Bao Bao Opening

Bao Bao Dumpling House is scheduled to open today at 5 pm. The restaurant was open to the public Saturday night after two days of invitation-only dinner services that saw dedicated fans of chef Cara Stadler lined up on the sidewalk waiting for a table.

MaineBiz, Maine Today and Eater Maine have also posted photos and details on Bao Bao. Check-out Eating Portland Alive some initial impressions on the food and the space.

2 More in the West End: Bramhall & Arabian Days

Two more businesses have opened along Congress Street in the West End:

  • A new coffee shop called Arabian Days opened on Tuesday at 3 Deering Ave in a store front shared with Tawakal Halal market. Arabian Days serves Carpe Diem Coffee from North Berwick, Maine. The shop is open 7 days a week, 6 am – 8 pm (6-6 on Sundays).
  • The new Bramhall (facebook, instagram) had a soft opening last night; they’re grand opening is scheduled for 5 pm today. The bar is located at 769 Congress Street in the old Bramhall Pub space in the basement of the Roma. Bramhall is owned by Michael Fraser, the chef is Chris Beaulieu (form sous chef at Duckfat) and the bar manager is Guy Streitburger. Maine Today has posted a set of photos of the space and the menu and additional details on the bar.

Bramhall and Arabian Days join joins Tandem Bakery, Skillet (still in development), Tawakal Halal and Salvage along with a few established businesses (Yordprom, Flores, and Bodega Latina, Hong Kong Market, etc) in the ongoing development of the business district that stretches from past Longfellow through Bramhall Square and down to Saint John.

The Muthah Truckah Now Open

muthahtruckah_logoA new food truck called The Muthah Truckah (facebook) launched yesterday. The Muthah Truckah serves a menu of Muffuletta-style sandwiches. Eater Maine has published an interview with owner Erica Dionne.

What’s a “Muffuletta” and how did you settle on that as your signature item?
I grew up in a small sandwich shop in the center of Ogunquit called Fancy That. It was a fun little funky shop that was frequented by all the locals and was slamming busy in the summer months with all the beach-frequenting tourists. It has since been changed to Cornerstone Pizzeria. We used to make our version of the Muffuletta. There would be two different types each day. People would line up to see what kind of Muffuletta was being served and the next thing you know, sold out!

Sur Lie Now Open (Updated)

surlieSur Lie (facebook) is now open. They’re located at 11 Free Street.

Sur Lie serves a small plate menu divided into three main categories: Crisp, Pleasant and Bold along with some cheeses, charcuterie and other smaller starters. Chef Emil Rivera moved to Maine from DC where he worked for several years as part of the ThinkFoodGroup—a family of 15 restaurants founded by chef/restaurateur Jose Andres.

Update: For a look at the restaurant take a look at these photos by Ryan Brownewell.

Now Open: Dean’s Sweets & Golden Lotus

deanssweets

Dean’s Sweets is opening their new larger Fore Street location today. They’ll be having a “tastings of their signature truffles and caramels, hot chocolate and chocolate bars”. Dean’s new store is located at 475 Fore Street, they plan to open at 10 am.

goldenlotusGolden Lotus had their grand opening yesterday. Chef/owner Joe Tang has 30 years of restaurant experience, mostly in NH. For several years he was part of the staff at Wok Inn and most recently he worked at Empire Chinese Kitchen. Golden Lotus is located at 511 Congress Street.

The Jewel Box is Now Open

nanlThe Bearded Lady’s Jewel Box (website, twitter, instagram) had a public soft opening last night which they announced earlier in the day to their Kickstarter supporters. The cocktail bar is owned by Nathaniel Meiklejohn (shown right) who has worked at a number of Portland area establishments and was part of the team that ran the successful Pocket Brunch series.

The menu is a compact (hand typed) list of 5 cocktails and one beer that was brewed for the bar in collaboration with In’finiti.

The Jewel Box is located at 644 Congress Street near Longfellow Square. The space and very comfortable curved bar was built out by North by East.