Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Rise Pizza & Pub in Cumberland.
…Served in a light, open space painted in vibrant yellows and oranges, chef/owner Rocco Marzilli’s pizzas run the gamut from traditional Italian-American pies to oddball options like Mexican street corn (a decent pie) or Buffalo chicken (a spicy, well-balanced riff on hot wings in pizza form). Don’t skip the Southwestern-style salmon cakes or the homemade s’mores ice cream sundae…
The Press Herald reports that a new restaurant called Loco Taco (website, instagram) is under development at 849 Forest Ave. The business is being launched by Ahmed Abbas and Mohammed Abbas from Dina’s Cuisine.
Though the restaurant is small, the menu will be large, Abbas said. In addition to tacos (on a choice of tortilla), it will serve quesadillas, fajitas, nachos and burritos. Filling choices will include classic Mexican tacos and an array of global flavors, such as chicken tikka masala, teriyaki, falafel, Greek gyro tacos, shawarma, cheeseburger and more creative flavors. There is something for vegetarians, too: fried tofu or fried vegetable tacos.
Updated: Photograph and instagram account link added on August 23, 2024.
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Off Track Pizza (instagram) opened for business on Friday. It’s located at 15 Exchange Street in the former Lupita’s/B Good location. Longtime Portland residents will remember it as the original location of Walter’s.
Off Track is initially serving pizza by the slice, salads, bottled cocktails and soft drinks. Shown above are slices of sausage and pepper pizza and the pepperoni pizza along with a low ABV Santa Anita cocktail made with Aperol and Tang. They’ll be expanding to full menu (see below) and offering full pizzas as they ramp up kitchen production capacity. The counter service restaurant has some window bar seating (see above) on the first floor and dining rooms on the second floor with a great view of Exchange Street. Overall Off Track seats 46 people.
Off Track has been launched by Mark Hibbard and Mitchell Ryan along with business partner Josh Miranda. Ryan and Hibbard are the executive chef and the beverage director at Via Vecchia.
Hours this weekend are noon – 8 pm (or sellout). Next week the hours will be Wednesday through Sunday 11 am – 10 pm (2 am on Friday and Saturdays).
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New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
Owner Qutaiba Hassoon announced on Wednesday that Falafel Time on Forest Ave has permanently closed.
It has been a pleasure serving the community, but we regret to inform you that Falafel Time has permanently closed. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the Portland Community, but unfortunately due to my parent’s health and the shortage of staff we made the tough decision to close. We’re truly thankful for all the good times we’ve had together at Falafel Time.
Falafel Time opened on October 18, 2021. Hassoon is a second generation restauranteur. His parents owned Haggarty’s restaurant 2012-2014.
Conde Nast Traveler has published their take on the 15 Best Restaurants in Portland.
If you ever hear anyone wonder why teensy Portland, Maine’s restaurants have such an outsized reputation in the food world, remember two things: First, those people clearly haven’t eaten here yet; and second, the answer lies in a philosophy ingrained in Maine itself…
A new restaurant called Finestkind (instagram) is under construction in Saco. It will be located at 17 Pepperell Square in the building formerly occupied by The New Moon. Finestkind is being launched by Victoria and Tom Barthelmes along with their business partners Chris and Paige Gould.
The 26-seat counter service restaurant will be open for breakfast and lunch. Finestkind will also have outdoor seating and their menu will be available to order online for takeout. The breakfast menu will offer an assortment of egg sandwiches like the Red and Black Lumberjack (egg, house smoked brisket, horseradish sauce sandwiched between two crispy hashbrowns) Options for lunch will include an assortment of sandwiches, soup, and salads plus mac and cheese. The team plans a in-house bakery program—think oatmeal-raisin cookie sandwiches filled with Italian buttercream and caramel crullers. The beverage menu will include beer, wine, cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks with a full coffee program featuring Tandem Coffee Roasters coffee.
The Barthelmes shared that Finestkind is a culmination of their work and life experiences.
It’s going to draw some inspiration from the cafe we fell in love at 12 years ago, the standards and technique we developed cooking in New York, and the meaningful relationships we’ve made in the Maine community since moving here 9 years ago. A meal we ate at Central Provisions was among the reasons we moved to Maine in the first place, so to be able to call Chris and Paige our friends, mentors, and now business partners is particularly special for us.
The Goulds are the owners of Central Provisions and Tipo. Victoria Barthelmes is the GM of Tipo and will continue as the wine director of both restaurants. Tom Barthelmes is kitchen manager at Central and Tipo. The Barthelmes met when attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park and worked together at the Apple Pie Bakery Café. In New York City, Victoria worked in the pastry department at Lincoln Ristorante where she produced pastry for the Metropolitan Opera and wedding cakes for the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Tom worked at Lincoln before moving to Per Se where he worked for Thomas Keller.
Renovations are already underway with hopes to launch Finestkind this summer. When it opens, the restaurant will be open Thursday through Monday, 7:30 am – 2 pm.