Category: Under Construction

Today’s Portland Daily Sun has a report on what’s delaying the launch of chef Lee Farrington’s new restaurant Figa.

At issue is this: although Farrington owns her space at 249 Congress, her water is piped through an adjacent building owned by Alice Dunn. For the previous owner of 249 Congress, a hair salon, Dunn installed a “sub-meter” in the basement that kept track of how much water the salon consumed…Dunn says she’s unwilling to allow Farrington access to water line because she’s worried that higher water usage from the restaurant could create water-pressure issues for her other tenants, who share the water line.

Here’s a collection of recent Under Construction updates:

• Andrew Pettingill is back working on his project from last year to start-up a gluten-free specialty store/cafe.
• The Portland Farmer’s Market is mulling “some changes at the Deering Oaks market to accommodate the addition of new vendors in an effort to expand the Portland Farmers’ Market in the future.” They are asking for public comment on a proposal that would shift some parking across the street.
• Siano’s is planning on opening their new pizzeria on Fore Street on April 1. They’ve posted some photos of the construction at the new site online.
• Construction is underway at the site of the former Roma restaurant in the West End. There’s no word yet on what business will be moving into the building.
• According to this week’s edition of The Forecaster, the Kosher Meals on Wheels program is expanding its service area (Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Portland) to include Falmouth.

Here’s a collection of recent Under Construction updates:

• Andrew Pettingill is back working on his project from last year to start-up a gluten-free specialty store/cafe.
• The Portland Farmer’s Market is mulling “some changes at the Deering Oaks market to accommodate the addition of new vendors in an effort to expand the Portland Farmers’ Market in the future.” They are asking for public comment on a proposal that would shift some parking across the street.
• Siano’s is planning on opening their new pizzeria on Fore Street on April 1. They’ve posted some photos of the construction at the new site online.
• Construction is underway at the site of the former Roma restaurant in the West End. There’s no word yet on what business will be moving into the building.
• According to this week’s edition of The Forecaster, the Kosher Meals on Wheels program is expanding its service area (Scarborough, Old Orchard Beach, Portland) to include Falmouth.

A few additional under construction updates:

• Cakes Extraordinaire has moved across the street from their location on Brighton Ave into the Pine Tree Mall across the parking lot from Lowes.
• MaineBiz reports that the developer of 188 Middle Street has recast the space as the Shops at 188 which will consist of a “a restaurant and include a clothing store, a jewelry store and a home furnishings gallery store.” Last year 188 Middle Street had been slated to be the home of Luna Rossa.
• According to a post on Chowhound, David’s 388 has “bought the building next door and will be expanding”.

There are a number of Under Construction details to report:

• Taste of Tampa Latin Cafe is under construction at 621 Forest Ave. Taste of Tampa shares the same name and is presumably owned by the same people who run the Cuban restaurant in Biddeford.
• The Restaurant for Lease sign at the former location of Katahdin has come down. There aren’t any details yet on what’s going to open there.
• The lease for Trader Joe’s at 87 Marginal Way needs to go through a public comment phase before being finalized. You can voice your support on this Federal Trade Commission form.
• Whoppie pie baker, Cranberry Island Kitchen has moved their bakery to 52 Danforth Street and plans to open a retail shop there as well.

There are a number of Under Construction details to report:

• Taste of Tampa Latin Cafe is under construction at 621 Forest Ave. Taste of Tampa shares the same name and is presumably owned by the same people who run the Cuban restaurant in Biddeford.
• The Restaurant for Lease sign at the former location of Katahdin has come down. There aren’t any details yet on what’s going to open there.
• The lease for Trader Joe’s at 87 Marginal Way needs to go through a public comment phase before being finalized. You can voice your support on this Federal Trade Commission form.
• Whoppie pie baker, Cranberry Island Kitchen has moved their bakery to 52 Danforth Street and plans to open a retail shop there as well.

Figa’s Facebook page reports that the water line issues that have held up their opening thus far will be solved in April when a new water main will be installed. In the mean time, you can check out their website to peruse the menu and plan your first meal.

The Local Sprouts Cafe is under construction at 645 Congress. The Community Supported Cafe is getting help from its membership for a variety of light construction projects now until the targeted opening date in April. As you can see from the photo (above) taken by Michael Barriault of PortlandTown there’s still a lot that needs to be done to realize the vision mapped out in the blueprints (below).

The left hand side of the blueprint is the front side of the building that faces Congress Street.

For those of you eagerly awaiting the opening of Nosh, you can get some pre-noshing in by perusing the eatery’s menu which is now available on their website.