Writing a Wine List & Local Market Resurgence

Today’s Press Herald includes the second installment in a series by Stella Hernandez on managing a wine list at Lolita,

Putting together our wine list for Lolita was the closest I’ve come to understanding what writers do. It’s less mechanical than you’d think. You have to choose your story line, craft that story, and then there’s the continual editing process. When I gave my first draft to a friend to review, I felt as if I were handing off my first novel. I had handed over something very personal.

and an article about the resurgence of local markets in Portland.

Now the Portland area is experiencing another little growth spurt. In December, Andrew and Briana Volk, owners of the Portland Hunt & Alpine Club, opened Little Giant, an upscale market in Portland’s West End that will complement the restaurant they plan to open next door. Just a couple of weeks ago, Pete Sueltenfuss opened a second Otherside location in the West End. And Joe Fournier, who worked at Rosemont for six years before becoming a partner in The Farm Stand, plans to open his own neighborhood grocery, A&C, on Washington Avenue sometime next week.

Under Construction: Cafe Crepe

The Press Herald reports that Cafe Crepe is taking over the Public Market House space vacated by K. Hortons.

Lauren Brinkmann, owner of Café Crêpe in the Freeport Public Market, said she has considered opening a second location in the Public Market House three times, but she had hoped for a first-floor space. When the K. Horton’s spot opened up, she said, she jumped on it.

Under Construction: Conley Leases 428 Forest Ave

Chad Conley, co-owner of Palace Diner, has leased the former Brea Lu Cafe space at 428 Forest Ave where he plans to open a new restaurant serving breakfast and lunch. This new venture will serve a different menu from Palace Diner.

The building was the scene of a fire a year ago that displaced Brea Lu and other residents. It’s in the early stages of construction right now, and Conley hopes to open the restaurant this summer.

Under Construction: A & C Grocery

Urban Eye has posted an update on the A & C Grocery under construction on Washington Ave.

After nine years in the grocery business — he worked at Rosemont Market and was a founding partner at The Farm Stand in South Portland — he is ready to go out on his own with A & C Grocery. “I’ve been thinking about this concept for years,” said Fournier, who plans to open in two and a half weeks.

A & C Grocery (website, facebook), a “neighborhood one-stop grocery shop” is under construction at 131 Washington Ave.

Under Construction: YOBO

A new Korean restaurant called YOBO is under construction at 23 Forest Ave in the space formerly occupied by BiBo’s Madd Apple Cafe. Yobo will serve “refined Asian comfort food with a rustic appeal” and feature wonderful boutique wines from small vineyards.” Owners Sunny Chung and Kim Lully plan to create an atmosphere that is “intimate and casual, with all the comforts of dining with good friends.”

Chung and Lully formerly operated a farm to table restaurant in Concord, New Hampshire called Sunny’s Table. They hope to open Yobo in the April/May time frame.

Under Construction: Trattoria Fanny (Updated)

David Levi is working on a new restaurant called Trattoria Fanny in the former Rossobianco space in Bramhall Square. Levi’s plan is for the new restaurant to be “Simpler, more rustic, and more affordable than its last incarnation,” serving food from  Northern Italy with a few Roman classics in the mix. He has hired Roman native Siddharta Rumma as the chef.

The new restaurant is named Levi’s grandmother, Fanny Levi, who was born and raised in Milan and immigrated to New York  City in 1939.

Levi plans to open the restaurant in February, serving lunch weekdays and dinner Tuesday through Saturday, and will eventually add a brunch  service.

Update: Urban Eye has posted some additional info on Trattoria Fanny.

Under Construction: Good Fire Brewing

A new brewery called Good Fire Brewing (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is under construction in East Bayside, reports the Press Herald.

Cardente Real Estate announced Wednesday that it’s leased a nearly 4,000-square-foot space at 219 Anderson St. to Goodfire Brewing LLC for a brewery and 39-seat tasting room. The brewery, located just behind U-Haul on Marginal Way, is expected to open in June.

Food Trucks Add Brick and Mortar

The Bangor Daily News has published a report on the growing number of mobile food operators that have expanded to include a brick and mortar establishment or traded in their truck as they grew into a traditional restaurant.

As more and more of Maine’s food trucks morph into bricks-and-mortar eateries, their owners offer a variety of reasons that shifting from four wheels to four walls suddenly makes sense: The “right space” became available, tight quarters came to feel too stifling, the initial venture was successful enough to bankroll a bigger, more traditional restaurant.

The most recent development was Bite Into Maine’s decision to open a location on in Scarborough. Bite Into Maine will join fellow mobile food vendors Mami, Small Axe/East Ender, Love Kupcakes/Baristas+Bites, Hella Good Tacos, Mainely Burgers, Urban Sugar and CN Shawarma/Baharat in converting to or adding a brick and mortar capacity.