Thin crust pizza & green furniture come to Congress

Portland is blessed with an abundance of pizza parlors, but the city's main drag has been woefully underserved when it comes to pies and slices. Not any more. Otto Pizza, at 576 Congress St. (near the Portland Museum of Art and across the street from Empire Dine & Dance), recently opened with thin crust pizzas. The counter service joint is owned by Anthony Allen (left) and managed by Mike Keon (right).

There's no set menu at this point, but you can buy slices ($3-$3.50) or whole pies ($12.99) and Anthony and Mike can accommodate most of the standard requests such as pepperoni, cheese or veggie. The cheese blend includes whole milk mozzarella, asiago and fontina. A selection of sandwiches, salads and scratch made cannolis will be added soon.

Anthony and Mike are using local ingredients whenever they can. Of course, you can't get more local than the potted herb garden they have growing in the front window. These fresh, savory seasonings are added to all the pies.

Next door, there's another cool new shop to check out. Good Earth Furniture opened roughly a week ago and is offering a unique line of furniture made from old shipping pallets and other reclaimed wood. Since shipping pallets are made from a wide variety of wood, including mahogany, oak and cherry, the furniture makers have plenty of choices. The business is owned by Dana Awtry and all the furniture is built in Portland.

When I stopped by, Annmarie Lunt was holding down the fort. She's a recent MECA grad with a BFA in woodworking and furniture design and says the job is a perfect fit for her. The company offers a wide-range of furniture pieces, from jelly cabinets to coffee tables. Annmarie says they always wait until a customer buys a piece before adding any shelving, as this allows the customer to specify what would work best.

For instance, this sweet-looking armoire (priced at $1,200) could be fitted with shelves to hold sweaters or configured to accommodate an entertainment system. Smaller cabinets generally range in price from $200-$400. The shop carries pottery by Leestice and has a few furniture pieces made by a local woman's grandfather who used wood reclaimed from a bar that operated in Portland in the 1700s.

Otto Pizza (at left) is open seven days a week. It stays open until 2 am Thur-Sat and is open until 9 pm the rest of the week. They will deliver pizzas within the immediate area. Call 773-7099 to order.

Good Earth Furniture is open from 9 am-5 pm, seven days a week. Custom orders are welcome. Call 603-738-7579 for more info.

Partying in the new solar showroom

The sweet summer sounds of the Pete Kilpatrick Band filled the new Portland showroom and warehouse of ReVision Energy on Friday night for the Grand Opening Summer Solstice party. The event, which featured free drinks from Allagash and Maine Mead Works and free food from Local Sprouts Cooperative and Katie Made Bakery, served to introduce the Greater Portland community to this new showroom offering alternative energy systems.

Founded in 2003 in Liberty, ME, ReVision Energy is known for its solar electric and solar hot water systems. Here ReVision system designer and project manager Geoff Sparrow shows off one of the grid-tied solar electric panels. The average house needs about 14-16 of these panels in order to supply the bulk of its electrical needs. This type of system costs between $20,000-$25,000 installed. Maine's solar rebate program has already run out of money for the year, but these systems remain eligible for a 30% federal tax credit.

The company also sells gasification wood boilers. Here ReVision expert Dan Comeau shows off one of the units to my husband, Adam. These puppies burn at a 90-95% efficiency rate and only need to be filled with wood once a day. They're typically installed in a basement.

A number of green businesses and nonprofits set up info tables at the party, including Fred Horch, who owns the F.W. Horch sustainable goods store in Brunswick and is a columnist for The Maine Switch. Other exhibitors included Reverb, Maine Green Building Supply, Maine Businesses for Social Responsibility and the Maine Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

And while the kids were thrilled to have a moonbounce in the house, everyone got a kick out of this MadGirl World performance by artist Meredith Alex's daughter Max. Despite all the camera flashes and comments from the swirling crowd, Max stood like a regal statue, occasionally adjusting her stance, but not even once swaying to the sounds of the music.

