Category: Under Construction

Farm Truck Juice(facebook, website, twitter, instagram) has leased a retail space at the corner of Brackett and Pine Streets next to Rosemont Market.

The juice bar will serve “fresh pressed juices made from organic, locally sourced ingredients”. Additionally, the cooperatively run business promises,

FTJ customers will be aware of exactly how and where the ingredients are being sourced as well as how and where their dollars are being spent…We strive for excellence while maintaining our values. We will not only be offering a healthy product, but by doing so, we will play an active role in the stewardship of our growing community.

Update: Restaurateur Walter Loeman who founded Walter’s, Perfetto’s, Mazza, Cotton Street Cantina and several other restaurants is part of the cooperative team launching Farm Truck Juice.

The Golden Dish has posted a report on the Roustabout pop-up that took place earlier this week at Piccolo.

This was a collaborative dinner with super-star chef Damian Sansonetti and wife and pastry chef Ilma Lopez giving a ”helping hand” in their kitchen where Roustabout co-owners Kit Paschal (drinks manager) and Anders Tallberg (chef) put on a fabulous show. In fact it’s one of the best meals I’ve had since the opening nights (and repeated visits) to Evo, Tempo Dulu and Union— the new one-percenters of Portland’s signature restaurants.

Roustabout(twitter, instagram, facebook, website) is under construction at 59 Washington Ave. It’s expected to open later this year.

A new 5,000 square foot distillery called Stroudwater Spirits is under development at Thompson’s Point, according to reports from the Bangor Daily News and Press Herald. The distillery plans to produce “small-batch bourbon, vodka, and gin” and also “host tastings and private events” at the facility when they open in early summer next year.

“This location is a great fit for us because it puts us in a location that will surely become a destination for people who love craft spirits, wines, and beers,” said Jeff Johnson, a founding partner of Stroudwater Spirits. “We are looking forward to opening our doors and getting down to distilling.”

I got a chance to take a look inside Woodford Food & Beverage(facebook, twitter, instagram) yesterday afternoon. As you can see they’re making good progress on framing out the space but there’s still a lot of work to do. Owner Birch Shambaugh is aiming to have the 85-seat neighborhood restaurant and bar open by the end of the year.

Shambaugh recently took a big step forward toward opening day with the hire of chef Courtney Loreg(linkedin, instagram) to lead the kitchen staff. Courtney was the sous chef at Fore Street (2001 – 2005) and at Bresca (2009 – 2011). She’s spent the last three years as part of the culinary team at Wente Vineyards in California. She has a wealth of experience and I’m looking to see how she translates that into the menu for Woodford.

The restaurant is located at 660 Forest Ave, the address of the original Valle’s Steakhouse.

A report in today’s Press Herald indicates that upper floors of the Marguerita’s building on Brown Street are being converted to condos, but the first floor will still be a restaurant space,

Jack Soley said they’ve already had interest in the first floor from more than 30 business owners, but they are waiting for the right fit. Considering that people will be living upstairs, he said, that’s probably going to be “more casual fine dining than a bar situation.”

Linda Kate Lobster(facebook) has a new facility under development at 1035 Ocean Ave in the former Etheridge Foundary building. Owner plans to open a retail space selling live lobsters on the property this spring.

Maine & Loire is taking the next step in the evolution of their business. Owners Orenda and Peter Hale plan to build out a wine bar and small kitchen in the front portion of their retail shop on Washington Ave. The back part of their space will continue to be a retail wine shop.

The natural wine bar will have seating for about 20 including a small 8-seat bar. They aiming to craft a space that be both a “convivial hangout with the energy we feel when we drink at our favorite places” and a place where people can have direct experience with the natural wines they specialize in.

They hope to launch this new phase of Maine & Loire this winter.

Update: M & L has decided to name the wine bar the Drifter’s Wife.

A new bar called Alchemy is under development. Owner Josh Soley and manager Josh Miranda are planning a 5,000 square foot “classical 1890s themed bar” in the basement space below 1 Exhange Street. A draft menu (pages 47-49) was supplied along with the Alchemy liquor license application.

Jason Loring has announced details of his latest project, Rhum, “a refined take on Tiki with a distinctly Portland, Maine flavor”.

Rhum will serve an “Elegant, modern translations of classic Tiki dishes…bolstered with an impressive raw bar featuring local seafood.” The bar program will include classic and contemporary Tiki drinks and the intriguing promise of a “large format program for team tippling.”

The kitchen and bar will be led by the talented team of Frank Warren Anderson and Rebecca Ambrosi. You’ll recall Frank and Rebecca moved to Maine last year and launched The Hunter’s Bend, an underground supper club and catering company. They met when working at Animal and Son of a Gun in Los Angeles, where Frank was the chef de cuisine. Rebecca has worked in the kitchens of both Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

Rhum is located on Cross Street on the ground floor facing Spring Street of the JB Brown-owned building that also contains Arabica Coffee and Pinecone+Chickadee. Construction began in early August.

Rhum is a Fifth Food Group project. The Group is a collaboration between “Jason Loring, owner of Nosh and Slab; Mike Fraser, owner of Bramhall Pub; Nat Towl, builder and designer.” They hope to open Rhum this winter.

Loring describes Rhum as “a subterranean escape that welcomes guests, encourages them to revel in groups, and presents a series of elegant surprises throughout each visit.” It sounds like a lot of fun and I look forward to the experience.

Update: the Press Herald’s Meredith Goad caught up with Loring on Friday and has published some additional details on Rhum.

A new brewpub called Second Pint Brewing Company (website, facebook, twitter) is now under development in Portland. Second Pint bills itself as “Maine’s first ‘Eco-Brewpub’ “.

Second Pint Brewing Company aims to be Portland, Maine’s first “Eco-Brewpub”. We will offer handcrafted organic beers and fresh, local ingredients, all served in a sustainably-built and operated building with a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere.

We will make extreme use of technology and sustainability in an effort to protect “our” future with a thoughtful alternative. Second Pint Brewing Company will be 100% renewably powered and carbon neutral. We also plan to attempt to become a near zero waste tacitly by utilizing on site composting, repurposing used brewing material, and only selling products in reusable packaging.

Second Pint has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Fundable with the goal of raising $15,000.

The founder of Second Pint is Jesse Hardie who describes himself as “an avid home brewer and a 15 year veteran of the food and beverage industry” who “has been the acting General Manager of restaurants that exceed $2M in annual sales”.

Hardie plan to construct a “15-barrel brew system capable of producing 1500 barrels a year when operating at total capacity. This will allow us to provide locally and organically produced craft beer to the surrounding community as well as provide a large line-up that will continually rotate in our on premise pub.”

It’s facebook about page lists three beers in their product section, “Aperitif Ale, Grey Bird IPA, Fresh Pressed Imperial Coffee Stout”. There’s also a draft menu for the brewpub online.