Maine Food & Dining News: Union and Camden

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.

Maine Food & Dining News: Ellsworth, N Berwick, Kittery, Old Town, Brunswick, Camden, Gorham

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.

Linden + Front in Bath

Bath’s newest restaurant the Linden + Front (facebook, instagram) opened late last week. Owners Zac and Khristine Leeman have renovated the the former Relish/Salt Pine Social building at 244 Front Street into an 85seat restaurant.

The menu (see below) offers selection of small plates, soups, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches like the quack monsieur and entrees including wood-fired steak and chop like a 24 oz cowboy ribeye and a rack of lamb. Linden + Front has a full bar with draft beers, wine and takes on classic cocktails.

Chef Zac Leeman grew up on nearby Orrs Island and is a graduate of Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. The Leemans met in Minnesota where they were both worked in the restaurant industry. They opened their first Maine restaurant, Sundrenched, on Bailey Island in 2022 which they plan to reopen for the season in May.

Linden + Front will initially be open Thursday through Monday, 5 – 8 pm (8:30 on Fridays and Saturdays).

Maine Food & Dining News: North Yarmouth, Swanville, Buxton, Skowhegan, Lewiston/Auburn, Kingfield

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:

Circumstance Coming to Swanville

A new restaurant called Circumstance (website, instagram) is under construction in Swanville. The chef/owner of Circumstance, Khristopher Hogg, formerly operated the excellent Belfast cider bar and restaurant Perennial.

The 24-seat Circumstance will be a seasonal restaurant open May through October, serving Friday and Saturday night dinners and Sunday brunch.

Dinner will be a 6-course chef’s tasting menu utilizing organically farmed and foraged local ingredients with dishes that are “both planned and somewhat improvised, a combination of accumulated and immediate responses to the landscape.”

For brunch, Hogg plans to put the menu’s “emphasis on seafood, oysters, and charcuterie” and a “delicious spread with lots of different, densely flavorful components that you can combine as you like.” The beverage program will feature regional natural wines and ciders (including the first vintage of their own Perennial cider).

The cuisine at Circumstance reflects the pursuit of craft, creativity, and an appreciation of place. We presume a standard of 100% locally sourced and organically grown ingredients and rely on whole-animal butchery, charcuterie, foraged ingredients, fermentation, smoking, and other forms of food preservation to accent our menu, along with careful combinations of ingredients in their original state.

Hogg hopes to open Circumstance in late May and is currently hiring for two positions: a Host/Server and a Kitchen Assistant.

For more information on the restaurant, and to sign-up for their mailing to be notified when reservations open, visit their website circumstancemaine.com.

Maine Food & Dining News: Warren, Windham, Appleton, Standish, Bristol, North Berwick

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:

  • Congratulations to Black Goat Test Kitchen. The Midcoast restaurant is one of 47 establishments selected for the USA Today 2024 Restaurants of the Year list.
  • A bakery called Pine Tree Bakery (website, instagram) is under construction at 1557 Bridgton Road in Windham. Owner/baker Lesa Beck is hoping to launch in April when she’ll be selling desserts and pastries (e.g. scones, muffins, cakes, cookies, tarts, Danish, quiche, and cinnamon rolls) as well as hot breakfast sandwiches, espresso-based coffee, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
  • Silly’s fans will want to know that the Silly’s food truck is in operation in Standish. Follow their instagram account for details.
  • The Courrier-Gazette reports that the restaurant Foda in Appleton has closed as the result of a serious accident that befell chef/owner Brian Beggarly in early December. The restaurant and the property it’s on is for sale.
  • The Lincoln County News reports that The Contented Sole is moving to a new location after their original building in Pemaquid Harbor was severely damaged by the storms in January.
  • Green & Healthy magazine has published an article about Community Plate. CP is a non-profit organization that’s organizing potluck dinners all across Maine with the goal of bringing “together people of all ages and backgrounds who gather for unforgettable evenings of homemade food, deep conversations and heartfelt storytelling.”
  • Mainebiz has published an article about Baker Bru, a new bakery under construction in North Berwick which is set to open in March.

Maine Food & Dining News: Northport, Dover-Foxcroft, Union, Alna, Presque Isle

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 owners of Spark Bagel (website, instagram) have leased the former The Stone Pizzeria building in Northport. Initially they’ll use it solely as a bagel production kitchen, but plan to eventually open it up as a retail shop as well.
  • The Courrier-Gazette has published an article about Alsace the new restaurant that opened last year in the town of Union.
  • The Lincoln County News has published an article about The Alna Store. The restaurant was recently named a 2024 Beard Awards semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that a new restaurant called Maple Pig Bar & Grill is under construction in Presque Isle.
  • Whittle Bird (instagram) is operating a coffee pop-up at 83 East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft. The coffee shop will be in operation through the spring while they’re working on a new coffee trailer.

