Category: Openings

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Openings, Maine

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

  • Scandinavia takeout bakery Fika (website, instagram) has opened for business in Saco. Fika is located just a few steps off Main Street at 17 Storer Street. Their menu included breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, cardamom buns, galettes, olive oil cake and other pastries plus coffee from George Howell Coffee. They’re open Friday/Saturday 7:30 am – 2 pm, and Sunday: 8 am – noon.
  • The Lincoln County News has a pair of updates from Round Pond. Dot’s Bakery has closed after 40 years in business., and the Round Pond Coffee has launched an evening wine bar. The new wine bar is called The Common House (facebook) serves wine, beer and meat and cheese boards Friday through Monday, 4 – 8:30 pm.

Bon Vivant Now Open in Lewiston

| Posted in Openings, Maine

Sonder & Dram in Lewiston has launched their new restaurant Bon Vivant (website, instagram) which is located at 133 Lisbon Street just upstairs from the cocktail bar. The ~50-seat restaurant features a long orange banquette along the left wall as well as central table seating and a cocktail bar and lounge area.

The beverage menu includes a selection of classic cocktails as well as New World and Old World wines by the glass and bottle, and a pair of draft beer from Oxbow Brewing and Definitive Brewing. Chef and co-owner Michael Gosselin is has put together a menu of contemporary small plates, steaks and entrees. Creme brulee, a lemon sabayon tart and a chocolate eclair are available for dessert along with a selection of after dinner cocktails, madeira and port.

The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday and on Monday, 4:30 – 9 pm. Reservations are available on Resy. For additional reporting on Bon Vivant read this article from the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Quanto Basta Opens Thursday

| Posted in Openings

Quanto Basta (website, instagram) is scheduled to open this Thursday, 5 – 10 pm. The Neapolitan pizzeria is located at 249 Congress Street in the original LB Kitchen space. It has room for 20 to sit comfortably indoors and there’s outdoor seating out the back door of the kitchen.

In addition to the Neapolitan pizza that Quanto Basta is known for, the menu (see below) includes appetizers, desserts, Southern Italian wines, spritzs and sparking water. Shown above are Salsiccia pizza (garlic confit, Italian sausage, broccolini ripassata) and seasonal specialty pizza (basil pesto, zucchini, peas), caccio e pepe suppli, bagna cauda, and both desserts.

Owner Betsy English along with front of house manager Adam Carlow will be operating QB  Thursday through Saturday 5 – 10 pm, Sunday 11 – 4 pm, and Monday 5 – 10 pm. Quanto Basta is walk-in only with a wait list and operating on a counter service model—see their recent instagram post for more details.

English launched the Quanto Basta food truck in August 2021, and very quickly built a strong following for the mobile pizza operation.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Openings, Maine

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

  • The newly renovated Norumbega (instagram) hotel in Camden is launching a new cocktail bar (see photos above). The menu centers on classic cocktails and is accompanied by a menu from chef Marymarcel Densmore including some dishes from her home country of Peru. The bar will be open Sunday through Tuesday, 4 – 7 pm starting on July 16th. The Norumbega is also playing host to a series of pop-up dinners this summer prepared by E. Wales Hospitality (the former operators of Blue Spoon in Portland).
  • The newly renovated Waldoboro Inn (instagram) has launched their new wine bar. Styled Ida’s the bar is named for Ida Stahl who’s family operated the Waldoboro Inn (and the co-located Stahl’s Tavern) in the mid-20th Century. Ida’s is open July 14-16th, 4 – 10 pm.
  • Down East magazine has published an article about Simones’ Hot Dogs in Lewiston which opened in 1908 and has been run by grandson of the founder for the past 50 years.
  • Tallulah’s (instagram), the new barn bar at The Waterford Inne in Waterford, opened this weekend (reservations required). The menu will include small plates and snacks, ice cream sandwiches, cocktails, wine, beer, and cider.
  • The Place Bakery (instagram) opened this weekend in Camden. The opening menu includes a range of baked goods including sweet and savory croissants, Dannish, brreads, cookies, pie and cake. This weekend and next they’ll be open Saturday/Sunday…look for expanded hours in the future.

Night Moves Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Night Moves Bread (website, facebook, instagram) opened their new South Portland bakery this morning. Baker/owner Kerry Hanney is offering a range of breads and baked goods as well as coffee (using beans from East Alstead Roasting Co.). Hanney focuses on bread and baked goods made with sustainably grown local grains which she mills in-house. In 2020 Food & Wine named Night Moves one of the 10 Most Essential bakeries in the nation.

The new Night Moves is located at 695 Broadway just over the Casco Bay Bridge. Night Moves will be open this week Wednesday through Saturday, 8 am – 2 pm, and the closing time will extend to 6 pm starting next week.

