New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

• Bombay Bistro (website, facebook, instagram) opened last week in the former Frog & Turtle space at 3 Vallee Square in Westbrook. The Indian restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am – 3 pm for lunch and 5 pm – 9 pm for dinner.
• A new bakery called Brill’s Bakery (instagram) is under construction in Wiscasset at 27 Summer Street. Father and daughter team Emily and Steve Brill plan a full launch of the bakery this summer with some pop-ups and other events in the plans in the interim. Brill’s Bakery will specialize in “sourdough, other breads and rolls, focaccia with unique toppings, international baked goods, and sweet treats like sticky buns, candy, and cookies.” Steve Brill will be the main bread baker with Emily producing sweet treats, pastries, and focaccia.
• The past weekend’s Maine Sunday Telegram included a feature article on Bartlett Maine Estate Winery in Gouldsboro.
• The Bodines have announced their decision to permanently close Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery. They plan to continue producing Back River Gin in collaboration with Mossy Ledge Spirits in Etna. Sweetgrass suffered a fire in September that burned their Union distillery to the ground.
• Koi Asian Cuisine in Biddeford went out of business on January 15th.
• Mainebiz reports that The Maine Diner in Wells is for sale. “Third owner Jim MacNeill told Mainebiz that after nearly 30 years, it was time to move on. The Maine Diner and adjacent gift shop have been listed for $3.3 million by Portland-based Daigle Commercial Group.”
• The Portsmouth Herald reports that a new building owner is seeking restaurant tenants to move in to 60-68 Wallingford Square in Kittery. The building had been occupied by Anneke Jans which closed last January.
• The Maine Grain Alliance has announced that David Bauer from Farm and Sparrow in North Carolina will be the keynote speaker at the Kneading Conference taking place this summer in Skowhegan.
• On Wednesday Dolce Amici in Norway is holding a Feast of Jupiter prix fixe dinner; $75 per person.
• Norumbega in Camden will be hosting a one-night 4-course dinner in collaboration with chef Charlie Zorich from The Hichborn on January 31st.
• Maine Beer Company in Freeport will be serving 5-course Bistro Night dinners Wednesday nights through the end of April.
• Nina June in Rockport has a pair of upcoming special dinners featuring Oaxacan cuisine (January 28th) and Palestinian cuisine (February 20th and 21st).
• Revel (website, facebook, instagram) has opened for business in Falmouth. Read our previous report for more information.
• Plum Pizza (instagram) is under construction in Gardiner. Read our earlier report for all the details.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Kristen Lamontagne is working with Table Bar to locate a pizzeria and bakery inside the downtown Gardiner wine bar. Plum Pizza (instagram) will be serving 16 inch New York-style sourdough pies and slices, a simple side salad, and tiramisu to start with the hope of growing a pastry program in the future. The menu will feature classic pizzas like margherita, pepperoni, sausage and peppers, and a New Haven-style tomato pie with rotating specials to make use of local/seasonal produce and meats.

Lamontagne shared, “To me, a perfect pizza has thin, crisp crust with a nice chew – but never dry. The bake is dark, with the beautiful caramelized flavors of well-fermented wheat. Dough made slowly and with intention, naturally leavened and stretched with care. The sauce is made from the best canned tomatoes we can find – and in the NY tradition, we don’t cook it beforehand, retaining hits of a good tomato’s bright and fresh acidity underneath, melting together with the complexity of a nice char from a hot oven. Each component is crafted with layers of flavor, and well-seasoned in a way that allows you taste the quality of the individual ingredients themselves. The ingredients list is small, there’s nothing to hide behind.”

Table Bar was launched in 2022 by Billy Rosser, Morgan Peirce, and Zach Lyons. They shared, “We are thrilled about working with Kristen. The dream has always been for Table Bar to be an incubator. One of the things that brings us the most joy is making room for others to step in and grow with us. We are huge fans and supporters of Kristen and knew there would be no question that she could succeed at anything she set her mind to. We are excited to ‘let her cook’ so to speak and focus 100% of our energy on wine and events.”

Lamontagne has been the baker and pastry chef at The Alna Store since it launched in late 2022.  She will be working with her partner Chris Chella to operate Plum Pizza. They hope to launch in early March, and plan to be open Thursday through Sunday, 4 – 8 pm.

Photo: The storefront of Table Bar in Gardiner from the summer of 2024.

Owners Emma Martin and Sami Smart launched Revel (website, facebook, instagram), a ~35-seat wine and cocktail bar, this past Wednesday. Revel is in the Wyeth building at 267 Route 1 Unit 103 in Falmouth.