Maine Food & Dining News: North Berwick, Brunswick, Belfast, Camden, Fort Kent, Liberty

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:

  • A new bakery called Baker Bru (instagram) is under development in North Berwick. It will be co-located at the Boulay Farm and Market (facebook) currently under construction at 381 High Street. Owner Alex d’Emarese will be channeling his South African and Italian heritage selling a menu that includes focaccia and ciabatta bread, various types of cornetti, tarts, cookies, and featuring South African meat pies (spinach and feta, peppered steak, chicken and veggies, bacon/egg/cheese). Baker Bru will also have ready to eat sandwiches and prepared meals to go. d’Emarese plans to have gluten-free variations for many of his menu items. The bakery and market is expected to launch by the end of February open 8 am – 6 pm daily.
  • Reverie Coffee House (instagram) in Brunswick opened for business (upper left) on Sunday. Reverie serves a variety of baked goods and coffee drinks prepared with beans from Time and Tide in Biddeford. They’re located at 117 Maine Street and will be open Thursday through Monday, 7 – 2.
  • Dos Gatos Gastropub (instagram) in Belfast launched on Friday. Their menu features tacos and a drinks list that includes mocktails, classic cocktails, margarita variants and a small list of specialty cocktails. See this report from Camden Famous for additional details. They’re open Friday through Monday, 4:30 – 10 pm.
  • The First Fig (instagram) cafe/winebar/wine shop in Camden is scheduled to open on Friday. Owner Joanna Spinks will be serving Kavka Coffee, croissants from The Place bakery, breads from Brazen Baking as well as wine and beer by the glass. First Fig will be open Wednesday through Saturday 10 am – 6 pm.
  • The Madawaska location of Sami’s Cuisine and Cocktails is closing but the Fort Kent location will remain in business.
  • Down East has published a profile of Pottles in Liberty. “Comfort food and a complete lack of pretense prevail at the cozy new pub in Liberty.”
  • The Bowdoin Orient has published an article about The Abbey—a hybrid coffee shop and cocktail bar that opened in December in Brunswick.
  • Edelweiss in Biddeford and Tres Leches in South Portland recently opened for business.
  • Meridians in Fairfield (upper right photo) and Maples in New Gloucester recently went out of business.
  • Blake Orchard has announced plans to expand to Brunswick and Scarborough.

Blake Orchard to Expand

Blake Orchard (websitefacebook, instagram) has announced plans to open two new locations in 2024. The first is scheduled to open this spring at 2 Station Ave in Brunswick, and the second will be in Dunstan Village in Scarborough and will open this fall.

Blake Orchard serves a menu of plant-based foods including smoothie drinks and bowls, raw cold-pressed juices, matcha and coffee. Alexandra Blake Messenger founded Blake Orchard in 2015. The business was initially located on Exchange Street before moving to 561 Forest Ave.

Maine Food & Dining News: Bangor, Van Buren, Skowhegan, Milo, Brunswick, Alna, Searsport, Westbrook, Damariscotta

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:

  • Ana “Betty” Guzman has leased space at 1012 Stillwater Ave in Bangor where she plans to open Betty’s Ice Cream. Guzman hopes to have Betty’s open by early March. Guzman hails from Degollado, Mexico and her menu will feature Mexican-style ice cream.
  • The Northern Maine Kolache Co. (facebook, instagram) is set to open this Saturday in Van Buren in Aroostook County. Owner Donita Ayotte plans to specialize in preparing Kolaches filled with savory and sweet ingredients.
  • The Brick House Kitchen (facebook, instagram) in Skowhegan recently reopened under the ownership of Sarah Dore and Alex Wyman. The restaurant is open for lunch 6 days a week and plans are in the works to add a brunch service.
  • Three of the 2024 Beard Awards semifinalists from Maine are located outside of Portland in Milo, Brunswick and Alna.
  • Amandine (instagram) opened for business on Thursday. The Searsport bakery is is selling breads, custom cakes, and other baked good including Kürtőskalács a Hungarian pastry. Ladonna Bruce is the head baker for Amandine. They’ll be open Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm.
  • The Don’s Lunch food truck is opening a restaurant in the former River’s Edge Deli site in Westbrook. Owner Craig Bernier hopes to open later this winter or in early spring.
  • The Kickstarter campaign to help purchase S. Fernald’s Country Store in Damariscotta has so far raised $31k of their $35k goal.