Gingko Blue has closed, according to a report from the Press Herald.
The owners, Cheryl and Jeff Buerhaus, say they closed Gingko Blue to focus more on their Old Port restaurant, Walter’s.
Jeff Buerhaus is the chef at Walter’s and Cheryl Buehaus is the general manager.
Here are a few updates on what’s going on around town:
Urban Eye has published a report on the closing of Roost.
Preparing to pack up their juicers for good, proprietors Kathleen Flanagan and Jeanette Richelson put a positive spin on the situation. ”An ending is just an opportunity for a new beginning,” said Flanagan. ”We are still processing the whole thing.”
Low foot traffic, high overhead and a health-conscious consumer getting handy with a blender ate away at their business plan.
Roost House of Juice has announced that they are closing up the business as of April 1.
We have decided to close the doors to our café & juice bar at 11 Free Street. We’ve had a tremendous run here and we’ve felt your love and support throughout this endeavor.
We want you to know that our decision to close is based on a number of factors, with the biggest being that we’re ready to move on from the brick & mortar business model.
Roost’s closing comes as Liquid M2, a business with a seemingly similar concept, is soon set to open.
Several Meat House locations in Maine and NH have closed, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.
Customers seeking choice cuts of meat, gourmet foods and unique wines are now being greeted by a darkened store and icy sidewalk at the Meat House at 450 Payne Road.
A letter on the front door says the 6-year-old store is closed for remodeling. But an investor lawsuit and the closure of other stores in Maine and New Hampshire suggest the 11-year-old company is facing more than appearance problems.
Mesa Verde has gone out of business, reports the Bangor Daily News.
A long-time Congress Street Mexican restaurant closed its doors this week in an abrupt manner.
According to the city’s Public Health Division website, Mesa Verde failed two food safety inspections since June, including one on Jan. 17. The report documents a litany of problems from fruit flies in the kitchen to food not properly refrigerated.
Update: the Press Herald published an article on Friday about Mesa Verde closing.
Love Cupcakes (website, facebook, twitter) have put their business up for sale. The owners asking for $52,000 or best offer. The sale includes, 2 food trucks, as well as the business itself as well as their website and social media properties.
Eater Maine reports that the Wok Inn in Morrill’s Corner has closed.
A week or so ago, the Wok Inn at Morrill’s Corner in Portland quietly shuttered after more than 30 years of serving inexpensive, Americanized Chinese fast food.
There are a number of changes taking place on Exchange Street:
Owners Guy and Stella Hernandez will be closing down Bar Lola as of November 16, and will be redirecting all their energies to launching a new restaurant in Portland. They’re close to securing a space for the as-yet unnamed restaurant and hope to open sometime in February 2014.
In explaining their motivation to launch a new venture, chef/owner Guy Hernandez explains,
We want to loosen our ties and make the process of cooking and dining out more transparent and less precious. A lot of places don’t give their customers the option to dine in a way they feel most comfortable – they’re either too rigid, have too many menu restrictions, or are too formal. And in most cases, food just magically appears from a distant kitchen. We want to change that paradigm and give the dining public a place in which they can feel that they are part of the action as an array of wonderful ingredients are transformed into dishes on the menu.
The plan is for the restaurant to be open 11am straight through to closing 6 days a week. They describe the new dining experience this way,
…from the moment you enter you’ll immediately be surrounded by the sights, sounds and smells of the visible ingredients, coupled with real, accessible cooking, all anchored by a custom-made, wood-fired grill. It will be warm and welcoming, and will inspire customers to stop in at any time of the day to get a carefully crafted snack and glass of wine from an extensive by-the-glass list, supported by a deeper, by-the-bottle cellar. Or, customers can choose to compose a full meal from what’s on hand that day from the restaurant’s purveyors.
I’m a big fan of Bar Lola will be sorry to see it go but am very excited to see what Guy and Stella have in store for us next.