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Here’s a look inside the construction site of Sagamore Hill (website, instagram), the new cocktail bar going in to the former lobby of the Lafayette Hotel at the corner of Park and Congress. Owner Ryan Deskins is planning to open the 58-seat lounge in late May. An additional 30+ seats are planned for the sidewalk. Sagamore references Teddy Roosevelt, the nation’s 26th president, as a touchstone for the bar’s name, interior design and cocktail menu.
The Press Herald reports that Shipyard is planning to completely renovate its facility on Hancock Street, retaining the brewery and tasting room but replacing the rest of the building. The new structures will include a 105-room brewery/hotel aka ‘brewtel’.
According to planning documents given to the city last month, the existing brick brewery building and tasting room would be renovated. But the rest of the buildings on the 2-acre site – including the bottling plant – would be demolished to make way for the 105-room hotel, a three-story residential building with nine units at Hancock and Newbury streets, a large office building and a four-story garage for 360 vehicles.
LB Kitchen (website, facebook, instagram) is opening a second location, in the West End. The new LB Kitchen will be housed in the former Outliers on York Street as part of an overall wellness center that focuses on alternative medicine and therapies.
LB Kitchen co-owners Lee Farrington and Bryna Gootkind are planning a very similar concept and menu to their first cafe. Folks who live in the neighborhood will be happy to hear that plan includes coffee service, something the neighborhood has felt the lack of since the departure of Omi’s.
Renovations of the building are slated to kick-off in the next couple weeks and the new LB Kitchen will open sometime in October or November.
Rosanna’s Ice Cream (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) has leased the former Salty Sally’s space at the intersection of Congress and Saint John Streets. Rosanna’s will be using 953 Congress as a production space, as well as a pick-up spot for the ice cream.
Owner Salli Wason shared on facebook that she’s continuing to search for a retail space to be a permanent home for Rosanna’s but that for the next year this will be a transitional space as the business continues to grow.
Standard Baking Co. has had a bakery cart built. It was stationed out in front of the bakery Sunday for an Earth Day collaboration with the Portland Gear Hub.
They haven’t decided yet on how they’ll use it this summer. I’m hoping for a roving bakery and coffee cart and bread delivery service. “I’ll have a pain au chocolat, small coffee, and 2 baguettes please.”
A group of Somali Bantu immigrants in Maine are launching a new food truck in Lewiston.
The Isuken (website, facebook) food truck is raising start-up funds through a Kickstarter campaign for a down payment on the truck and for other expenses.
Here’s some information on the menu:
The main products that Isuken food truck will offer are Sambusas, fried pastries filled with local meats and veggies. We will offer beef, chicken, fish, and veggie (vegan) options. We will also offer a gluten-free and vegan rice, corn, bean, and veggie dishes and grilled meats. For beverages, we will offer our Somali chai tea, a sweet, spicy, milky tea.
Chef Evan Richardson has leased the space at 90 Exchange Street, formerly occupied by Crooners & Cocktails, where he plans to open a scaled-up restaurant version of his food cart Eaux (facebook, instagram).
Eaux will serve a menu of “New Orleans and Southern inspired food…in a bistro setting” Wednesday through Monday, 11:30 am to 1 am. Richardson plans to open by late May.
Here’s a look at the draft menu:
Eaux will join an ever growing cadre of restaurants that got their start as food carts and food trucks. The list includes Bite Into Maine, Mami, Small Axe/East Ender, Love Kupcakes/Baristas+Bites, Hella Good Tacos, Mainely Burgers, Urban Sugar and CN Shawarma/Baharat.
Lio (instagram, facebook), the new wine-focused restaurant from Cara and Cecile Stadler – owners of Tao Yuan and Bao Bao, has applied for a liquor license. As described in the application cover letter,
The concept of Lio is to offer a wide variety of wines by the glass, including many high end wines that are typically not available by the glass, with menu options specifically paired with the wines. The cuisine will be modern European offered on small plates, allowing diners to have food & wine typical of fine dining restaurants without the time or cost commitment of fine dining. The layout of the restaurant is designed around a serpentine bar configuration, that allows diners to cluster in groups around the curves, as well as a chefs table and private dining room. The space also has a deck and patio. It is an amazing location with a unique layout that we believe will be a unique and welcome addition to the already diverse restaurant scene in Portland.
Owen Price has joined the team as the chef for the restaurant. You can see some pictures of the Lio kitchen and early menu development on his instagram account.
The draft menu (page 87) includes smaller plates like Parsnip & Potato Latkes, pastas such as Bucatini with lump crab, chili flake, crab butter, breadcrumbs, olive oil, lemon, parsley and larger dishes such as Salt-crusted Whole Fish.
Here’s a look at the floor plan for Lio:
Crown Jewel (website, facebook, instagram) has applied for a liquor license. The 35-seat restaurant is under construction on Great Diamond Island. Owner Alexadra Wight was the organizer of the highly regarded Flanagans Table series that ran for several years in Buxton.
Crown Jewel will be open seasonally starting in 2018 through Columbus Day. Rocky Hunter has joined the team as the chef for the restaurant. Hunter was formerly the Vegetarian Chef de Cusine at David’s Opus Ten.
The draft menu (page 64) includes smaller items such as smoked mackerel rillet, and Fryburg potato & caviar, entrees such as pan seared cod and gnocchi verde.
For a list of other restaurants under development see our Under Construction List.
