Category: Under Construction

The Sinful Kitchen has announced plans to relocate to 952 Brighton Ave when their current lease expires. The new restaurant is expected to open in April, and until then they’ll continue to operate from their current location just down the road at 906 Brighton Ave.

The AWESOME news is that it will be just 4 doors down at 952 Brighton Ave. (The old Subway Sandwich Shop)

Get ready for better parking, easy in and out access, bigger space, bigger menu, outdoor dining ( possibly year round) and the list goes on…..

We’re hoping to be open in the new location around April without too much of an interruption in business but that will depend on the various contractors that we need to coordinate as well as approval from the city council since this is considered a “new” business.

Until then keep visiting us at our current location.

Krista Cole, the owner of Sur Lie in Portland, has bought Gather in Yarmouth from the restaurant’s founder, Matt Chappell.

Cole shared on instagram,

I met Matt at Gather many years ago for an industry event. When I learned that he was selling Gather, I reached out. I learned over the next several months about Matt and Gather’s steadfast commitment to buying local and to their community. I got to meet a team that cared equally as much about the relationships they had with their regulars and the impact that supporting local had on their community. The values were identical to that of Sur Lie. Having a sister restaurant was a dream that seemed far away, and here was an opportunity to take over and continue the important work that Gather has been doing.

I am so stoked to share the work that the Sur Lie and Gather teams have done over the last few weeks. We’ve done some minor touch ups to the space to make it our own, and the chefs have been hard at work collaborating on a menu that we kick off this week! We look forward to connecting with you and contributing to the Yarmouth community.

Chappell also shared thoughts on the transition.

Ten years ago, I started Gather Restaurant so Yarmouth could enjoy fresh Maine food in a friendly, neighborhood environment. This month, I’m proud to pass the reins to Gather’s new owner – Krista Cole. Through her success as owner of Sur Lie, Krista has demonstrated her commitment to Maine farms and shown that she can thrive in this challenging industry. She shares the values that have made Gather what it is today, and I can’t wait to see how she will make it her own.

I am forever grateful for my staff, and for all the supportive customers.

Gather opened on September 21, 2012 with Chad Conley as its original chef. At the start of the pandemic Chappell and his team have been active participants in Cooking for Community, a program that brought Maine restaurants and social service organizations together to fight hunger. Chappell announced his plan to sell Gather this past August.

Kate Hamm and husband Jason Eckerson have leased the former Yeto’s space at 299 Maine Street in Biddeford where they plan to open a  New England-style fish and chips restaurant called Fish & Whistle (instagram). The restaurant is named for a song by John Prine.

The menu will include fish and chips as well as fish and chicken sandwiches, a calamari burger made with Maine squid, smoked tempeh sandwich served with sour kraut and mustard on rye, salad, chowder, a smoked mackerel fish dip, hand cut fries, seasonal vegetable slaw and a chip butty sandwich. Fish and chips will be available in half and full sized portions for $12 or $19. Additionally, the dessert menu will includes soft serve ice cream as well as Hamm’s excellent cakes and tarts by the slice.

Hamm is the pastry chef at Leeward and founder of Sweet Woodruff Provisions. Eckerson has worked for Big Tree Hospitality where he’s been the sous chef at Eventide and seafood buyer. The couple hope to open Fish & Whistle in April.

Yeto’s and its sister restaurant D&G went out of business in early December.

The Bangor Daily News reports that Maiz will be opening a second location in Brunswick.

When Martha Leonard took her La Fritanga food truck to Brunswick last year, she found a friendly community and college town open to a new type of food.

The co-owner of Maiz Colombian Street Food in Portland was so impressed with the atmosphere in the midcoast town that she plans to open a second physical restaurant in Brunswick this spring and hire six full-time employees.

Martha Leonard shared with us that the new 20-seat Maiz will be located at 11 Pleasant Street. It will be about twice the size of their Portland location and will incorporate a small market that will sell house-made products for home preparation.

Leonard expects to launch with a similar menu to Portland and then evolve it to fit the unique tastes of their Brunswick customers. She hopes to open the new Maiz  in April.

Luis’ Arepera quietly closed down their restaurant at 948 Forest Ave late last year. They’ve now announced plans to re-open in Gray this summer.

Due to a fire back in September, the Fishermen’s Net, Thai Essan and Paella Seafood had to close. Thai Essan has announced they plan to re-open sometime this summer or early fall. The owners of Paella Seafood and Fishermen’s Net also plan to eventually re-open.

Onggi, the fermentation-focused shop on Washington Ave, has leased the former A&C Grocery building at 131 Washington Ave. The move will more than quadruple their space—from 300 sq ft to 1,300 sq ft—enabling them to expand the retail, food service and experiential elements of their business. They hope to open at the new location this spring.

The new building will have a dedicated space to hold in-person classes, workshops, and special events, and also have room for a bigger selection of fermented provisions, books, and fermentation equipment in their retail shop.

With a larger kitchen, Onggi 2.0 will offer a wider selection of pastries and beverages, add a new rotating lunch service featuring fermented foods, and produce more house-made fermented products. The new location will also have indoor seating.

Onggi was founded by Amy Ng, Erin Zobitz, and Marcus Im in April 2021. Onggi is currently located in one of The Black Box retail spaces on Washington Ave.

Vogue magazine has included Twelve (website, instagram) in their list of the America’s Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2022.

Twelve is being launched by the Prentice Hospitality Group—owners of Evo Kitchen + Bar, Evo X, and the Chebeague Island Inn—and will be located in the historic Pattern Storehouse building at the Portland Foreside development. The storehouse is building #12 and hence the name of the restaurant.

A new cocktail/oyster bar and restaurant called Paper Tiger (facebook, instagram) is under construction at 425 Fore Street in the space formerly occupied by the Maine Lobster Shack. Co-owners Michael Fraser, Nace Cohen and Marcus Alcantara are currently renovating and reconfiguring the space with hopes to open by early spring. When construction is complete Paper Tiger will have a 12-14 seat bar, counter seating along the front window facing Fore Street, as well as some small and large booths and outdoor seating.

The menu and concept draw on a wide variety of influences,

Inspired partly by traditional fast food, partly by oyster bars, and partly by late night Chinese restaurants, Paper Tiger’s food offerings are eclectic, but the central theme here is bold flavors executed with locally sourced, seasonally appropriate seafood, meats, and veggies. The intense tastes of Polynesian dishes, the smack of umami from Japanese street food, the richness of American burgers and wings, whole grilled fish, noodle dishes, lobster fried rice, simple vegetable dishes, and a killer raw bar with oysters and crudo… Exotic flavors, American flair, New England products, and crazy creativity come together at Paper Tiger.

Similarly the cocktail menu will incorporate a variety of concepts with an emphasis on island-style classic cocktails and rum-based drinks. Alcantara will be developing three different house rum blends and is planning to stock a large selection of rums, mezcals, and tequilas. Local craft beer as well as wine will also be part of the bar program.

Fraser got his start in the industry working first at Cinque Terre and then as a server at Fore Street; he is the co/owner of Congress Bar and Grill as well as Bramhall and Roma Cafe. Alcantara who will be the bar manager and front of house manager, and Cohen who will be the chef, have both been part of the team at Bramhall and Roma. Cohen’s resume includes time working at Central Provision, the Gramercy Tavern in New York (2014 – 2016) and Tail Up Goat in DC (2016 – 2018).  Alcantara has managed cocktail bars in Tennessee, North Carolina, Seattle and Washington.

The partners hope to open Paper Tiger by early spring.