Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

New Year’s Eve – We’re be putting together a list of special New Year’s Eve food and dining events. New additions will be made as businesses announce their plans.

  • Bistro Leluco (South Portland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner.
  • Catbird (South Berwick) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $84 per person.
  • Chaval (Portland) – will be serving a multi-course dinner; $121.77 (including tip) per person.
  • Canopy Hotel (Portland) – Luna and Salt Yard will be serving NYE special menus along with live music earlier in the evening and a DJ until midnight.
  • Douro (Portland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $95 per person.
  • Dry Dock (Portland) – will be serving a prime rib dinner ($55 per person, $100 for two) as well as other New Years Eve specials like adding caviar and/or black truffles to dishes, and caviar service served with potato chips, caramelized onion dip, & chives for $45.
  • Evo (Portland) – will be serving a multi course dinner; $140 per person.
  • Five of Clubs (Portland) – will be offering oysters with caviar and crème fraîche, and bubbles “because why not end the year in style?”⁠
  • Isa Bistro (Portland) – will be serving a 3-course dinner; $120 per person.
  • Knotted Apron (Portland) – will be serving a 5-course dinner with a Champagne toast, and optional wine pairings; $145 per person.
  • Lucky Cheetah (Portland) – will be serving a 7-course dinner with a glass of Champagne; $150 per person.
  • Magissa (Portland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $80 per person.
  • Magnus on Water (Biddeford) – will be serving 4-course dinner (5 – 9 pm, followed by an after party); dinner is $95 per person
  • Maine Street Bistro (Brunswick) – will be serving a 5-course dinner with a glass of Champagne; $100 per person.
  • Miyake (Portland) – will be serving a 5-course omakase dinner; $130 per person with optional sake pairing for $55.
  • MK Kitchen (Gorham) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $99 per person.
  • Mr. Tuna (Portland) – will be serving an omakase dinner in the former Bar Futo space on Fore Street; $225 per person.
  • Nina June (Rockport) – will be serving a prix fixe dinner; $120 per person.
  • Nook & Cranny (Baileyville) – will be serving a special New Years Eve menu.
  • Phoenix Fine Wines (Eastport) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $70 per person with optional $30 wine pairings.
  • Portland Beer Hub (Portland) – will be holding am early evening New Year’s Eve party.
  • Provender (Ellsworth) – will be serving a prix fixe dinner.
  • Pacifico (Saco) – will be serving 3-course dinner; $80 per person.
  • Side Street Cafe (Bar Harbor) – is holding a New Year’s Eve party.
  • Sur Lie (Portland) – will be serving 4-course dinner; $100 per person.
  • The Good Table (Cape Elizabeth) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $125 per person.
  • The Harpswell Inn (Harpswell) – will be serving a traditional Cantonese New Year dinner; $180 per person.
  • The Send Brewing (South Portland) – will be serving a variety of New Years Eve specials.
  • Twelve (Portland) – will be serving a 7-course dinner; $215 per person with optional wine pairings for $120.
  • Woodford F&B (Portland) – will be serving dinner with “plenty of bubbles & festive embellishments”

Thursday – Woodford F&B will be serving a New Year’s Day brunch, as will Douro. and Dolce Amici in Norway. Big Tree Hospitality is holding Baller Brunch at the Local 188 event space.

Saturday – Tony’s Donuts is holding a grand reopening. The business was recently bought by longtime employee Emily Bachelder from the Fournier family.

January 5 – Visit Portland, the Portland Regional Chamber, and HospitalityMaine are launching their Winter Weekdays program. Running through to April 30th, it brings together on winterweekdays.com weekday pricing specials at restaurants from around Maine.

January 17 – Chef Damian Sansonetti will be teaching a Coq Au Vin cooking class and Burgundian wine class at Chaval.

January 20 – Turamali (instagram) will be holding a pop-up at Luncheonette.

January 24 – Courtney Loreg from Woodford’s Food & Beverage will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner. Asher Boisvert is teaching a vermouth class at Chaval.

January 30 – Adrian Arvizu from Big Tree Hospitality will be the guest chef at a steakhouse themed Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

February 7 – Chef Damian Sansonetti will be teaching a pasta & negroni class at Chaval.

February 8 – Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will be the guest chefs at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner where they’ll celebrate the menu of their former restaurant Piccolo.

February 13 – Devin Finigan from Aragosta on Deer Isle will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

March 1 – Chef Damian Sansonetti will be teaching a Whole Hog Butchery class at Chaval.

March 6 – The Maine Craft Brew Summit is taking place. Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner and President of Russian River Brewing Company, will be the keynote speaker.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.

The Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

Best Martinis: Via Vecchia

| Posted in Reviews

Esquire magazine has included the 50/50/50 martini at Via Vecchia in their 2025 list of the Best Martinis in America.

