Category: Under Construction

El Rayo (website, facebook, twitter) has leased a 4,500 square foot building on Route 1 in Scarborough’s Oak Hill neighborhood where they plan to open a second El Rayo restaurant. Owner Tod Dana tells me they’re planning to stay close to the concept that’s been a success in Portland with “a few twists and surprises” thrown in for good measure.

El Rayo hasn’t yet set an opening date for the Scarborough location, but hope to be up and running sometime in the Spring of 2014. Once the Scarborough location is open they’ll be looking for other towns where their restaurant would be a fit.

This news comes on the heals of yesterday’s announcement that Pom’s Thai Taste will be opening a branch in Falmouth, and an increasing number of restaurant opening in South Portland including an Otto Pizza.

A report in today’s Press Herald suggests we may one day see a retail fish market and restaurant operating on the Maine Wharf.

[Developer Pat] Tinsman said he has received interest from people who want to open a fish market close to Commercial Street and a seafood restaurant next door…Tinsman said interest from the prospective restaurateur and fish market operator is “serious” but no formal agreements have been signed.

Elsemere BBQ and Wood Grill has announced that they’ll be opening next Saturday on August 17th.

Leigh Kellis, owner of The Holy Donut, has leased 7 Exchange Street and plans to open a second retail location in the Old Port. 7 Exchange was formerly occupied by the Exchange Street Cafe.

The City Council will be voting on Monday to approve the liquor license application for Piccolo. Piccolo will be featuring the cuisine of Calabria and Abruzzi. It will be located at 111 Middle Street in the former home of Bresca.

A draft menu (page 53) and floor plan (page 50) are included in materials provided to the city. Appetizers include options such as a salad of charred chilled calamari, watermelon, bitter greens dressed with olive oil. Meat, seafood and vegetarian entree options will be available such as slow baked sea bass with summer peas, roasted onions and pancetta.

Chefs Damian Sansonetti and wife Ilma Lopez will be running the establishment. Sansonetti is a co-owner of Blue Rooster Food Company and the former executive chef at Bar Boulud in NYC. Until quite recently Lopez was the pastry chef at Grace.

They’re hoping to launch Piccolo sometime in September, serving dinner Tuesday – Sunday, 5-10:30pm.

Maine a la Carte checked in with Harding Lee Smith and he confirmed that the opening of Boone’s is “imminent”.

I went straight to Smith (who told me last spring he was hoping to open June 15) to get an update. He says it won’t be Friday, “as far as I know.”

So, when? “Very soon. Imminent would be a good word.”

Carson Lynch, owner of the Gorham Grind, is working on a project to launch a food truck. The new truck will be called Anywhere Coffee Bar (twitter) is slated to launch in early September. Lynch plans on operating year-round. He’s in the process of leasing a parking space along “a main commuter route in Portland” during the week and hopes to also book catering jobs and event appearances on the weekend.

The Bangor Daily News has published an interview with Massa Miyake and Will Garfield about Miyake Diner which is under construction in the original Miyake location on Spring Street.

It will also have a very different type of menu. It will be an izakaya-style restaurant, which in Japanese translates to something like a gastro-pub, according to Garfield.

In Japan, izakaya joints are places people go after work to have some drinks — mostly sake — and small plates of food. There won’t be any sushi on the menu, nor gyoza, ramen or pork buns.

Miyake, who once worked in a macrobiotic kitchen in New York City, said the menu will be “small plates, largely vegetable focused.”