GMRI recently announced the winners of their annual Gulf of Maine Tastemakers. Two local restaurant were award winners this year.
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Chef/owner Jordan Benissan has launched a NuMarket campaign to help fund the launch of his 1,800 sq ft Freeport restaurant Me Lon Togo (website, facebook, instagram).
After three successful years in Rockland, Mé Lon Togo is embarking on an exciting new chapter in downtown Freeport. Chef Jordan is transforming an 1,800-square-foot space into a vibrant, welcoming destination where every dish tells a story and every gathering feels like coming home. This move isn’t just about a new location—it’s a meaningful step toward sharing the rich traditions of West African cuisine with a broader audience, while finding a year-round home that overcomes the seasonal challenges of the Midcoast region.
The new restaurant is under construction in a courtyard space at 58 Main Street. Benissan is planning a two phase launch. He plans to open the MLT bar with drinks and light fare first, and then with once the kitchen is completed and sprinkler system is installed, he’ll begin serving the full Me Lon Togo menu of West African cuisine. The successful NuMarket campaign will support the phased launch and help pay for the sprinkler system.
Tuesday – Leda (instagram) is having a launch party for their cafe at Salud in East Bayside. Owner Naomi Hall, co-owner of the former Omi’s coffee shop, is launching Leda—stay tuned for an official opening day. In addition to serving coffee, snacks and smoothies, Leda will also offer drop-in childcare “providing caregivers a chance to relax, recharge, or enjoy a fitness class while their little ones have fun in a supervised play space.” Also, Cuties is starting their daytime hours opening at 8 am.
Wednesday – It’s the opening day of Benny’s.
Thursday – Mrs Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner. Browne Trading is holding a sparkling wine and caviar tasting.
Saturday – The new Nordic candy store at 119 Cumberland Ave, Sodt (instagram), is scheduled to launch at noon. The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport. Camden Famous is cohosting a Spring Market featuring 20 bakers, restaurants and other food producers.
Sunday – Taj, Boda, Thanh Thanh 2, Mi Sen, and Pulutan are producing a 5-course dinner at Crispy Gai in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month.
May 22 – Allagash is hosting an event to support Farmers for Food Equity. The event, Let’s Spring into Action, is a tasting event where attendees can try oyster, beer, sausages and other Maine produced foods. Farmers for Food Equity supports local farms by purchasing produce that might otherwise go unharvested and redirect that food to organizations like Good Shepherd Food Bank or Preble Street.
May 30 – June 1 – The Maine Fungi Fest is taking place.
June 13/14 – The Rockport Donut Festival is taking place.
June 26-28 – The Holy Trinity Greek Festival is taking place.
June 28 – The Wavy Days beer festival is taking place.
June 28/29 – The Maine Oyster Festival is taking place in Freeport.
September 14 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.
September 19-21 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.
October 12 – Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.
November 1-9 – 207 Beer Week is taking place.
November 10-16 – Brunswick Wine Week is taking place.
The April issue of The Bollard is now available online. It includes an article about “Kitchen Jedi” Mark Turner, an artist and chef who worked at kitchens all over Portland dating back to Alberta’s and Raoul’s Roadside Attraction in a decades long career. The April issue also includes a review of Sunday brunch at Magissa.
New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:
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.
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Here’s a look inside Benny’s (website, instagram) the new red sauce Italian restaurant and Philly sandwich shop that’s been under construction the last few months at 545 Congress Street in the Arts District.
The 32-seat Benny’s is being launched by Josh Sobel the chef/owner of Ramona’s. The dining room features an 11-seat bar opposite a row of 2-top banquet tables along with some counter seating in the front windows. The room is decked out with art and memorabilia evocative of Philadelphia like a portrait of Sylvester Stallone in his role of Rocky Balboa. Sobel worked with Mey & Co and the design of the restaurant.