The food menu (see below) includes bar snacks like warm olives, deviled eggs (shown above) and smoked trout with chips, small plates like garlic shrimp, brisket and Caesar salad (shown above) as well as chacuterie and cheese boards. There’s also an option for a Snack Tower sized for 6+ people. The bar menu includes classic cocktails, house specialty mixed drinks, spritzs like the Trentino (cappeletti, pink peppercorns, bubbly, soda) wines by the glass, mocktails, beer, cider and hard cider. There’s also an extensive bottle list.

The stylish space offers bar and table seating as well as recessed lounge area (center right). Revel’s hours are evolving. Over the next few days they’ll be open Sunday, Monday and Wednesday at 4 pm, and anticipate opening at 11 am on Thursday as they launch their midday grab and go menu.

Here’s a look at the food, cocktails and wine by the glass menus:

Also, here is the bottle list. The wines are available to enjoy at Revel or to purchase and take home.

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

• A new bakery/cafe called Baked on Maine (facebook, instagram) opened for business in Brunswick (right photo) on Friday. It’s located at 41 Maine Street in the space formerly occupied by the Great Impasta. The menu includes breakfast options like pancakes, avocado toast, sausage biscuits and gravy, and a variety of breakfast sandwiches. For lunch they offer a wide range of sandwiches for lunch like beef on Weck, a caprese panini and a chicken parm. Baked on Maine also offers baked goods from Wildflours Bakery in Brunswick. They’ll initially be open Friday through Monday, 8 am – 2 pm.
• Stacy and Ryan Linehan have sold their business Treats (website, facebook, instagram) in Wiscasset (center photo). The new owners are Joeseph Swifka and Emily Hughes. The couple have most recently worked at the Costal Maine Botanical Gardens where Swifka was the executive chef and Hughes worked in the garden shop. The Linehans themselves bought the business and have operated it for the last 20 years. The founders were Helen and Denny Davis. Hughes and Swifka will be the fifth set of owners of Treats.
• Chef Christian Hayes has launched the Sparhawk Tavern (instagram) in Yarmouth in the space he formerly operated his restaurant The Garrison. The Garrison closed in July 2024. It’s currently open for takeout only Wednesday through Saturday, 4 – 8 pm with a menu of pub standards like nachos, burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and wings along with salads, beer, wine and cocktails. Hayes expects to open the dining room for indoor dining soon.
• A new business called Town Line Diner (facebook) is under construction on Route 302 (left photo) in Westbrook. The diner will be occupying the former Pine Tree Bakery building. It’s being launched by Kori Reece who has been the chef at Lenny’s at Hawkes Plaza and Josh Gelston, the owner of Duck Pond Variety. The menu will have a selection of what Reece is calling greasy spoon classics like omelettes, corned beef hash and biscuits and gravy as well as “silver spoon specialties” like chocolate banana foster pancakes, haddock Benedict’s and “monster” sized sandwiches. The team hopes to launch the 45-seat diner February 1st. When it does will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 6 am – 1 pm.
• Juiced in Hallowell has announced they’re closing “due to factors related to the sale of our building and its rising rents.” Their last day in business will be January 17th. Juiced opened for business in May 2014.
• John Paul Gagnon sold his Falmouth restaurant JP’s Bistro (website, facebook, instagram) to Christa Kelly and Bernie’s Foreside owner Adam Shapiro late last year. Long time sous chef Richard Carey is now the executive chef at the restaurant.
• The Barkery (web, facebook, instagram) is planning to hold their grand opening for their South Portland restaurant and dog park on February 5th. with a community preview day on January 31st.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a food truck turned restaurant called Salsa Shack (website, facebook) has opened in Bucksport. It’s located at 84 Main Street in the space formerly occupied by My Buddy’s Place. Salsa Shack is open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am – 5 pm.
• Jason Williams, the chef/owner of The Well in Cape Elizabeth was interviewed for the Atlas Obscura podcast.
• Sara Jenkins, the chef/owner of Nina June in Rockport, was interviewed for the Flipping the Table podcast.
• Meryl Kelly from A Longer Table Homestead in Bethel was interviewed for the Maine Famous podcast.
• As reported yesterday, La Laiterie (website, facebook, instagram) is under construction in Jonesboro. Chef Ross Florance and McKenna Koledo hope to soft launch the restaurant this spring and be fully operational in May. Read this article to learn more about their plans.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.