Review of Peng’s Pizza Pies

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a 4 star review of Peng’s Pizza Pies in Biddeford.

The restaurant’s thin-crust pizzas (served with tomato sauce and without) are baked dark, with perhaps more blistering than you’d expect outside of New Haven. If you visit, sample a red pie (cheese or pepperoni – plus or minus hot honey – are great options). But save room for Daniels’ brilliant, completely off-the-wall creation: a white (no tomato), Bangkok-meets-Naples mashup pie featuring crushed pistachios, spicy pickled Fresnos, aromatic herb cream and a generous handful of pecorino. It’s a must-order, as is a slice of Basque cheesecake for dessert.

Photo: from Peng’s opening day, September 20, 2023.

Douro from Prentice Hospitality

| Posted in Under Construction

The Prentice Hospitality Group is working on a new restaurant called Douro (website, instagram) which they hope to open this summer this fall. It will be located on the front corner of the Sun Life Insurance building (110 Thames St) near Twelve.

Douro will be an all-day seafood restaurant with a Portuguese-inspired menu with a large selection of wines by the glass as well as classic cocktails and non-alcoholic drink options. Twelve executive chef Colin Wyatt and pastry chef Georgia Macon are in the early stages of developing a menu so stay tuned for further details.

The 3,300 sq ft restaurant is being designed in a collaboration between Prentice staff and Woodhull Commercial Studio.

The Prentice Hospitality Group also operates Twelve, Evo Kitchen + Bar, The Chebeague Island Inn and is working on relaunching The Good Table in Cape Elizabeth which they bought last year.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars, breweries, bakeries and other hospitality businesses in development visit the Under Construction List.

Maine Food & Dining News: Northport, Dover-Foxcroft, Union, Alna, Presque Isle

| Posted in Maine

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

  • The owners of Spark Bagel (website, instagram) have leased the former The Stone Pizzeria building in Northport. Initially they’ll use it solely as a bagel production kitchen, but plan to eventually open it up as a retail shop as well.
  • The Courrier-Gazette has published an article about Alsace the new restaurant that opened last year in the town of Union.
  • The Lincoln County News has published an article about The Alna Store. The restaurant was recently named a 2024 Beard Awards semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that a new restaurant called Maple Pig Bar & Grill is under construction in Presque Isle.
  • Whittle Bird (instagram) is operating a coffee pop-up at 83 East Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft. The coffee shop will be in operation through the spring while they’re working on a new coffee trailer.

Taj 2.0 in South Portland

| Posted in Under Construction

Taj (website, facebook, instagram) has leased a space in the Clarks Pond Shopping Center where they’re building out a new larger restaurant.

The new spot will seat ~70 people (see floor plan below) with an 11-seat bar, a dedicated area for takeout pick-up, a bigger kitchen as well as a larger space for their lunch buffet. Owner Sai Guntaka has long had a vision for a Indian cocktail program at Taj which will be a new element of the menu at the new restaurant. Jim Baldi will be consulting on the development of the cocktail program.

Guntaka hopes to complete the renovations and kitchen build-out in to for Taj to move to its new location in June. Watch for murals by Mike Rich Design and lighting by Neon Dave to be part of the new interior.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars, breweries, bakeries and other hospitality businesses in development visit the Under Construction List.

Low Key on Munjoy Hill

| Posted in Under Construction

Jing Yan owners Britt Langford and husband Leo Zhang, have leased the former Blue Spoon space at 89 Congress Street where they plan to open a bar called Low Key. Langford shared that their goal is to build a casual and comfortable spot for the neighborhood.

They’re doing some light renovations which will add a bar along the Congress Street side of the space and update the aesthetics including wall murals painted by Langford  (her work also graces the walls at Jing Yan).

The ~25-seat Low Key will serve classic cocktails, natural wine, beer with a food menu of classic bar snacks and appetizers (including a lobster roll) as well as soft serve ice cream. They’ll be adding a ice cream takeout window facing Merrill Street. Zhang and Langford hope to open Low Key in late April or early May.

Jing Yan launched in November 2020. You can see some recent photography of the food on this instagram post from September.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars, breweries, bakeries and other hospitality businesses in development visit the Under Construction List.

Smoked BBQ & Neighborhood Pub

| Posted in Under Construction

Those of you keeping a lookout on the former Maelily Ryleigh’s will be happy to know that 951 Forest Ave is slated to open as  Smoked BBQ & Neighborhood Pub (website, facebook). Smoked BBQ is the new brand name for the restaurants in Windham and Portland that were formerly known as Binga’s Wingas.

The menu offered at the Smoked BBQ Windham location includes wings, tacos, burgers, salads, sandwiches, sliders and more. Owner Mike Harris hope to open the 60-seat Smoke BBQ in March.

Binga’s Stadium on Free Street closed in early 2021 and at the time the plan was for a new Portland Binga’s to open at 951 Forest Ave.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars, breweries, bakeries and other hospitality businesses in development visit the Under Construction List.

Jerome’s Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Jerome’s (instagram) opened for business on Friday at 223 Congress Street near the intersection with Washington Ave. It’s a self described “local community New England sports bar that has a love for skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing.”

Owners Sasha Salzberg, Evan Carroll, and Ian Daly are serving wine, draft and package beer, cocktails (their margarita shown above), nonalcoholic beverages, and beer and shot combos like the Jerome’s Shifter which pairs Budwiser with a shot of Maker’s Mark. The food menu includes some snack plates and four sandwiches: turkey club, ham and cheese, chopped Italian, and PB&J.

Jerome’s is open Thursday through Monday, 4 – 11 pm.

Smalls Staff Forms Union

| Posted in General News

The staff at Smalls (website, instagram) on Brackett Street have formed a union which has been voluntarily recognized by the business owners. Smalls is the third Portland food and beverage business with a unionized staff. The other two are Cong Tu Bot and Coffee by Design.

The One Small Union is joining the New England Joint Board Unite Here organization which represents “workers in the textile, garment, manufacturing, warehousing, laundry, human service, and hospitality industries in New England and New York”.

Brea Lu Cafe Reopened

| Posted in Openings

Brea Lu Cafe (website, facebook, instagram) reopened at their new Westbrook location this morning. The new 109 seat cafe—more than doubles the capacity of their former cafe on Cumberland Street— is located at 511 Main Street.

Brea Lu is open daily 7am to 3pm serving a menu of breakfast standards, a range of omlette variations and lunch dishes like the Cuban pork sandwich shown above.