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

• Luis Valadez, Angel Gutierrez and Cesar Tostado, the owners of Azul Agave (website, facebook, instagram) in Sanford, have leased a space at 40-75 Wells Plaza in Wells where they plan to open another location of their restaurant. A second Azul Agave is soon to launch at 414 Main Street in Ogunquit. After the Wells location opens in July they plan to open another restaurant in downtown Kittery this fall.
• Treats (website, facebook, instagram) has launched their new ~40-seat wine bar (photos above). It’s located in the side room of the Wiscasset bakery and shop and will initially be open Thursday through Saturday, 3 – 9 pm. At the wine bar they’re serving a rotating menu of low intervention wines and dishes. Shown above are a glass of sparkling wine from C. Greffe Touraine Brut Blanc from Loire and Treat’s lamb barbacoa tostada. Other dishes include littleneck clams served with ramp butter over brown bread, a scallop crudo and strawberries in a pool of chamomile whipped cream. The bar menu includes local beers, wines like Broc Cellars Valdiguie rose, and Evenkeel sparking hop water.
• A new counter service outdoor cafe (see below, photo courtesy of Rocky’s) called Rocky’s Food Shack (instagram) has opened in Rockland. It is located in the former Wiley’s space at the corner of Main and Elm Streets. Owners Christian Pavesi and Elizabeth Nicholson moved to Maine from Nantucket. They’re serving a menu (see below) that includes lobster rolls, hot dogs, both pulled pork and jack fruit barbeque sandwiches, as well as sides, drinks and a children’s menu. “We wanted Rocky’s to feel welcoming, unfussy, and rooted in community, the kind of spot where you can grab a great lobster roll, sit outside in the garden, and enjoy summer in Maine.”
• A new pop-up Indian restaurant called Cutting (instagram) is now operating out of the Korean Dad space in Veazie. They’re open weekly on Tuesdays and you can see their menu on instagram. “From the streets of Bombay to Bangor. Every item on this menu carries a story, a memory, and a piece of home. From our signature Keema roll to flavorful Sheekh kebabs and handcrafted chai, we’re bringing the bold flavors of Bombay to Maine – one bite at a time.”
• The Main Street Baking Company (facebook, instagram) recently opened in Freeport. An article in the Press Herald reports that the bakery has been lauched by Jenniffer Grant “Grant is an educator and coach at Leavitt Area High School, and a fifth-generation baker who has been baking cakes for family and friends out of her Pownal home for 16 years. She said she jumped at the chance to open a bakery downtown.” The bakery is located at 32 Main Street and is open dail 6 am – 6 pm.
• Adam Rodgers from Your Maine Home published a report on a Polish cafe called the Dresden Coffee & Gallery. They’re located at 769 Gardiner Road and Rodgers reports that they’re serving a menu that includes, “Pierogies done six ways (yes, including lobster), bigos, fresh borscht, and gluten free pastries made from scratch.”
• As previously reported, pastry chef Georgia Macon has purchased a building in Cumberland where she plans to launch a bakery/cafe called Mère (website, instagram).
• As previously reported, chef Lee Frank has leased the former Arrows building in Cape Neddick where he plans to open a new fine dining restaurant called Mazon.
• If you’re a regular reader of this weekly report, you may be noticing the same trend we are. With the launch of XO Bakery in Pownal, Full Hearts Farm Store in Durham, the impending relaunch of the New Gloucester Village Store, the Dresden Cafe mentioned above, and the opening of a new general store and restaurant in Bowdoinham we’re seeing new business developments in more rural towns away from the coast and larger population centers in the Portland area and Southern Midcoast. These could be part of an inland roadtrip that connects up with the Sheepscot General Store in Whitefield, Morse’s in western Waldoboro, Pottle’s in Liberty, Aagier’s Den Meadery in Palermo and finishes up with a dinner at Circumstance in Swanville.
• Green Crab Week is taking place on June 22-28 at several locations in Maine. The Green Crab Working Summit is taking place in Portland on the 24th, a chef workshop in Wiscasset on the 25th, and a green crab derby at the Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport also on the 25th. See the event website for all the details on these and other events.
• The Maine Oyster Festival is taking place in Freeport on June 27-28th.
• The Causeway at the Craignair Inn will be hosting a Bold Coast Spirits tasting on July 19th.
• The Midcoast catering and events company Applecroft is launching a kitchen garden dinner series at their location in Waldoboro. Chef Maria McGarvey will be serving a multi-course dinner of locally sourced wood-fired dishes.
• The North Haven Inn is relaunching the Monday Night Dinner series. The 3-course dinners are being prepared by Beard Award Nominee chef Ben Jackson. Reservations open weekly on the Wednesday prior to the dinner.

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.