Strawberries on sale at Farmers' Market

The big news at today's farmers' market is the appearance of those tasty harbingers of summer: Strawberries! A couple farm stands are selling them for $6 a quart, and the taste is pure heaven.

In addition to the berries, the market is overflowing with lots of good eats, including all manner of greens such as kale, Swiss chard, bok choy, beet greens, arugula and lots and lots of lettuce. You also can pick up seedlings and flowers, plus things like baby turnips, radishes, eggs, pork, honey, jams, maple syrup, olive oil and those greenhouse tomatoes from Olivia's Garden.

And should you need a stylish tote to carry all your market goodies home, then swing by this table and pick up a fun Angela Adams' canvas bag. It's a locally-made bag up to the task of handling Maine's finest farm fresh food.

The Wednesday Portland Farmers' Market goes until 2 pm in Monument Square. If you miss it, head over to Deering Oaks Park on Saturday from 7 am -noon.

Thousands turn out for Bayside World Market & Fair

At 11 am yesterday, the crowds began to climb the steps of Portland High School to check out the 3rd annual Bayside World Market & Fair. More than 4,000 people turned out for a fun-filled afternoon of shopping, food and free entertainment. The event is put on by the Bayside Neighborhood Association and the Portland Public Schools as a way to bring together community members of all different backgrounds in a creative and festive atmosphere.

The fair featured more than 100 vendors, selling everything from wooden drums and metal wall hangings to hand-blown glass and custom-made ball gowns. As a member of the Bayside Neighborhood Association, I spent the bulk of my day volunteering at the neighborhood's set of four flea market tables on Cumberland Avenue and staffing the welcome table inside the front doors.

Here's the view of the sidewalk tables around the corner on Chestnut Street (you can see the twin turrets of the soon-to-open Grace restaurant in the background). The couple breaks I took from my posts included a quick interview with WCSH-6 and a fast tour through the inside market when I grabbed lunch.

Once again, the food vendors were a huge draw. While I was stationed at the welcome table, lots of people asked me where to find the delicious food they could smell but not see from the entrance. I was happy to direct them to the atrium between the upper and lower cafeterias. Here's the line on just one side of Nakornping Thai's stand. This is the second year the restaurant (which is located near Portland Stage Company on upper Forest Avenue) participated in the fair. I sampled some of their fresh spring rolls, which made an excellent portable salad.

Another repeat vendor was Passage to India. I snapped this shot while waiting in line to buy their savory samosas, which come with a red chutney dipping sauce. During the rest of the year, you can find them on Wharf Street.

This is the first time I tasted the baked goods from K Vegan Delights, which is run by Katiulca Rodriguez of South Portland. She bakes things like cornbread, brownies and chocolate cake in the Standard Baking Company kitchen. She uses organic ingredients and whole grains, but doesn't use any animal products. I tried one of her tasty fudgy brownies that was full of flavor but not too sweet. You can order her baked goods at Standard or by calling her at 939-7583.

Here's the really awesome free-form drum circle that took place in the garden area between the school and Freshmen Alley. I was psyched to catch a glimpse of it since my volunteer schedule kept me from taking in the free performances that went on all day in the John Ford Auditorium. But I did hear excellent reviews. And it was a treat to see Gregory Rec's beautiful photo of Rebecca Sen's Cambodian blessing dance in today's Maine Sunday Telegram. More photos will be coming soon from Cara Slifka and Sam Cousins.

Small plate meals at The Salt Exchange

Near Dewey's on Commercial Street, The Salt Exchange restaurant opened its door this past Friday. The new eatery is the work of the husband and wife team of Charles and Martha Bryon. I stopped in this morning before they opened for lunch to scope things out.

Here's Martha Bryon, Chef Jacob Jasinski and Bar Manager Erin Compton. They're standing in front of the awesome cherry bar that was crafted by Maine College of Art professor Jamie Johnston. I absolutely love the space's modern design scheme, particularly the unexpected lime green ceiling.