Hanney and Wade Ritchey leased 695 Broadway in South Portland late last year. Ritchey is in the final stages of the build out for his bar Lambs (instagram) which will be located in the space adjacent to Night Moves. Lambs is expected to open later this summer.

Four New Openings

| Posted in Openings

Four new Portland area food enterprises have recently launched:

George + Leon’s (instagram) opened for business on Saturday. Fans of the George’s North Shore food truck were in Westbrook in force to celebrate the launch of the new restaurant. The menu (see below) included the Super Beef and Jr Beef sandwiches the food truck built their reputation on as well as sides, additional sandwich options and a full bar program with beer, cocktails and natural wines by the glass.

A new business called Kim Boba Tea & Coffee is operating out of the bar at the Mellen Street Market. The menu includes Vietnamese coffee, tropical teas (flavored jasmine or black tea), Vietnamese smoothies, and a caramel flan dessert. There are 10+ styles of boba (tapioca, crystal, popping, jelly) that can be added to the drinks.

The South Portland outpost of New Hampshire-based brewery Modestman Brewing (instagram) opened last weekend. Modestman is located in the former Fore River Brewing tasting room on Huntress Ave. They’re serving a range of their New England-style IPAs, sours as well as some ciders from Oyster River Winegrowers. Later this summer they’ll be operating their own food truck and serving house-made pizza.

The Portland Free Pantry (website, instagram) launched their mobile pantry on Friday. This week it will be located in the parking lot of the Urban Farm Fermentory in East Bayside. It’s stocked with food, clothing, hygiene products, and dental products.

George + Leon’s Opening July 8

| Posted in Openings

George + Leon’s (instagram) is holding their Grand Opening on Saturday July 8th. The new Westbrook restaurant is being launched by Logan Abbey the owner of the George’s North Shore food truck. George + Leon’s is named for Abbey’s dog (George) and son (Leon).

In addition to the Super Beef and Jr Beef sandwiches served on the George’s North Shore food truck, the menu at George + Leon’s will include other sandwiches like a mushroom and swiss and a steak and cheese as well as a salad, broccoli bites, tenders, fries, onion rings, and pizza rolls, plus cake, pie and cupcakes for dessert. George + Leon’s will have a full bar and a wine list focused on natural wines.

The new restaurant is located at 9 Cumberland Street in the building that was the former home of the Brea Lu Cafe.

Miyake Now Open for Lunch

| Posted in Openings

Miyake (website, instagram) reopened for lunch today. The menu (see below) includes their bento box which was the much loved item from the lunch menu the Fore Street restaurant served before the pandemic.

Shown here is today’s chef’s choice bento which was served with miso soup. Bottom to top: sauteed mackerel, shrimp and broccoli tempura, sashimi, tuna and avocado roll, pork and onions, potato salad topped with corn.

Miyake is serving lunch Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 – 2; walk-ins only. The flagship Miyake restaurant reopened for dinner last December after an extensive renovation.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Openings, Maine

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

  • Oystehers (website, instagram) held their grand opening this past weekend in Bath. The oyster bar is located at 97 Commercial Street and features waterfront outdoor seating. Oysterhers is owned by sisters Sadia and Lauren Crosby; Sadia Crosby is the owner of Oysthers Sea Farm.
  • Winemaker and Pipette Magazine publisher Rachel Signer (instagram) will be at the Warren Wine Shop for a book signing event on Monday June 26th. Regards chef Neil Zabriskie will be popping-up in Warren with food for the event.
  • Nina Interlandi Bell from Woolwich and chef Shannon Brown from Red’s Eats in Wiscasset have been selected to compete in upcoming episodes of MasterChef and Alex vs. America.
  • Goods (website, instagram) a food-oriented retail shop that opened last summer in Camden now operates an afternoon bar from their location at 31 Elm Street. The Goods bar is open Thursday through Saturday, 4-8 pm. They’re serving a menu of cocktails, wine, beer—traditional and nonalcoholic options available for each—and some light snacks.
  • The Maine Oyster Festival (website, instagram) is taking place now through Sunday in Freeport.

Volcano Now Open

| Posted in Openings

A new bar and grill called Volcano (website, instagram) has opened at 155 Riverside Street in the space formerly occupied by Seasons Grille. The menu consists of salads, apps, pasta, pizza, burgers and entrees including lamb chops, steaks and chargrilled salmon.

The owners of Volcano are George and Jossie Papanikolaou who also own Stacks Pancake Company. Stacks opened in July 2021. Prior to moving to Maine the Papanikolaou’s operated restaurants in New York and New Jersey.

Volcano is open daily, 4 pm – 11 pm.