Category: Maine

The Lost Kitchen (website, facebook, instagram) now offers a regular counter service lunch Tuesday through Saturday. Dubbed the Little Lost Kitchen it operates out of a seaparate cafe space at the restaurant’s renovated mill building in Freedom. Lunch is available on a walk-in basis—no reservations needed or available.

Chef/owner Erin French and her team are serving a menu of baked goods like coffee cake, scones, chocolate coconut rose macaroons with beer wine, ice tea, shrubs, cold brew, and soft drinks. The daily lunch menu includes snacks like snap peas dusted with citrus salt, oysters and olives along with dishes like the cornflake fried chicken, salad, carrot and corriander soup, French ham and butter sandwiches and strawberry shortcake shown in this set of images from today.

The lunch menu is available 11 am – 2:30 pm, with baked good, sandwiches, wine and beer available until 4 pm. Our best advice is to get there early—today’s lunch line started to form up at 10:30 am. There are a few tables indoors but most of the seating is on a patio overlooking the picturesque mill pond.

The Lost Kitchen is located at 22 Mill Street, Freedom, Maine (map) which Google Maps says is a 90+ minute drive from Portland. Parking is just across the bridge from the mill building.

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.

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

• Love Point Oysters has launched their new oyster shop and market, Love Point Provisions (instagram). It is located at 43 Old South Freeport Road in Freeport selling tinned fish, wine, beer, and, of course, LP oysters. They’ll be open Wednesday through Saturiday, 11 am – 6 pm.
• Nikaline Iacono , the owner of Vessel & Vine in Brunswick, has launched Full Hearts Farm Store (facebook, instagram) in Durham (above, right). It’s located at the former site of the Replanova Farm store and will continue to sell Replanova’s organic produce. Full Hearts is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 am – 6:30 pm, and 11 am – 5 pm on the weekends. The market sells Maine raised meats, locally baked bread and pastries, dairy products and eggs, and a selection of other locally produced foods. There’s a menu of sandwiches and salads liked smoked bluefish and a meatball sub to grab-and-go or to enjoy on the back deck which looks out over the farm. The kid’s menu offers PBJs and grilled cheese sandwiches. Iacono is working with the local historical society to develop names for sandwiches that connect with history of the community. Starting next month she plans to hold classes at Full Hearts and hopes the store will become a gathering space for the community.
•  Sodt (website, facebook, instagram) plans to launch their new store in Freeport on Saturday. It is located at 58 Main Street downstairs from Vineyard Vines and will be open that day 10 am – 7 pm.
• Moderation Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) will be holding the grand opening for their new location in Brunswick on June 19th at 4 pm with food trucks, live music and an official ribbon cutting.
• The 2026 edition of our Midcoast dining guide has been released.
• The owners of Saint George Pizza have shared plans to launch Upstairs Books (instagram) in Warren. The stock is expected to have “a heavy focus on cookbooks”. They expect to launch Upstairs Books this summer.
• As previously reported, a new restaurant that will serve Nepali and Tibetan cuisine called Himalayas on the Bay (instagram) is under development at 60 Ocean Street in South Portland.
• Portersfield Cider (instagram) will close at the end of this year. David Buchanan founded Portersfield in 2015 and initially began selling his cider at the Portland Farmers’ Market. The tasting room at the Portersfield orchard in Pownal launched in 2017. Portersfield received a Good Food Award in 2019 for their Ridlon 16/2 cider. Buchanan shared “When I started collecting apple trees and making cider 16 years ago, I had only a vague idea where wild and heirloom apples might lead. It’s been a wonderful run, more gratifying and fulfilling than I’d imagined. Part of the reason I’m stepping back now is that I feel satisfied with the ciders I’ve made, happy with the way things have turned out. I’m ready for something new, and prefer to end on a high note. Although this year will be my last for alcohol sales, I don’t intend to give up the community presence at my farm. I’m excited to develop new uses for the tasting room and outdoor gathering spaces, and I look forward to exploring ways to collaborate with other food businesses in the years ahead.” The photo above (left) shows Buchanan preparing buckwheat galettes at the Portersfield tasting room in 2022.
• The owners of X Vault Pub and Provisions have announced they’re is closing their South Paris restaurant. Their last day in business will be Saturday. Their statement reads in part “A restaurant is never just a restaurant. It’s the people who walk through the doors every day, the staff who work tirelessly behind the scenes, and the community that chooses to support it. We want to thank our community for always being our biggest supporter. Thank you for trusting us, whether that meant ordering your usual favorite or stepping outside your comfort zone to try something new. From oysters and sushi to craft cocktails and chef-driven specials, your willingness to embrace new flavors allowed us to create, experiment, and share our passion for food with all of you.” The statement also mentions that a new restaurant is expected to move into the space next year—more details on that are TBD.
• The Rockport Donut Festival (website, facebook, instagram) is taking place Friday and Saturday. Ruckus Donuts, Old Time Donuts, The Only Doughnut, Eighty 8 Donut Cafe, Graffiti Donuts, The Donut Grove, and The Holy Donut will be taking place in the event.
• The Waldo Theatre in Waldoboro is staging a production of Don’t Dress for Dinner on June 13th, 14th, 19th and 20th.
• In celebration fo the Common Ground Fair’s 50th anniversary, MOFGA has produced an exhibit of the fair’s posters from the last 5 decades. “Fifty Years of Common Ground, an exhibition of five decades of the posters of the Common Ground Country Fair, is free and open to the public, now in Augusta until August 30th; then moving to Waterville September 4 through 30, in partnership with the Maine Arts Commission and Waterville Creates.”
• The Ark restaurant on Deer Isle has released the details for this year’s guest chef series. Lucy Gibson will be at The Ark mid-June to mid-July, followed by Sam Fore, Neftalí Duran, and then Justin Tootla and Jennifer Jackson. See The Ark website for all the details on the chefs and their upcoming tenures.
• The Graze dinner series is once again taking place at Pineland Farms. Dinners are taking place this Friday as well as dates in July, August and September.
• Three more dinners in the Wolfe’s Neck Center farm-to-table dinner series are taking place in Freeport this September, October and November with guest chefs from Sawyer’s, Fire & Company, and Douro.
• The Portsmouth Herald reports that Feile Irish Pub in Wells is expected to reopen later this month.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that the Dockside Family Restaurant—which went of business last year after a 36-year run—will be reopening in June.
• Maine Famous has assembled a list of festivals and events taking place across the state this summer.

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.