Category: Maine

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

• Sam Ostrow, the owner of Festina Lente in Kittery, has launched a second restaurant called Secundo (instagram, menu) in South Berwick. Secundo is located at 279 Main Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 – 9 pm.
• Bake Maine (instagram) which operates the Pottery Cafe on Washington Ave in Portland, is opening a second location at 2178 Post Road in Wells. They hope to launch sometime in May.
• Roger and Prudence Kiessling have leased the space adjacent to their shop The Kingfisher & The Queen in Damariscotta where they plan to open a European-inspired cafe call Rue 77 (instagram). The cafe will serve Stumptown Coffee, baked goods from Solo Pane e Pasticceria in Bath and gelato from Gelato Fiasco. The design will draw “inspiration from the old-school glamour of the late 1960’s/early 1970’s Italy, Amalfi Coast, Slim Aarons, and luxury sports cars (with a bit of understated chic French elegance thrown in), RUE 77 will transport you to a time and place that lives on in your imagination.” Watch for Rue 77 to open in late spring.
• AfroTaste is Lewiston will be closing down at their current location on April 28th. They hope to re-open this summer in a new location.
• Buttermilk Kitchen at Mariner’s (instagram) opened for business in Camden earlier today. Their hours are Monday and Wednesday through Friday 7 am – 2 pm, and Saturday/Sunday 8 am – 3 pm. For additional reporting, see this article in the Penobscot Bay Pilot.
• Swell Nitro Coffee (instagram) is opening for business on Saturday in Saco.  The shop is located at 200 Main Street. In addition to nitro cold brew, Swell will serve teas and seasonal drinks as well as a small selection of baked goods. Swell is being launched by Kelsey and Peter Vacca along with business partners Chrissy and Taylor Archambault.
• Mason’s Brewing Company’s new location in Machias opened for business on Wednesday. It’s located in the former Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant space at 78 Main St.

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

• Bay Bowls (instagram) is opening a location in Biddeford. Owners Sal and Soraia Matari hope to have the new shop open in May. Bay Bowls opened their Portland location in 2022 and the business is originally from Brunswick.
• The Courrier-Gazette reports that a new kitchen store called Mis en Place is under construction at 425 Main Street in Rockland. According to the article owner Eileen Gaughan hopes to open the store in May.
• The owners of Ruby Thailand in South Portland, Chonlathis Songprasert and Pavinee Ruangron, have opened a business named Sumrub Thai Cookery (website) in Richmond.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that the Shire Ale House in Houlton is closing.
• Cookbook author Nancy Harmon Jenkins be delivery a presentation entitled “The Extra Virgins: How to Choose Them, How to Use Them” at the Rockport Public Library on May 1st.
• South Portland’s El Rodeo has leased 2,898 square feet of retail space at 736 Sabattus St in Lewiston where the Lewiston Sun Journal reports they plan to open a restaurant.
• A branch of the NH/Massachusetts company Ohana Market is opening a new shop in the former location of the gluten-free sandwich cafe Toast in Kittery. Toast closed earlier this month.

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

• Aki (instagram) has leased space at 10 School Street in Freeport where they hope to open a Japanese fusion restaurant. Aki was formerly located in Brunswick and closed in the summer of 2023. The new edition of Aki will serve favorites from their Brunswick menu plus a tapas menu. Aki will also feature a Boba bar.
• The Black Point Inn has hired Michael Bergin to be their new executive chef. Bergin has worked at Del Posto in NYC and L’Espalier and Coppa in Boston, and was the executive chef at The Fat Hen and at The Salty Pig in Boston. In Maine Bergin has worked for Big Tree Hospitality and at Wandby Landing in Kennebunk.
• Central Maine reports that former judge and mayor Tom Nale has taken over the former Lebanese Bakery building on Temple Street in Waterville where he plans to open a new Lebanese restaurant. Nale has renovated the building and in collaboration Jim Veilleux and Melissa Grant plans to launch Mezza (facebook) later this spring.
• The Bangor Daily News published an article about Doug Hufnagel who passed away recently at the age of 78. Hufnagel operated the Coffeeman food cart at the Common Ground Fair and in Belfast.
• The latest issue of The Lincoln County News includes an interesting article about the owners of the 220 Market & Deli in Waldoboro.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that the Black Moon Public House (facebook) is under construction in Ellsworth and expected to open later this month.

