Category: Maine

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:

• The Uproot Pie Company (instagram) is scheduled to open on Saturday. They’re located at 9 Green Street in Thomaston, and will be serving bialys, sandwiches, pizza, coffee, wine and cocktails.
• The Pen Bay Pilot has a report on the relocation of the Blue Spoon to the Midcoast. The new Blue Spoon is located at 5 Country Inn Way in Rockport. Reservations are available on OpenTable.
• Hugs Italian Restaurant in Carrabassett Valley recently changed hands. The new owner is Ashley LeBlanc. Hugs is expect to reopen on December 1st.
• The owners of Albatross (instagram) are planning to open for business on December 15th. Maggie and Jeffrey Harris have leased and renovated the former Gypsy Rose in Camden. They plan to serve a menu of globally-inspired small plates plus some sandwiches.
• The Brooklin General Store (instagram) reopened last week with new owners  Graham Macbeth and Alyssa Wagner.

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:

• The King Ro Market in Round Pond is under new ownership and expected to reopen before the end of the year. The new owner Steve Brackett also plans to eventually install a bar in the dining area for a pub and open a pub within the market.
• Mason’s Brewing is laying the groundwork to open a distillery in Bangor. The Bangor Daily News reports that Mason’s is “likely start with gin and ready-to-drink gin-based canned beverages, then branch into vodka and moonshine by the end of 2024.”
• Gail Ciampa from The Providence Journal recently visited Warren for the Absolem Cider dinner at Black Goat Test Kitchen  (website, facebook, instagram). In her report Ciampa praises chef Ronspieres for the way he “he layers his dishes with a variety of flavors and textures that all combine to create the happiest party on your palate” and provides a play-by-play of the 5-course dinner.
• The Blair Hill Inn in Greenville has hired chef Max Snyder to helm the kitchen at their in-house restaurant Slate. Snyder is moving to Maine from his hometown of Austin, Texas where he had launched Pitchfork Pretty in 2017. Prior to Austin, Snyder spent a “decade in New York and San Francisco working under chefs Daniel Patterson at Coi, Daniel Humm at Eleven Madison Park, and Joshua Skenes at Saison.” Slate will be reopening on December 7th, Thursday through Sunday from 4 – 8 pm.

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:

• Reverie Coffee (instagram) has leased 117 Main Street (white brick building shown above) in Brunswick where owner Hannah Josselyn plans to evolve her coffee food truck into a brick and mortar coffee shop. The 500 sq ft space will seat ~15 with table seating as well as a couch area and a kid/family-friendly section as well. Reveries serves coffee made with beans from Time & Tide in Biddeford. They’ll continue to serve baked goods from Hankering Pie Company, and in the summer Josselyn plans to sell breakfast tacos produced by her husband’s BBQ food truck business, Gridnstone BBQ. Josselyn and shop manager Kylie Nikas hope to have Reverie 2.0 open by the end of January.
• The Friar’s Brewhouse & Tap Room in Bucksport has closed after the death of one of the founders, Brother Donald Paul Martel.
• The Blue Ox Malthouse is tripling the capacity of its facility in Lisbon. The business produce floor-malted grain for the brewing and distilling industry.

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:

• Miller’s Market (website, instagram) is opening on Friday November 3rd, noon to 8 pm. They’re in Gorham center at 29 School Street. Owner Sam Smith plans to have on tap “select cuts of beef, pork and poultry in the cases, some of our grab-n-go dinners, and our sandwich and salad menu for take out or dine in” on Friday. Smith plans to add breakfast hours the following week.
• A new owner has taken over the Eat More Cheese market in Belfast and renamed it as Salvatore & Roscia (website, instagram). Owner Maura Salvatore has built on the market’s existing strengths in wine and cheese retail to include homewares and charcuterie boards with grab and go sandwiches and salads in the cards for early 2024. The market is open Tuesday through Saturday 10:30 am – 5:30 pm.
• The team from Blue Spoon is opening their Rockport restaurant on November 9th. Check their website for the menu; reservations are available on OpenTable. They’ll be open nightly, 5 – 9 pm.
•  Mainebiz reports the Pizza by Michael in Saco is under new ownership.
• The Kennebec Journal reports that the “bagel craze” is spreading through central Maine. The article features Sand Hill Bagel Company and Sunrise Bagels with a mention of Bagel Mainea.
• The Lincoln County News has published an article about Jonathan Turcotte and Kelsey Grossmann and their new Wiscasset cafe Yonder.
• Mr. Tuna is working with Maiz to operate a pocket outpost of their business out of Maiz’s Brunswick location. Maiz in Brunswick is located at 11 Pleasant Street near Vessel and Vine.
• As reported on Monday, South Portland’s Cafe Louis is opening a second location in Camden. Cafe Louis is joining Maiz, Solo Italiano, and the owners of the former Ruby’s West End in seeing opportunity to expand in the Midcoast.

Here are some updates from around the state:

• Ancho Honey owner Malcolm Bedell has announced he’s leased a space in Thomaston where he plans to open Honey’s. The menu at Honey’s (website, instagram) will feature the fried chicken sandwiches that Ancho Honey has become a destination for. It will be located at 153 New County Road in the space formerly occupied by China Fortune. Bedell has listed Honey’s on MainVest where people can support the launch of the restaurant. Ancho Honey is located in Tenants Harbor. Bedell formerly operated the ‘Wich, Please food truck in Rockland.
• Mainebiz has published a report on Main Street Provisions which recently opened in Waterville.
• A new market called Poland Provisions (website, facebook, instagram) opened in late September. Owners Charles and Sheila Foley and their staff operate a cafe and general store Tuesday through Saturday. The business is located at 120 Maine Street.
• Chef Jimmy Leftis began a chef residency program at Table Bar in Gardiner back in May. His Friday and Saturday night dinners have been so well received that the summer experiment will now be a permanent element at Table Bar. Starting in November you’ll find Leftis at the now 31-seat Table Bar Wednesday through Saturday nights.
• A new wine bar called Good Wine Bar is under construction in Saco.
• The Prentice Hospitality Group is taking over operation of The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth.

Here are some recent food and dining highlights from around the state:

• The Morning Sentinel reports that Main Street Skowhegan is working on a $1M+ project to launch a shared commercial kitchen and food hall in downtown Skowhegan.
• A new business called Main Street Provisions (instagram) recently opened in Waterville. The shops stock beer, wine, and specialty foods sourced from local/regional producers.
• Miller’s Market (website, instagram) is under construction at 29 School Street in Gorham center. Miller’s will be a butcher and seafood shop, sandwich shop and caterer. Owner Sam Smith hopes to be open on November 1st.
• A coffee shop specializing in nitro cold brew coffee called Swell (instagram) is under construction in Saco (right photo). The shop will be 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. They will be sourcing their beans from Carrabassett Coffee Company. Swell is being launched by Kelsey and Peter Vacca along with business partners Chrissy and Taylor Archambault.
• The Midcoast pop-up kitchen Albatross (instagram) has leased the former Gypsy Rose in Camden (left photo) where owners Maggie and Jeffrey Harris plan to transform their business into a brick and mortar restaurant. Albatross plans to serve a menu of globally-inspired small plates plus some sandwiches.