takes place next Friday, Nov. 28 at 5:30 pm when a crowd will gather for the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. This year's festivities include performances by the Maine State Ballet, the Portland Conservatory of Music and Rick Charette and the Bubblegum Band. Let's hope the weather will be a lot warmer.

Warm up to Mexico on Market Street

With the arrival of the frigid air, I'm on the hunt for ways to warm up, and I just found a perfect place to shake off the cold at the brand new Se Vende boutique. Located at 81 Market St. in the Old Port, this darling shop is run by mother and daughter duo Sage Eskesen and Olive Jones and features artisan treasures from Mexico.

Hand-painted pottery, in everything from mugs and butter dishes to platters and planting pots, is one of the first things you'll spot when you walk into the shop. The dishes in this snapshot range in price from $28 to $90. To accompany this dinnerware, there is a wonderful selection of hand-blown glasses. You'll find margarita glasses for $17 and martini glasses for $19.

The extensive collection of silver jewelry is another highlight, and Eskesen said this in one of only three shops in the world that carries the patented work of deceased designer Margot de Taxco.

"I don't like winter in Maine," Eskesen told me. "I went down (to Mexico) and I ran into the silver. I called my daughter and said, 'What would you like?' She said, 'You know my taste. Get whatever I'd like." I came back with a box and that was the start of the store."

The shop first opened in Damariscotta, where Jones lives, before the two decided to move the operation to Portland.

Everywhere you look you'll find fun items, such as these hand-hammered copper basin sinks ($450). Or the candy wrapper purses. Or the copper drawer pulls. Or the tin mirrors.

To top it all off, the store houses a fine art gallery downstairs and plans to be open for each First Friday Art Walk. Right now there is a group show on view, which includes the work of Matt Anderson, Pat Corrigan, DOGHAUS, Jennifer Gardiner, Colleen Kinsella, Lisa Purinton, Kyle Purinton, Rebecca Lentrichia, Frank Menair, Adinah Barnett, Deborah Gardner and Emily Trescot.

Se Vende (which means for sale in Spanish) is open seven days a week from 10 am-6 pm, and the hours will expand the closer we get to the holidays. You can reach the store at 761-1808.

Carrying water, instead of beer

You may have seen the Prohibition drinking tour of Portland I put together for the current edition of Switch. (The print version has a really sweet map that didn't translate to the online version, so be sure to pick up a hard copy.) Since Portland is where this failed social experiment began, our city has many more sites related to Prohibition than the six I was able to include on the tour. And one of them happens to be a piece of public art.

"The Little Water Girl" is a bronze replica of a sculpture by George E. Wade in London. Originally installed as a working fountain in Congress Square in 1917, it was later moved to Deering Oaks in 1929, stored for a while during WWII, reinstalled in Deering Oaks and then finally placed outside of the Portland Public Library on Congress Street, where you can find it today.

So what's the Prohibition connection?

You see, this piece of public art was given to the city in 1917 in honor of Lillian M. N. Stevens and is also known as the Lillian M. N. Stevens Memorial Fountain. A Portland resident, Stevens was a founder of the Maine Woman's Christian Temperance Union, serving as both treasurer and later president for many years. She also served as VP of the national organization. The work of Stevens and her fellow teetotalers lives on in the Neal Dow house museum. Which just happens to be where my boozy tour begins.

Sharing eco-sins at Greendrinks

Last night's Greendrinks hosted by WCYY and the Maine Rock Gym attracted another stellar crowd. We even had some political star power in the form of Portland's newest (and obviously coolest) State Senator Justin Alfond (who's standing in the center of this photo wearing the maroon sweater). Once again Peak Organic supplied us tree-hugging networkers with suds. But the local organic brewery wasn't alone. The folks from Sebago Brewing also showed up to hand out their tasty, locally-brewed product.

We all got to check out the rock gym and see a few people give it a try. Portland-based photographer Sam Cousins (who I'm sure will have much better photos posted on his Flickr site soon) told me he saw a woman attempting to scale the wall with two beers in one hand. Now that's talent!

The folks at WCYY were handing around this whiteboard and asking us to reveal our eco-sins. Here's Adam admitting to driving a less than green vehicle. Word has it that I fessed up to cranking the heat to 80 every once and a while, but since I don't have any photographic evidence of such a confession I plan to plead the 5th if questioned. (Who me? I absolutely love a freezing bathroom in the morning.) I can only hope at next month's event we get asked about our green good deeds, that way none of us is forced to run damage control in the morning.

