Maine Bagel Bake-Off

| Posted in Events

The Maine Grain Alliance is organizing the Maine Bagel Bake-Off which is taking place at the Crystal Spring Farmers Market in Brunswick on August 30th.

Your $10 ticket (sold at the door) will provide the opportunity to try samples from these bakeries and vote for Maine’s best bagel:

Bake Maine Closing

| Posted in Closings

Bake Maine has announced they’re closing their Portland location. The last day in business will be August 27th. Their message on instagram reads in-part,

Thank you, Portland. It’s been a crazy adventure, but it’s time to come to an end. Bake Maine Portland has enjoyed its (almost) 3 year run, but we need to focus on our Wells location. Try as we might, we still can’t be in two places at once.

Owners Doug and Kristen Perry opened the Bake Maine on Washington Ave on January 20, 2023. They opened a second location in Wells in April 2024.

New Chef at Sur Lie: Sam Helmke

| Posted in People

The Boston Globe has published an article about Sur Lie’s new chef Sam Helmke.

Helmke’s menu for Sur Lie promises a mix of familiar and new. A few riffs on fan favorites will stay, but expect additions like halibut with a Spanish romesco created by charring local bell peppers and mixing them with almonds, fennel, cayenne, and paprika. It makes a robust, smoky, spicy sauce which they pair with a classic rouge reduction. He adds cipollini onions that are both pickled and caramelized, grilled shishito peppers, and escarole. It’s also a dish that best showcases his cooking style: “I usually start with purées and sauces and then bring in the vegetables,” said Helmke.

Today’s The Globe also published a New England travel article. The Portland section features Boda, Central Provisions, Clam Bar, Crown Jewel, Cuties, Duckfat, Forage, Mr Tuna, Norimoto, Onggi, Oxbow, Scales, Tandem, Wayside

Maine Food & Dining News: South Berwick, Skowhegan, Biddeford, Freeport, Warren, Old Town, Ellsworth, Yarmouth, Brunswick

| 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:

  • Molly Pritchett and Josh Grindstaff have leased the former Secundo space at 279 Main Street in South Berwick where they plan to open Catbird (website, facebook, instagram). The menu is still under development but will include options like an oxtail ragu, house made pastas, and dishes inspired by their travels complemented by wine and cocktails. They aim to offer a menu that “will feel approachable but full of surprises”. They shared some thoughts on their vision for Catbird “We’re building it with heart, humor, and a little edge. I [Pritchett] care deeply about creating an environment where staff feel supported and trained to succeed, while Josh brings a calm and grounded energy to the kitchen that inspires trust. With the right team, Catbird won’t just be a restaurant; it’ll be a space that feels alive, approachable, and a little extraordinary.” The couple initially met when working at Dufour in 2021 and have continued working together at several restaurants since including Northern Union where Pritchett was the GM and Grindstaff the executive chef. Interior design renovations are underway and they hope to launch Catbird by the end of October.
  • The Biergarten (instagram) opens today. During this first phase of the launch the Skowhegan restaurant is serving an abbreviated menu (“selection of classics from our menu and cold drinks”) using a counter service model. Biergarten is expected to fully open sometime this fall. You can pay them a visit Thursday through Sunday, noon – 8 pm.
  • The new 8-lane bowling alley and bar called The Gutter (website, instagram) opened for business yesterday in Biddeford (above, left). The Gutter is located at 129 Main Street in the building known as the Marble Block. They’re serving a menu (above, right) of hot dogs, pressed sandwiches, a meatloaf plate, a caesar salad, frito pie, and bar snacks. The Gutter offers a range of draft beer and has a full liquor license They’ll be open daily, noon – 1 am with 7 pm onward reserved for 21+ customers. Eating Through the Seacoast has published a video walkthrough of The Gutter.
  • The King’s Head has opened their Freeport location. They’re located in the building formerly occupied by the Jameson Tavern which closed this past November.
  • The Midcoast Villager has published an article about Brian Smith, the founder of Oyster River Winegrowers in Warren.
  • The Bangor Daily News has published an article about Katahdin Kitchen (instagram) which recently opened in Old Town. “The Kitchen offers Indigenous food using local ingredients that would have been the cuisine before settlers came to the area, he said. The menu creates contemporary dishes, like wraps and smoothies, using ingredients like squash, corn and game meats.” Additionally, the BDN has reported that DragonFire Pizza in Ellsworth has gone out of business.
  • Frannie Eats Maine has provided a look at the food, drink and games inside the new Rift Arcade in Biddeford.
  • The Press Herald reports that a restaurant called Rambler Irish Bistro (facebook, instagram) is under development at the former Old & Elm space in Yarmouth. Rambler is being launched by Rick Boyd who also operates Backwoods Burger Shack in Gorham and Wonderdogs in Naples. Owl & Elm closed in July.
  • We posted a new Maine road-trip report on instagram with photos Spark Bagel in Northport, The Corner Bar in Rangeley, Wakie Wakies in Westbrook, TunkJoy Bakery in Steuben, Claws in Rockland, and the Keag Store in South Thomaston.
  • Dutchman’s in Brunswick will be participating in the 2025 New York BagelFest. They’re one of 23 bagel producers from around the globe participating in the event, and the only one from New England.