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

• Malcolm Bedell launched his new restaurant Honey’s (website, instagram) this week. The menu features a variety of fried chicken sandwiches (shown above is the Classic) as well as fries, chicken tenders, snacks and sides. Honey’s is located in Bird Plaza in Thomaston. It will be open Monday through Saturday,  11 am – 7 pm.
• A new restaurant called Katahdin Kitchen (instagram) is scheduled to open next week in Veazie. The team at Katahdin Kitchen are taking “a fresh approach to Indigenous and American comfort foods with local ingredients.” The menu includes dishes like a wild rice bowl and a Sisters Salad made with roasted corn, beans, squash, beets, herbs and scallions served over greens. Katahdin Kitchen is located at 1492 State Street.
• Chef Brandon Montes has joined the team at The Waterford Inne. Innkeeper Kember Vanderblue shared that she and Montes “will continue to focus the spotlight we shine on our homegrown produce and that of hyper-local farms, but Brandon brings with him knowledge of sustainable wild foods, and invasive species coming from both the oceans and deep woods of Maine” that will further develop the culinary program. Montes most recently worked with chef Bowman Brown at Elda and Jackrabbit. The inn’s restaurant Tallulah’s (website, instagram) is open seasonally serving pre fixe dinners on Fridays/Saturdays. Vandeblue expect to expand the days open and range of events and menus in the coming year.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new restaurant called A Different Point of Brew Bistro is under construction in downtown Houlton. Owners Shyann Miller and Shelby Fitzpatrick plan to offer coffees, teas and energy teas as well as soup, salads and sandwiches.
• A team from The Dunn Bar in Biddeford are launching a new Italian restaurant called Vin Santo in the space adjacent on Washington Street.
• Coastal Wine in Ogunquit is relaunching today as Coastal Alchemist adding cocktails, draft beer, and a new food menu to their existing wine program.

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

• Downhill Bagel Company (instagram) opened for business yesterday in Springvale. They’re located at 446 Main Street. Owner Billy Nichols and his team are serving a menu (see below) of breakfast and lunch bagel sandwiches as well as weekend options like pastrami on rye. Downhill reopens this week on Saturday; they’ll initially be open Thursday/Friday 8 am – 2 pm, and Saturday/Sunday 9 am – 2 pm.
• Lil Jam Cookies (website, instagram) recently opened their new bakery in Brunswick. They’re open Wednesday through Saturday 8 am – 4 pm and Sunday 8 am – 2 pm. Lil Jam is located at 146 Maine Street next to Maine Street Bistro.
• The owners of Ann’s Book Bistro have opened a second restaurant in Damariscotta. Koko’s Sandwich Bar (website, instagram) is located at 603 Main Street. They serve a menu of pressed sandwiches, soups and salads. You can learn more about Koko’s from this recent article in the The Lincoln County News. Koko’s is open daily 11 am – 3 pm.
• A new restaurant called Cormier’s Dog House (facebook) is under construction in Windham. They’ll be serving “Chicago style hotdogs and more”.
• Black Tie has published the schedule for their 2024 Graze dinner series which takes place at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester.
• Gneiss Brewing has announced plans to shut down their brewery. Their last day in business is still to be determined, in the meantime their tasting room in Limerick will be open on Saturdays, noon – 6 pm.
• Mason’s Brewing will be opening a new location in Machias in the former Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant space at 78 Main St.
• Sublime Taco announced that they’ll be taking over the kitchen and menu at Mick’s in Biddeford. Sublime closed their taco shop in downtown Biddeford late last year.
• Baker/owner Lesa Beck has announced plans to launch Pine Tree Bakery (website, instagram) on April 10th. The bakery is located at 1557 Bridgton Road in Windham.
• The new Don’s Lunch (facebook) cafe in Westbrook opened on Monday.

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

• Bagel Cafe (website, facebook, instagram) has taken over the former Boynton-McKay space on Main Street in Camden. Owners Mark Senders and his family expect to move Bagel Cafe to 30 Main Street this spring. On a parallel track, Bagel Cafe will be moving the cafe’s production bakery to 5 Colcord Street near the intersection of Limerock Street and Virginia Avenue. Bagel Cafe hopes to also operate a second cafe out of the bakery during peak season with 12 seats inside and picnic table seating outdoors.
• After The Pour Farm (website, facebook, instagram) closed last year its future was uncertain. However, word is out now that the brewery in Union will be reopening on March 29th. Brad Frost and Anna Frost who formerly worked at Waterman’s Beach Brewery are joining the team at The Pour Farm as the head brewer and general manager. The tap list is will include a mix of established TPF beers and ones developed by Brad Frost.

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

• Provender in Ellsworth is launching Little PKB, a lunchtime sandwich cafe which will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am – 3 pm. For additional information read this article in the Bangor Daily News.
• Alex d’Emarese opened his new bakery/cafe in Baker Bru (instagram) in North Berwick this past Monday. d’Emarese is channeling his South African and Italian heritage selling a menu that includes breads, croissants, tarts, cookies, and South African meat pies. Baker Bru also has ready to eat sandwiches and prepared meals to go.
• Toast, a gluten-free sandwich shop in Kittery, has announced they plan to close. April 6th will be their last day in business.
• A new restaurant called Nanny’s opened Tuesday in Old Town.
• Down East magazine has published an article about Tao Yuan.
• The Place Bakery in Camden has launched a $15k crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to add a walk-in refrigerator to their bakery. So far they’ve raised $9,655 towards their goal.
• The Backwoods Burger Shack is under construction in Gorham.