As you can see below the menu includes Italian-American standards like chicken parmesan and spaghetti with meatballs. Shown above are Benny’s pretzel garlic knots. The bar menu includes a line-up of Italian wines representing regions from the Veneto to Sicily. The cocktail list has some house creations like a Margherita pizza inspired Margarita, and the Benny’s Handshake Spritz made with the locally produced Handshake bitters, as well as classic cocktails.
Benny’s official opening day is this Wednesday May 14th. They’ll initially be open for dinner Wednesday through Sunday, 4 pm – 9 pm (and until 10 pm on Friday and Saturday).
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Alex Wight has taken over the Jefe Juan’s space at 47 Wharf Street where she plans to open Elizabeth (instagram) a French-inspired wine bar that will be “unapologetic, sexy and fun”.
Joining the Elizabeth team are chef Duncan Biddulph and pastry chef Ashley Robinson. The couple have relocated to Maine from Chicago where Biddulph worked at Lula Cafe, Publican, and was the executive chef at Rootstock and Tortello. Robinson grew up in Cape Elizabeth and after attending Harvard worked in New York and Chicago, notably as the head chef at The Bakery at Fat Rice.
Together with Wight they’re planning a forward-thinking menu inspired by classic French cuisine along with a bar menu of natural wine and French cocktails. Wight is planning a full renovation and redesign of the space. She hopes to launch the 30-seat space in late fall.
Wight is the owner of Crown Jewel restaurant. She launched the 35-seat restaurant on Great Diamond Island in July 2018. She previously ran the influential Flanagan’s Table dinner series in Buxton.
The Boulos Beats podcast has published an interview with chef David Turin who owns and operates David’s, David’s 388 and David’s Opus Ten. Listen to the podcast to hear about Turin’s early career, his thoughts on a wide variety of business management topics, and advice on running a successful restaurant and having a successful culinary career.
The North Deering Tavern opened for business on Tuesday. It’s located in the former Parker’s building at 1349 Washington Ave in Allen’s Corner. It will be open daily 11:30 am – 1:00 am with brunch available on the weekends starting at 8:00 am.
The new business was launched by brothers Sam and Rob Minervino along with Marcus Bailey and Anthony Peters. The Tavern serves a menu that includes burgers, pizza, wings, soups, salads and entrees like fish and chips and chicken parmesan (see the full menu below).
The Tavern is a backfill of sorts for Samuel’s Bar & Grill which Minervino closed earlier this year. He sold the building to Amanda and Matt Lebel who opened Mandy & Matt’s Cafe in its place last month.
Thursday – Will Fisher, cofounder of Kit NA Brewing, will be the feature guest speaker for this month’s Crafted Conversations event at Five of Clubs. Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson will be the guest of honor at the next Nina June author dinner. The multi-course dinner includes oysters from Deer Isle, mussels from Blue Hill and eel from American Unagi.
Friday – Botanically Curious is hosting the first of a monthly Curious Mocktail series in collaboration with Elevate Mushrooms.
Saturday/Sunday – The Taste of Nations Food Festival is taking place. Vendors will include Amira Cuisine, Battambang Bistro, Cambodia’s Best, Eduardo’s Brazilian Grill One, Flores Restaurant, Gunnar’s Icelandic Hot Dogs, Hellenic Kitchen, La Gallera, Niyat Catering, Yardie Ting, and Young Nonna. Tickets are now available.
Sunday – It’s Mother’s Day—check the websites and social accounts of your favorite restaurants for special dinners and brunches being held. The 2025 edition of Cider Feast is taking place.
May 15 – Mrs Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner.
May 17 – The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport. Camden Famous is cohosting a Spring Market featuring 20 bakers, restaurants and other food producers.
May 30 – June 1 – The Maine Fungi Fest is taking place.
June 13/14 – The Rockport Donut Festival is taking place.
June 26-28 – The Holy Trinity Greek Festival is taking place.
June 28 – The Wavy Days beer festival is taking place.
June 28/29 – The Maine Oyster Festival is taking place in Freeport.
September 14 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.
September 19-21 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.
October 12 – The Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.
 Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.25-packs of the Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now available on our online store. |