Portland's modern home store expands to York Street

Modern mavens Shawneric Hachey and Brian Latham, who opened the sleek Addo Novo furniture gallery on Congress Street about a year and a half ago, are at it again. The duo just opened a satellite shop called Addo Novo Home at 45 York Street, right next to the yummy Portland Pie. It's located in the same spot Whitney Art Works used to occupy before Deb and Peter Whitney moved to Congress Street (right next to the original Addo Novo).

I stopped in today and met the charming Tyler Kidder, who is managing the store. Here she's modeling a contemporary sofa, however, the store is primarily devoted to housewares, such as linens, dinnerware, lamps and accessories. The majority of the company's furniture collection can be found at the Congress Street location.

The selection of bedding is perfect for an urban space, and Tyler tells me another shipment from Italy is on its way.

You'll find lots of fun and colorful accessories in the store, all from well-known designers. Early next year the boutique will launch a bridal registry.

In the meantime, for the person you know who has everything, there's always the Philippe Starck Dr. Skud flyswatter with the designer's mug embedded in the mesh. It's yours for only $15.

Bright new day at the market

With all the political excitement in the air, I couldn't stay in bed past 4 am this morning. So I woke Adam up (at the much more reasonable hour of 5:30) and we headed down to Marginal Way to eat breakfast at the brand new Miss Portland Diner. Then, with my belly fully, I was off to the Portland Farmers' Market just after 7 am.

It's absolutely gorgeous outside, which means it's a perfect day to score some tasty locally-grown food. Brussels sprouts make a great addition to a fall meal, particularly when you roast them with nothing more than extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

For more exotic eats, you can check out these black radishes. Find them at the Thirty Acre Farm stand, which is home to the most amazing pickles you'll ever try.

And just because it's November, doesn't mean you can't get locally-grown lettuce. Many of the farmers have greenhouses and hoop houses, which means they're still offering everything from red lettuce to arugula to micro greens.

The farmers will be in Monument Square until 2 pm today, and they'll keep showing up every Wednesday until Nov. 26. Should you be wondering how to keep eating local this winter, check out my story about Portland's winter farmers' market in Switch magazine. In the meantime, try to get to the farmers' market where every dollar you spend casts a vote for a better food economy. Now that's change I can believe in!

Today's assignment: Vote!

After two years of anticipation, endless campaign messages and hilarious SNL skits, the day has finally come for us average guys and gals to make a decision. Even though I'd been warned there would be lines, I was pretty shocked to find a rather long one at my polling place at 7:15 this morning. I've been voting at the Merrill Auditorium rehearsal hall for the past five years, and today was the first time I haven't just waltzed right in and filled out my ballot.

To be honest, it was pretty exciting to see so many people participating in the electoral process.

If you haven't been to your polling place yet, here's a little peek at how the top of the ticket race looks on the ballot. Should you need info on where or when to vote, check out the Portland Press Herald's election resource page. The page also offers a candidate guide and details about the citizen initiative questions on this year's ballots.

Change is definitely in the air today, and you can be part of it. All you need to do is get yourself to the polls and vote.

Breakfast beauty back in business

It's been a long time coming, but finally the moved, renovated and expanded Miss Portland Diner is once again open for business. I haven't had a chance to sample the food yet, but a peek inside at 10:30 this morning revealed that the place was packed, mostly with retirees. (Not surprising, since those of us still among the working world tend to be, well, working at that time on a Monday morning.)

The menu is extensive and filled with diner standards. Breakfast, which is served from 6-11:30 am, includes a variety of omelettes, eggs bennys, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. Prices range from, $2.79 for the basic egg and cheese breakfast sandwich to $13.99 for the lobster benedict. I love the fact that you can order a side of Portland's own B&M Baked Beans for $2.49.

Lunch includes offerings such as JP's Famous Dirt Wings ($9.99), chowders ($3.79/$5.79), Greek salads ($6.59), turkey cranberry wraps ($8.99), corned beef reubens ($8.49), BLTs ($5.99), Maine crab rolls ($9.99), Mexican veggie burgers ($6.49) and chopped sirloin ($10.99).

Owner Tom Manning tells me the place has been absolutely slammed since it opened on Friday. I'm not surprised. You see, the restuarant is located next to a college dorm, a new office tower and a highway off-ramp, and, even more importantly, it comes with a name fit for a beauty queen. How could she not be popular?