Category: Under Construction

The Portland-based wine experience and travel company Wine Wise (website, facebook, instagram) has announced an expansion to Fort Lauderdale. In Florida, Wine Wise will be offering wine cruises in the intercoastal waterway aboard the Sea Rocket December through April. They will be holding a few pop-up cruises this summer/fall to introduce themselves to the local market.

Owner Erica Archer shared,

Over the past sixteen years, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming thousands of guests aboard our Wine Sails in Portland, Maine. We’re incredibly excited to expand Wine Wise to Fort Lauderdale, where we’ll host our highly curated Fine Wine Cruises along the city’s stunning Intracoastal Waterway from December through April.

We’ve always believed that great wine is even better when paired with a phenomenal experience in an unforgettable setting. As we explored winter destinations, Fort Lauderdale immediately rose to the top of our list. The city has an energy that’s contagious, a world-class hospitality scene, and one of the most spectacular waterfronts in the country.

Archer founded Wine Wise in 2010. Over the last 16 years, their offerings have expanded to include wine walks to Portland restaurants, the popular summer wine sails, guided trips to wine regions in France, Italy and the US, and the operation a wine club.

Sarah Martin has announced that she’s sold the Bar of Chocolate Cafe on Wharf Street to James Mack.

After 21 years we are selling the Bar of Chocolate.

To a former employee most of you know. James Mack! We are very excited for him and his new venture! He will have to close for a bit to make the transition but planning to open back up as quickly as possible!

Thank you to all the great staff and guests over the years!!

We wish James the best of luck and hope the BOC is as good to him as it was to us.

A new restaurant called Himalayas on the Bay (instagram) is under development in South Portland. It will be located in Knightville at 60 Ocean Street in the buidling formerly occupied by Taco Trio.

Owners Sachet Timilsina, Pushpa Regmi, and Dipesh Karki plan to focus on Nepali and Tibetan cuisine. Chefs Raj Kumar Karki and Laxman Neupane will serve a menu that includes dishes like momo, thali, thukpa, and chow mein as well as some Indian options from the menu at its sister establishment Hi Bombay in Portland.

Renovations to the 6,006 sq ft space is underway with the hope of launching in mid-July. Between the bar, tables and outdoor seating Himalayas on the Bay is expected to seat ~80 people.

Timilsina shared that having been born in Nepal he’s wanted to open a Nepali restaurant in the Portland area. The team sees Knightville as a good fit for their new restaurant because it’s a walkable area with a nearby residential community.

Taco Trio returned to their original location at 119 Ocean Street in 2025.

Peter and Jessica Sueltenfuss announced that they’ve sold the Other Side Diner. Their last day as owners of the business was Sunday.

The Diner has been such a huge part of our lives, and we are beyond grateful for every guest who walked through our doors, every staff member who worked alongside us, and every friendship and memory made over the years. Your support, loyalty, and kindness helped shape this restaurant into something truly special.

The diner is being taken over by Danielle Dubois and Dan Washington. Dubois has been a member of the Other Side kitchen staff for the last year, and Washington has several years experience cooking at the Miss Portland Diner. They plan on maintaining continuity with the food and atmosphere at the Other Side Diner while bringing some of their own ideas to the menu. They hope to relaunch the Other Side Diner in July.

Other Side Diner opened 7 years ago in April 2019. The Sueltenfusses previously operated two locations of the Other Side Deli on Veranda and Vaughan Streets.

Heather Gildea, the owner of Black Elephant Hostel, has been developing an all-day cafe and a listening lounge which together are called The Company of Others. They will be located in the former India Street Coffee by Design building. Renovations are well underway and Gildea hopes to launch the cafe space first early this summer followed by the lounge.

She envisions the establishment as a third place where members of the community can meet and connect.

In a world that moves too fast, we offer something essential: a place to pause, to connect, to feel at home in the company of others. Connection doesn’t happen on a schedule. So, we don’t close until the the night is over. The atmosphere changes as the night deepens – from high-end café to something funkier and looser — a late-night gathering spot for the people who aren’t ready to go home yet. Same room. Same welcome. The company just keeps getting better.

The menu for the cafe will include crepes, tartines, and other light fare. It will offer a full line-up of brewed and espresso-based coffee drinks using beans from a local roaster as well as a rotating selection of internationally-inspired beverages like Moroccan Mint Tea. Gildea expects to evolve the menu offerings as the community engages with the business.

In the evening The Company of Others will serve cocktails, wine by the glass, and craft beer as well as nonalcoholic beverages in Lowell’s Lounge—the listening lounge is named for Gildea’s father who “had a deep appreciation for music and how it should be heard.” A sound engineer has been working to create the optimal environment for a listening lounge. It will feature an experience “centered around high-fidelity audio and curated vinyl programming” that shares a wide range of musical genres, “jazz to soul, classical to electronic, we move across genres with the same spirit of genuine curiosity — following the music wherever it leads. Some nights a DJ takes the room on a journey. Other nights it’s just a needle, a record, and whatever Lowell might have put on next.”

Wednesday’s at The Company of Others will be an alcohol-free day in the cafe and lounge. The listening lounge menu is still under development so stay tuned for additional details.