The restaurant features an open kitchen and a main dining room that seats 45, which can be used for private functions. In a month or so, bar seats will be pulled up to this counter and the diners who reserve them will be treated to special prix fixe menus and conversations with the chef.

Wanting to stand out from other fine dining establishments in town, the Bryons and Chef Jasinski are only serving appetizer-sized meals. Be sure to call them small plates, and not tapas.

"Tapas is not what we are, although we have some Spanish-inspired food," Martha explained.

She calls the cuisine New New England, with an emphasis on local and organic ingredients. Some of the current menu offerings include: spiced Maine coast cioppino with Casco Bay fish, shellfish & grilled sourdough crostini ($12); Pemaquid oysters with lemon celeriac cream & hazelnut ($7 or $12); local baby spinach with tempura Great Hill blue, grapes and saba dressing ($8); spice rubbed lamb with eggplant tart & garden beans ($15) and Wolfe's Neck Farm shoulder steak, sweet and sour cherries & crisp potatoes ($14).

Sharing is encouraged and the portion sizes are such that two or three items should be the equivalent of a traditional entree. Reservations are accepted, although not necessary, and anyone is welcome to belly up to the bar for a drink. Look for sidewalk seating in July.

The Salt Exchange is located at 245 Commercial St., Portland. It is open for lunch Mon-Sat from 11 am-2:30 pm. Dinner is served Mon-Thur from 5-9 and Fri-Sat from 5-10 pm. The bar stays open until 11 pm Mon-Thur and until midnight Fri-Sat. For reservations, call 347-5687.

2 restaurant owners want fluoride out of water

Restaurant owners Igor Rakuz, left, who owns GRO Cafe, and Oliver Outerbridge, who owns Bonobo, today kicked off a petition campaign to force a referendum in the towns served by the Portland Water District that would ask voters if they want to remove fluoride from the water system. The grassroots group they're heading is called Fluoride Leave Our Water, or FLOW.

The press conference took place at GRO and and was attended by a number of local reporters. Here Oliver tells the cameras that he learned the local water was fluoridated after he joined the Take Back the Tap campaign, which advocates against serving bottled water in restaurants. He called ending fluoridation the "real way to take back the tap."

Fluoride was first added to the water in 1997, after residents voted to do so. The practice remains controversial, with the Maine community of Bar Harbor recently opting to remove fluoride from its public water.

Oliver cited the link between fluoride in drinking water and diseases such as cancer and thyroid problems.

"It's a form of mass medication," he said. "We do not feel mass medication is constitutional or ethical."

He added "fluoride only works topically, not when you ingest it."

This campaign is sure to attract a lot of attention, with natural food moms on one side and medical doctors on the other. It's interesting that these two restaurant owners, both of whom are known for emphasizing sustainable food in in their eateries, have joined the fight. Look for FLOW volunteers with petitions when you go to the polls tomorrow.

Shop shuffle in Old Port

In the past month, a number of my favorite storefronts have packed up their bags and moved to new digs. Here are a few of the highlights.

Aucocisco Galleries is now settled into the spot previously occupied by the Daniel Kany Gallery. Since I walk by this window at 89 Exchange Street almost daily, I'm thrilled to have the chance to check out this majestic Bernard Langlais sculpture every time I pass. The gallery also puts on an awesome reception for every First Friday Art Walk.

Down the street a bit, near the intersection of Exchange and Fore, Puzzles & Games Etc has moved into a new shop at 299 Fore Street. (It used to be on Wharf Street.) This is an excellent place to pick up a fun board game or a puzzle before you head out to camp. It's also a great spot to buy gifts for those hard to shop for people.

With the warm weather here, there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy a bottle of wine. If you're looking to pick up some at Old Port Wine Merchants, you'll want to know it's moved from Fore Street to 223 Commercial Street. Should you need buying advice or want to try something new, proprietor Jacques deVillier is always happy to help. And while I don't know the first thing about stogies, the shop has a big walk-in humidor and what I hear is an excellent selection of cigars.