Category: Under Construction

Urban Eye and the Press Herald have posted updates on Ocho, the new burrito shop that’s being built at 654 Congress Street by the owners of Otto Pizza.

OCHO (which means eight in Spanish in case your lingo is a little rusty) won’t be your college co-ed’s burrito joint. “We’re interested in expanding the idea of what a burrito can be, and what can be in a burrito,” said Shepherd. “On any given day, there will a handful of specialty burritos to choose from. A few days later, you may see a completely different set of burritos.” [UE]

Nicholas Nappi and Garry Bowcott are developing a new restaurant. The concept is a “re-imagining of the classic soda fountain”.

Nappi and Bowcott are part of the Local 188 restaurant group. They are actively looking for a space with help from Jay Villani and real estate agent Joe Malone.

The Portland Phoenix has posted an interview with Green Elephant managers Ben Richards and Andy Cole. Among other things, they mentioned that the 2nd Green Elephant location under construction in Portsmouth will be opening later this month.

Krista Kern Desjarlais has bought a small property in North Yarmouth where she plans to open a wood-fired bakery called The Purple House. The bakery is located at 378 Walnut Hill Rd, at the intersection of routes 9 and 115. Desjarlais will be serving Montreal-style bagels and wood-fired pastries along with Cuban coffee in the mornings. Ice cream will be on the menu year-round.

Desjarlais will also serve daily sit-down lunch in the 8-seat bakery as well as a monthly prix fixe dinners.

As you can see in the photo, the property does need some TLC to be ready and the wood-fired oven needs to be built, so the The Purple House is not likely to open until very late in 2015 or early next year.

Update: The Press Herald has interviewed Desjarlais and published an article about The Purple House.

A new brewery called Mast Landing Brewing Co.(facebook) is under development in Freeport. The operation was founded by a “small group of friends that met in college at the University of Maine” that have been brewing together for 2 years.

Sam Minervino, owner of Samuel’s Bar & Grill, has applied for a liquor license for Tomaso’s Canteen, the new neighborhood pub he has under construction in the former Sangillo’s. Here’s an excerpt from Minervino’s cover letter,

The decor will pay  homage to the history of the neighborhood. My goal is create a comfortable neighborhood gathering place, where those who live and work nearby can come frequently for a drink and a reasonably priced bit to eat.

The draft menu (page 75) includes the Wings that Samuel’s is known for as well as Italian Subs, Burgers and Fried Stuffed Olives. Tomaso’s is named for Minervino’s great grandfather.

Roustabout(twitter, instagram) has applied for a liquor license. The draft menu (page 40) included in the application includes items such as Smoked Baby Back Rigatoni, Roasted Char and Roasted and Dressed Mushrooms.

The restaurant, which includes a private dining room, will seat a total of 75. Owners Kit Paschal and Anders Tallberg hope to open the restaurant this Fall. Roustabout will be open 7 days a week, 11 am to midnight.

Dana Street and Sam Hayward have submitted a liquor license application for their new restaurant, Scales. The draft menu (page 61) includes classic New England seafood dish such as Clam Chowder, Finnan Hadie and Baked Stuffed Lobster. Scales is located on Maine Wharf. When it opens later this year it will serve lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

A new restaurant called Woodford F&B(facebook, twitter, instagram) is now under construction at 660 Forest Ave. Owner Birch Shambaugh is planning an 85-seat restaurant with a full bar,

Woodford F&B will be a neighborhood restaurant and bar serving dependably delicious Food & Beverage. We’re inspired by classic neighborhood eateries where you can count on having a reasonable, simple meal or, when you feel like it, something a bit more special. Our goal is to make Woodford F&B the kind of welcoming, local spot you’ll want to visit regularly.

The draft menu submitted with the Woodford liquor license application includes items like Radicchio Salad, Fisherman’s Stew and Fried Chicken. Shambaugh hopes to open Woodford F&B this Fall.

660 Forest Ave has a claim to local restaurant fame as the location of the original Valle’s Steakhouse.

A new burrito shop called Ocho(website, twitter, instagram) is in the final stages of construction at 654 Congress Street, the space leased by the owners of Otto Pizza back in January.