Category: General News

Showing Support

| Posted in General News

An article in the Press Herald highlights some of the ways local businesses including those in the hospitality business are showing their support for the protests. Included in the article’s coverage are Ada’s, Rising Tide and The Honey Paw.

Sid Rumma, a partner at Ada’s pasta restaurant on Congress Street in Portland, couldn’t participate in the Black Lives Matter protests, but he could offer bowls of spaghetti to those protesting.

“I’m just trying to be helpful,” he said as he prepared free midday meals on Wednesday, the second day he and his team at Ada’s have offered to feed and nourish hungry protesters in advance of the afternoon’s public demonstrations.

Black-Owned Restaurants and Bars

| Posted in General News

I’ve been getting a number of requests the last couple of days for a list of black-owned restaurants and bars. Here are the ones I know of in the Portland area—please let me know if you know of any that are missing and I’ll add them to the list.

  • 207 Bar & Restaurant – an African/Caribbean restaurant on Cumberland Ave
  • Asmara – an Eritrean restaurant on Oak Street
  • Black Betty Bistro – a catering business
  • Bujabelle – an African restaurant on Saint John Street
  • Burundi Star Coffee – a new coffee shop that just opened June 2nd on Saint John Street
  • Knitting Nook – a cafe and knitting shop in South Portland
  • Magnus on Water – a cocktail bar in Biddeford
  • Niyat Catering – a catering business operating out of Fork Food Lab specializing in Ethiopian food
  • Red Sea – an East African restaurant on Washington Ave
  • Rwanda Bean Coffee – a coffee shop with locations in South Portland and on Stevens Ave
  • Yardie Ting – a Jamaican restaurant located in the Public Market House

To the best of my knowledge Asmara, Burundi Star Coffee, Rwanda Bean and Yardie Ting are the three currently open and doing takeout.

For a list of black-owned businesses in a range of industries across the state of Maine see blackownedmaine.com.

The Big Takeout/Delivery List

| Posted in General News

Here’s the ever growing list of takeout/delivery with subsections for restaurants, coffee & tea, bakeries/bagels/donuts, beer/wine/distilleries, delivery services, markets and other food shops. The list is updated and re-categorized on a daily basis so check back to see if a favorite of yours is back in business.

OTHER RESOURCES

PRE-ORDER OPTIONS

  • Belleville – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Fridays (pizza) and Sundays (pastries). Order online.
  • Botto’s – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Saturday. Order online.
  • Bread & Butter Co. – is taking pre-orders for two delivery days on Mondays and Thursdays. Order online.
  • David’s – is taking pre-orders for dinners on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
  • Greeks of Peaks – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Saturday or Sundays.
  • Gross Confection Bar – is taking pre-orders for weekly pick-up on Saturdays. Order online.
  • Hugo’s – is takingn pre-orders for “select pantry items and pre-prepared meals to share with your family. Think house-made pickles, charcuterie meats and smoked oysters, or chicken roulade with queso fresco and a bottle of wine.” Order online.
  • Izakaya Minato – is taking pre-orders for lunches on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and dinner on Fridays. Order online.
  • Judy Gibson – is starting to take pre-orders for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. (207) 808-8649.
  • Lake & Co – is taking pre-orders for takeout and delivery on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Order online.
  • Leeward – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Thursday May 21st. Order online. 🍸
  • Lio – is preparing 4-course meal with wine pairing options, Wednesday through Sunday. Pre-orders must be in by 3 pm the prior day. Order online.
  • Mama Mo’s – is a soup delivery service in the Greater Portland area They take pre-orders for pick-up or delivery on Mondays. Order online.
  • Mr. Tuna – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Fridays and Saturdays. Order online.
  • Night Moves Bread – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Saturdays. Order online.
  • Noble BBQ – is taking pre-orders for pick-up on Thursdays through Saturdays. Order online.
  • Portland Cake Company – is taking pre-orders for weekly deliveries on Monday.
  • Scratch Baking – is taking pre-orders two days in advance for pick-up Thursday through Sunday. Order online.
  • The Back Bay Grill – is taking pre-orders early in the week for pick-up on Thursday through Saturday. (207) 772-8833.
  • The Garrison – takes pre-orders on Monday and Tuesday for pick-up on Friday and Saturday. Order online. 🍸
  • Union Kitchen – takes pre-orders (48 hour notice) for their nightly Supper Club meals. Order online or call (207) 761-6665.
  • Wine Wise – is partnering with local restaurants for the delivery of meals and wine followed up by a virtual wine dinner presentation. Order online.