Herewith, we unveil Esquire’s Best Martinis in America Right Now. You’ll find the classic, perfectly executed, in several establishments around the country. You’ll also find one in New York made with za’atar, and one in New Orleans that incorporates a pineapple amaro (and does so ably). We hope our list inspires red-faced debates and spittled diatribes, and maybe a little joy in these joy-challenged times.

Maine Food & Dining News: Kittery, Gardiner, Milo, Biddeford, Bath, Belfast

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  •  Salty Spirits (instagram) opened for business in Kittery Foreside last week. The business is owned by Deb and Michael McCluskey who own a number of other restaurants in southern Maine and New Hampshire including Lil’s Cafe. Eating Through the Seacoast has shared a reel of the food and dining room.
  • Sunrise Bagel (website, facebook, instagram) opened a new cafe in Gardiner last week. It’s located at 463 Water Street and is open weekdays 7 am – 1 pm, and on weekends  8 am – 1 pm. Sunrise also has shops in Waterville, Augusta and Oakland. They previously operated a location in Winthrop.
  • The Rusty Rail restaurant at Rail Yard Brewing (facebook, instagram) in Milo is set to hold their grand opening on January 3rd, noon – 9 pm.  They’re located in the former Bissell Brothers Three Rivers spot and is being launched by John Riitano and Tracy Bonney-Corson. The first beers from Rail Yard Brewing will debut next year alongside the brews from other Maine breweries on the menu at Rusty Rail.
  • Ichiban Japanese Restaurant is under development in the former Dizzy Birds space in Biddeford. Owner Danzhen Gongbhu plans on serving a menu that includes sushi, poke bowls and hibachi. Renovations are under way with the finished dining room expected to seat 35-40 including a sushi counter and full service bar. Gongbhu has 15 years experience in the restaurant industry. He hopes to launch Ichiban sometime in February.
  • The owners of Bath Brewing Company have announced that a new owner will be taking over their space on Front Street to launch a new business. Bath Brewing initially opened for business in 2018.
  • A fire at Time and Tide Coffee production space in Biddeford has knocked their coffee roaster out of operation for the time being. “While we take the time to figure out what comes next for the roastery, we want to assure you that our sunny Main Street cafe remains open and fully operational. We are collaborating with longtime coffee industry friends to have coffee roasted to our exact specifications. This means the same great quality and flavor will come.”
  • The Midcoast Villager has published a report on Glo’s Carinderia (facebook), a Filipino market in Belfast. The business has been launched by Claire Fuller who hails from Magalang in the Philipines. “Fuller’s efforts will help localize and bring more authentic Asian cuisine options to Waldo County, just as she has had ambitions to do for years. Already, people who may have tried the unique blend of traditions and flavors that go into Filipino cuisine now line up regularly for her siopao, meaning ‘hot buns,’ empanadas, the rice noodle dish pancit, and kaldereta beef stew.”

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Tuna & Friends Guest Chef Series

| Posted in Events

Mr. Tuna has announced that an all star guest chef series that they’ve organized for 2026. It will bring 11 chefs from 9 states and 1 Canadian province to Maine January through June to collaborate with chef/owner Jordan Rubin on a dinner.

We are thrilled to announce Tuna & Friend a guest chef pop-up dinner series celebrating sustainable seafood! Running from January to June, we’re bringing in chefs from across North America to create an a la carte menu inspired by New England’s natural bounty, with additional dishes shaped by each chef’s own influences. Along the way, visiting chefs will explore Portland’s working waterfront—from Upstream Portland and Bangs Island Mussels to the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) and other community treasures—gaining firsthand insight into where Maine’s seafood is sourced and how it’s handled.

Visit the Mr. Tuna OpenTable page to make a reservation for the January 6th dinner with chef Ben Sukle from Oberlin and Gift Horse in Providence.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Wednesday – Regards is serving a Fest of the Seven Fishes dinner.

Thursday – It’s Christmas Day. Check with your favorite local restaurants to see who may be open. Taj in South Portland will once again be providing free meals to people in need—see this post on instagram for more information.

Saturday – Browne Trading is holding their annual free Champagne and Caviar Tasting.

New Year’s Eve – We’re be putting together a list of special New Year’s Eve food and dining events. New additions will be made as businesses announce their plans.

