The Quanto Basta food truck has officially morphed into a brick-and-mortar restaurant; the Neapolitan-style pizzeria opened in the former LB Kitchen space last Thursday.
Located at 249 Congress St., Quanto Basta has seats for 20 customers inside and another 20 on the back patio. The restaurant is dine-in only right now, and is not taking to-go orders.
Betsy English pulls a margherita pizza from the oven at Quanto Basta, a Neapolitan pizzeria that opened this month at 249 Congress St. Photo courtesy of Quanto Basta
A new Italian oven allows owner Betsy English to bake up to six pizzas at once, turning out as many as 175 pies a day, more than twice as many as she was able to produce in her food truck.
English said the menu focuses on five different pizzas ($14-$18), including one rotating seasonal special. Starters ($5-$12) include Roman-style arancini and bagna cauda, a warm anchovy dip served with crudités, which English calls a “non-salad salad” that works well both as an appetizer and as a dip for pizza crusts at the end of the meal.
The bar program features southern Italian natural wines by the bottle and glass, Italian beers and a selection of spritzers featuring Italian liqueurs.
Quanto Basta is open 5-10 p.m. Monday and Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. English said the restaurant property is available to rent for private events.
English started her food truck, a converted 1959 Morris Minor with two pizza ovens, in August 2021. She has parked the truck in the Quanto Basta’s outdoor area behind the restaurant.
OYSTER EATING CONTEST AT DENNETT’S WHARF
Dennett’s Wharf in Castine is reviving a long-standing local tradition, the Maine State Oyster Eating Championship, with a festival Sunday.
Taking place on the waterfront deck at Dennett’s Wharf, the event runs from noon to 5 p.m. featuring live music, small bites and local oyster farmers on hand to answer questions about their harvests.
The oyster eating contest starts at 3 p.m. Tickets for the event are $100 each – available online – and include unlimited oysters and beverages. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.
The tradition of the Maine State Oyster Eating Championship at Dennett’s Wharf started in 1984 and was held annually through 2015. That year, Richard Hart of Chatham, Massachusetts, took top honors after slurping down 209 oysters in 15 minutes, though perhaps the best tally was notched by Rosie Jenkins of Penobscot in 1986, who threw back 237 half-shells in 10 minutes.
“What was started by the Brouillard family (former longtime Dennett’s Wharf owners) in 1984 and carried on for decades deserves to still be recognized and celebrated,” said current Dennett’s Wharf owner Max Katzenberg, who took over the landmark restaurant with his leadership team in 2022. “We want to maintain the traditions of Dennett’s Wharf for the community and for visitors to Castine, Maine – celebrating our working waterfront and oyster farming businesses is what this oyster event is all about.”
WAVY DAYS BEER FEST
Mast Landing Brewing Company’s Wavy Days beer fest will be back for a second year at Thompson’s Point in August.
The festival’s main event is Saturday, Aug. 5, featuring 55 breweries from Maine and around the country pouring beers from noon to 4 p.m., with more than 10 food trucks in attendance as well. Some of the more far-flung participating breweries include Miami’s Tripping Animals Brewing Co., TRVE Brewing Co. of Denver, Modist Brewing of Minneapolis and Chicago’s Hop Butcher for the World.
Associated Wavy Days events, including Portland-area tap takeovers, after-parties and a special brunch are slated from Aug. 3-6. General admission tickets for the Aug. 5 event are $75 – with designated driver tickets running $10 – available online.
THIRD ANNUAL WILD BLUEBERRY WEEKEND
Wild Blueberry Weekend returns for a third year in August, with blueberry farms, restaurants, breweries, distilleries and wineries statewide getting in on the action.
Set for Aug. 5 and 6, the weekend offers Maine growers the chance to educate the public about the differences between wild blueberries and their high-bush cultivated counterparts, and what makes Maine’s wild blueberries so special.
Fifteen wild blueberry farms, located mostly in the Midcoast or Down East, are offering tours and family-friendly events over the weekend. Additionally, 21 restaurants and 29 beverage producers from Kittery to Machias and as far north as Dexter will be selling savory and sweet dishes featuring wild blueberries, as well as blueberry-infused beers, wines and spirits.
Admission to participating farms is free. For more information, visit the Wild Blueberries website.
CHARCUTERIE BOARD CONTEST
The Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce is capitalizing on the charcuterie board trend with a Battle of the Boards charcuterie competition on Aug. 19.
Slated for 5-8 p.m. at the Maine Tasting Center in Wiscasset, the entry fee is $30 for chamber members and $45 for non-members, while general admission is $20. Tickets may be purchased online or at the door.
Event organizers said contestants will have a 10-square-foot space to display their food, though they won’t be limited to traditional charcuterie board items, like cured meats and condiments. The contest rules online state that participants are free to create boards with “candy, cookies, pancakes, bread, butter” and any other items they prefer.
Judges for the event include Cheryl “Shep” Rust, owner of the former Le Garage Restaurant in Wiscasset, which operated from 1977 to 2017, and New England-based food and travel writer Mike Urban. The first-place contest winner will receive a cash prize of $300, while second- and third-place winners will receive $200 and $100, respectively.
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