RESTAURANT TAKEOUT/DELIVERY IN PORTLAND

FOOD TRUCKS/CARTS

BAKERIES, DONUTS & BAGELS

CANDY, CHOCOLATE, ICE CREAM, GELATO

COFFEE, TEA & JUICE

BEER, WINE & SPIRITS

SEAFOOD

GROCERIES & GROCERY DELIVERY/PICK-UP

  • Portland Farmers’ Market – continues its 252 year history with markets on Wednesday and Saturdays in Deering Oaks.
  • Rosemont – Rosemont now has both:
    • curbside pick-up from all locations,  order online
    • home delivery, order online.
    • and starting June 1st they’re opening the Brighton Ave store to in-store shoping.
  • Portland Food Co-op – has daily hours (10-11 am) for immune compromised, elderly and disabled shoppers. They are open 11 am –  2 pm, 3 – 6 pm for everyone else.
  • Lois’ Natural Marketplace – has re-opened both locations. For curbside orders call (207) 210-6500 (Portland) and (207) 885-0602 (Scarborough).
  • Big Tree Hospitality – is running a grocery out of their Biddeford commissary kitchen. Order online.
  • Buy Direct from Farms – a list of farms in Maine that sell direct published by the University of Maine Extension…there’s also another website that presents the same data in a different format called beansuppah.com.
  • Farm Drop – a farm and food producer agregation platform with a weekly pick-up on Thursdays in Bayside. Order online.
  • Milk & Honey – has launched a farm food pick-up service. “farm food , wholesome , delicious, nutritious and clean from our farms to your trunk. Tuesdays , Thursday’s and Saturday’s 2-4 pm…Text Lauren your order or questions 2072487396 and pay Venmo Lauren Pignatello or I’ll square invoice you.”
  • Stonecipher Farm – will be holding an “open air, safe-distance, 4 week vegetable CSA program. Pickups will be on Saturdays from 4:00pm-6:00pm” in the parking lot at Local 188. They’re also partnering Solo Italiano on selling 4-week and 13-week shares for pick-up at Solo Italiano on “Saturday between 3&8 or Sunday between 1&6.”
  • Solo Cucina Market – is providing curbside pick-up. Order online or call (207) 808-8507.
  • Fresh Approach – has a takeout and delivery available Monday through Friday (Monday through Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday 9am to 5pm). Call (207) 774-7250.
  • Sun Oriental Market – has curbside service, Mon – Sat. (207) 772-8675.
  • Pats Meat Market – has curbside pickup. Text (207) 553-0990 or call (207) 772-3961 to order.
  • La Bodega Latina – continues to be open.
  • Micucci’s – is still open. (207) 775-1854
  • Monte’s – has curbside pick-up for grocery items. (207) 613-9873.
  • A growing number of restaurants and bars are now selling groceries and other provisions.
  • Fork Food Lab – has launched an e-commerce site selling provisions from the start-up businesses that use their kitchen.
  • Native Maine Produce – has a home delivery.
  • Maine Market Basket – has a new grocery delivery service. Order online.
  • The Cheese Shop – The Cheese Shop is providing curbside takeout “We strongly encourage our curbside pickup option -simply call us, talk through your order, give us 30 minutes to put it together, and we’ll run it out to your car when you pull up.”
  • The Cheese Iron – has curbside takeout and delivery. They are also selling their excellent sandwiches. Call (207) 883-4057 or email info@thecheeseiron.com.
  • Heritage Seaweed – has curbside pickup on Tues, Thurs and Sat 1-3pm.
  • Fiore – located inside Ada’s does curbside takeout. (207) 801-8978.
  • Vena’s – will be opening their retail with “to-go mocktails, and carry away cocktail kits” on June 1st.
  • North Atlantic Naturals – has home delivery of food as well as cleaning and paper products.
  • Instacart – Instacart handles delivery for Shaws.
  • Whole Foods – Whole Foods has a grocery delivery service for Prime members.
  • Forage – has put together a map of local farms and fisheries that sell direct.

RESTAURANTS OUTSIDE PORTLAND

If you know of something I’m missing then please post a comment or email me at anestes@portlandfoodmap.com.

Governor Delays Restaurant Re-Opening for Indoor Dining

| Posted in General News, Openings

The governor has announced plans to delay the re-opening of restaurants for indoor dining in Cumberland, York and Androscoggin counties. The change will still allow for restaurants to begin outdoor dining in those counties as scheduled on June 1st.

The Mills Administration announced today that it is postponing the full reopening of restaurants for dine-in services in York, Cumberland, and Androscoggin counties. Restaurants in these counties were tentatively scheduled to reopen to dine-in services on June 1 (Stage 2) but are now restricted to reopening to outside dining service only beginning on that date in addition to continuing to provide take-away and delivery services. The decision to limit their reopening comes amidst an increase in hospitalizations as well as an increase in case counts in these three counties, both of which are metrics monitored by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC).

A new date for the restart of indoor dining hasn’t been set yet.

Update:As the Press Herald has reported, some restaurants are unhappy with the change in policy, but several restaurants are still moving forward with plans to re-open with just outdoor seating.

Brewers Push for Changes to Re-Opening Plan

| Posted in General News, Beer

The Press Herald reports on an effort by the Brewers Guild to move up the date breweries can re-open their tasting rooms.

The Maine Brewers Guild said Tuesday that the current plan puts the breweries and brew pubs in the same category as bars, which aren’t allowed to reopen until July 1. But many of the breweries in Maine offer outdoor seating and are at least as safe as the restaurants, said Sean Sullivan, executive director of the guild.

NYT: 12 Restaurants America Loves

| Posted in General News

Eventide is featured in a New York Times article about 12 Restaurants America Loves.

Like fan favorites Maison Premiere in Brooklyn and Petit Marlowe in San Francisco, Eventide pushes all the vintage-oyster-bar buttons, complete with marble counters, tin ceiling and a chalkboard with dozens of shellfish varieties. But it also has an overlay of Japanese flavors and New England tradition that produced its stellar chowders.

Group Advocates Earlier Opening Date for Restaurants

| Posted in General News

The Press Herald reports that an organization called the Restaurant Workers of Maine sent a letter to the Governor sharing concerns that “the industry could collapse if restaurants are not allowed to operate at full capacity by July 1”.

The group, which says it has 5,000 members since forming in 2017, wants the state to allow the industry to reopen in mid-May rather than having to go an entire month with curbside pickup only and entering June not knowing what levels of customer capacity will be allowed inside eating establishments. The letter asks the governor to evaluate COVID-19 activity levels every two weeks and to make adjustments accordingly, rather than her phased reopening that goes month by month.