  • Bistro Leluco (South Portland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner.
  • Catbird (South Berwick) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $84 per person.
  • Chaval (Portland) – will be serving a multi-course dinner; $121.77 (including tip) per person.
  • Canopy Hotel (Portland) – Luna and Salt Yard will be serving NYE special menus along with live music earlier in the evening and a DJ until midnight.
  • Douro (Portland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $95 per person.
  • Evo (Portland) – will be serving a multi course dinner; $140 per person.
  • Five of Clubs (Portland) – will be offering oysters with caviar and crème fraîche, and bubbles “because why not end the year in style?”⁠
  • Isa Bistro (Portland) – will be serving a 3-course dinner; $120 per person.
  • Knotted Apron (Portland) – will be serving a 5-course dinner with a Champagne toast, and optional wine pairings; $145 per person.
  • Lucky Cheetah (Portland) – will be serving a 7-course dinner with a glass of Champagne; $150 per person.
  • Magissa (Portland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $80 per person.
  • Magnus on Water (Biddeford) – will be serving 4-course dinner (5 – 9 pm, followed by an after party); dinner is $95 per person
  • Maine Street Bistro (Brunswick) – will be serving a 5-course dinner with a glass of Champagne; $100 per person.
  • Miyake (Portland) – will be serving a 5-course omakase dinner; $130 per person with optional sake pairing for $55.
  • MK Kitchen (Gorham) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $99 per person.
  • Mr. Tuna (Portland) – will be serving an omakase dinner in the former Bar Futo space on Fore Street; $225 per person.
  • Nina June (Rockport) – will be serving a prix fixe dinner; $120 per person.
  • Phoenix Fine Wines (Eastport) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $70 per person with optional $30 wine pairings.
  • Portland Beer Hub (Portland) – will be holding am early evening New Year’s Eve party.
  • Provender (Ellsworth) – will be serving a prix fixe dinner.
  • Pacifico (Saco) – will be serving 3-course dinner; $80 per person.
  • Side Street Cafe (Bar Harbor) – is holding a New Year’s Eve party.
  • Sur Lie (Portland) – will be serving 4-course dinner; $100 per person.
  • The Good Table (Cape Elizabeth) – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $125 per person.
  • The Harpswell Inn (Harpswell) – will be serving a traditional Cantonese New Year dinner; $180 per person.
  • Twelve (Portland) – will be serving a 7-course dinner; $215 per person with optional wine pairings for $120.
  • Woodford F&B (Portland) – will be serving dinner with “plenty of bubbles & festive embellishments”

January 1 – Woodford F&B will be serving a New Year’s Day brunch, as will Douro. and Dolce Amici in Norway. Big Tree Hospitality is holding Baller Brunch at the Local 188 event space.

January 17 – Chef Damian Sansonetti will be teaching a Coq Au Vin cooking class and Burgundian wine class at Chaval.

January 20 – Turamali (instagram) will be holding a pop-up at Luncheonette.

January 24 – Courtney Loreg from Woodford’s Food & Beverage will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner. Asher Boisvert is teaching a vermouth class at Chaval.

January 30 – Adrian Arvizu from Big Tree Hospitality will be the guest chef at a steakhouse themed Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

February 7 – Chef Damian Sansonetti will be teaching a pasta & negroni class at Chaval.

February 8 – Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will be the guest chefs at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner where they’ll celebrate the menu of their former restaurant Piccolo.

February 13 – Devin Finigan from Aragosta on Deer Isle will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

March 1 – Chef Damian Sansonetti will be teaching a Whole Hog Butchery class at Chaval.

March 6 – The Maine Craft Brew Summit is taking place. Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner and President of Russian River Brewing Company, will be the keynote speaker.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.

The Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

Rabelais Winding Down Retail Shop

| Posted in Closings

Don Lindgren has announced he’ll be winding down the Rabelais pop-up bookstore on Washington Ave. Rabelais will be open daily 10 – 5—except Christmas and New Year’s Day—through their last day of operations on January 4th.

When we opened the tiny shop on Washington Avenue in July of 2024, we expected it to be a short-lived pop-up with just a three-month life span. That first few months we had so many great conversations and saw so many friendly faces that we extended our lease an extra fifteen months through the end of this year. The conversations and friends old and new have continued but we’re looking forward to getting back to the cataloguing desk and concentrating on the rare books and our private and institutional clients.

Rabelais will continue selling rare culinary books and ephemera privately, at book fairs, and online at www.rabelaisbooks.com.

Taking over the Rabelais spot on Washington Ave will be Total Loss Books (instagram) which will be run by longtime Rabelais staff member Emma Cousins and by Sam Wells.

JoynaTable

| Posted in Under Construction

Mainebiz has published an article about JoynaTable (website, facebook, instagram). The company founded by Susan Ruhlin has created a service that helps hosts and local guests to connect and organize a shared meal. Think of it like Airbnb for dinner parties—with the added aspiration to bring people together.

Ruhlin shared on the JoynaTable website,

We started JoynaTable because we believe that dining is about more than just eating—it’s about connection, culture, and community. In a world where we’re increasingly isolated, we wanted to create spaces where strangers could become friends over a shared meal. Our founders experienced the magic of home-cooked hospitality while traveling, and realized that these authentic experiences were missing in their own neighborhoods. JoynaTable was born from a simple idea: what if we could bring the warmth of a home-cooked meal and the joy of meaningful conversation to anyone, anywhere?

The business is expected to launch in 2026. You can sign-up for their wait list to get updates when it does.