Category: Under Construction

Maine Craft Distilling (website, twitter, facebook, instagram) has leased the historic Mallet Building on Mill Street in Freeport where they plan to open a tasting room and mixology shop.

Distiller Luke Davidson tells me the new two-story space will increase exposure and retail sales of their spirits and enable MCD to expand into selling cocktail accessories, glassware, shakers, mixers, bitters, books and, of course, MCD-emblazoned merchandise. Davidson also plans to use the Freeport location to host events including ” educational events,evenings of music, book authors and joint events with other area businesses (e.g. spirits and cheese pairings farm to table/flask catered events etc)”.

MCD hopes to open their Freeport store by early January.

Maine & Loire (website, instagram, facebook) owners Orenda and Peter Hale have leased a space at 63 Washington Ave for their new wine store. The couple are aiming to open in early/mid-January.

Photo Credit: Maine & Loire

Karl Deuben and Bill Leavy co-owners of the popular Small Axe food truck are in the final stages of purchasing the East Ender at 47 Middle Street.

Deuben and Leavy will be completing the purchase of the restaurant from Megan Schroeter in January and after some renovation plan to re-open by early March “continuing the commitment to local ingredients and creative, high quality food that our customers have come to expect“. (Hopefully that means the Korean Pork Belly sandwich will make the transition to the East Ender menu.)

The Small Axe food truck is up for sale so they can “give the restaurant our undivided attention“. Prior to running Small Axe, the pair have worked at Miyake, Hugo’s. Bill has also been part of the staff at Back Bay Grill and before moving to Portland Karl worked at Alinea.

Schroeter and then partner Mitch Gerow opened the East Ender nearly 4 years ago. Prior to that it had been the longtime home of Norm’s East End Grill.

See the PFM Under Construction page for a list of other restaurant projects in development.

A new wine shop called Maine & Loire (website, instagram) is now under development.

Maine & Loire will be a retail wine shop in Portland, Maine featuring well-made wines that are expressions of the people who craft them and the places they’re made.  We will be the first store in Portland that solely focuses on terrior-driven wines and spirits from smaller producers.  We’re excited, in particular, about showcasing natural, organic, and biodynamic wines in our store.  Our goal is to create a wine shop where minds are expanded and discoveries are made. Serious wine can be fun!

Owners Peter and Orenda Hale have recently moved to Maine from NYC where they worked in the restaurant industry.

The Hales plan on holding regular Farmer Flight Tastings, running a monthly wine club and providing curbside pick-up service. They are in the final stages of securing a location for the shop and hope to open sometime in early 2015.

A new Asian restaurant called Tempo Dulu(facebook) is under construction according to a brief report in today’s Press Herald,

The new owners of the Danforth Inn, 163 Danforth St., plan to open a Southeast Asian fine dining restaurant called Tempo Dulu in early 2015. It will be the first restaurant at the inn since Carmen at the Danforth, a Latin restaurant, closed in early 2013.

Here’s an explanation of the name from the restaurant’s facebook page,

Many ask us what does Tempo Dulu (or Doeloe) mean? It is Indonesian for the Olden Days..Tempo + Dulu means time of old. A time when Indonesian was part of the Netherlands East Indies and more specifically the time between 1870 and the beginning of the First World War. A time when life was good, the paste was slow and a where an ‘Indies’ lifestyle was created, blending Indonesian and European elements. The rijsttafel (rice table), a meal of rice with spicy side dishes, is one of the best-known aspects of this mixed Indonesian European culture.

See the PFM Under Construction list for information on other projects under development.

Dutch’s (facebook, instagram, twitter) is making good progress and co-owners plan to open on Tuesday November 11th.

They’ll be serving breakfast and lunch from their new store at 28 Preble, right next to Arcadia and across the street from Slab. Here’s a look at the sandwich section of the menu.

Co-owners Lucy and Ian Dutch have have spent the early part of their career working in fine dining and as a private chefs. According to a recent article from Urban Eye,

Together the 30-year-olds have two decades of culinary experience and kitchen star credentials. Ian has worked for top chefs like Todd English and the couple helped open Market for global chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at the W Hotel in Boston.

And here’s a few of the wonderful set of photos that Zack Bowen from Knack Factory shot Monday at Dutch’s.

A new night club and music venue called Studio 55 Mixology Show Lounge is under development on Market Street in the location that formerly housed the Big Easy. According to the cover letter supplied with the lounge’s liquor license they plan on serving a creative cocktail program,

“With a wall full of containers of unique products from fresh herbs, dried herbs, flowers, exotic fresh fruits and an amazing mixologist on our side why just get a plain old cocktail these days.

Studio 55 is owned by Joseph Richards and managed by Marcus Verrill who run Styxx as well as restaurants in Sanford (Fresco Mexican Grill) and Ongunquit (Let’s Get Bacon).

Studio 55 plan to open in November.

Maine Today, Urban Eye and Eater Maine have all published photos and background details on Ebb & Flow.

D’Auvray’s partner is Angelo Ciocca, longtime proprietor of Nova Seafood, a Portland-based wholesaler who has supplied D’Auvray’s previous restaurants for years. Most recently, D’Auvray was the chef at Thasos Greek Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A native of Los Angeles, he helmed kitchens in Raleigh, North Carolina, including two of his own — the seafood restaurant Fins and the international street food eatery bu.ku — before moving to Florida. In 2008, Fins was named one of the 10 best seafood restaurants in the country by Bon Appetit. [Maine Today]

Ebb & Flow (website, facebook, twitter, instagram) received all their final permits licenses earlier this week. They’re now in the final stretch to an opening night. Ebb & Flow plans on holding some friends and family dinners next week and should be opening to the public soon after that—the specific date hasn’t been released yet.

Malcolm Bedell, who along with his wife Jillian run the Maine food blog From Away, is in the process of launching a food truck. ‘Wich, Please(website, facebook, twitter) will serve a focused mostly sandwich-based menu year round on the streets of Rockland.

Malcolm has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 for the food truck.

Next month Malcolm will be competing at the World Food Championships in the sandwich category. He plans to open ‘Wich, Please in April and at an as yet unreleased location near Main Street.

For more information or to contribute to the campaign visit the ‘Wich, Please Kickstarter page.