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.

 

Il Leone Expanding to Park Slope

| Posted in Under Construction

Il Leone chef/owner Ben Wexler-Waite has announced he’ll be opening a brick and mortar pizzeria in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn this fall.

The Brooklyn space will have an open kitchen and a large backyard and feature the same naturally leavened pies we have been serving the last 5 summers out of our trailer on Peaks Island. Our produce will continue to be sourced from small organic farms and farmers markets and we will continue to source the best quality Maine frutti di mare for our beloved Isola lobster pizza.

Wexler-Waite confirmed that the original Peaks Island Il Leone will be reopening for the season next summer. “For all who have asked/are wondering, we will indeed be returning to Peaks Island on a continued seasonal basis.”

Il Leone launched on Peaks in the summer of 2021. This year they’ll be open through August 25th.

The NYC outpost will be located at 158 7th Avenue, Brooklyn in the space formerly occupied by Bar Vinazo.

Upcoming Food and Dining Events

| Posted in Events

August 30 – The Maine Bagel Bake-Off is taking place at the Crystal Spring Farmers Market in Brunswick.

August 31 – Sun Market and Mi Sen are collaborating on a Korean pop-up meal.

September 12 – The Portland VFW is holding a bourbon tasting.

September 14 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield. The Tender Table Night Market is taking place.

September 19-21 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.

September 21-28 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place.

September 25 – A part of Maine Lobster Week is the Lobster Roll Remix, a benefit for the Maine Lobstermen’s Relief Fund. It will on September 25th at Southern Maine Community College. Chefs from Chaval, Dok Mali, Douro, Great Wave Sushi, Little Pig, Portland Lobster Company, Sichuan Kitchen, Sicilian Table, Taj, and Terlingua/Ocotillo will each be serving their own creative take on the classic Maine lobster roll.

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.

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.

The Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now for sale in packs of 25 on our online store.

Barkada on Fore Street

| Posted in Under Construction

A Filipino restaurant called Barkada (instagram) will be moving into the Paper Tiger space with the hope to launch in the summer of 2026.

Chefs Nicole and Ben Bowers and business partners Margaret and Luka Dow launched the Barkada food truck this summer serving a menu of tofu, pork and beef bowls served over garlic rice or greens. Shown above is the Lechon rice bowl with cherry tomatoes, cucumber salad, pickled onions and a grilled pepper from the food truck’s opening day.

The food truck has given them a chance to get feedback from the Portland community. The restaurant menu will include the dishes they’re serving at the food truck with a wider selection of proteins, other toppings and side dishes. They’re also planning to have desserts like ube flavored whoopie pies and brookies. A selection of Filipino soft drinks with flavors like calamansi and fruit juices will be part of the drinks offered.

Nicole and Ben Bowers will be the chefs for Barkada. Nicole Bowers is originally from the Philippines. She and Ben Bowers met while attending the Institute of Culinary Education in NY. They’ve worked in Michelin-starred restaurants including for Daniel Boulud. Prior to moving to Maine they worked as private chefs in Florida. The Dows also have a background in the hospitality industry including operating a cafe in Boston and in food distribution.

When we first reported on their restaurant plans the team was looking to open at 25 Pearl Street but had since been exploring other opportunities in the Old Port.

Paper Tiger announced earlier today that they’ll be closing. August 31st will be their last day in business.

Paper Tiger Closing

| Posted in Closings

The owners of Paper Tiger have announced they’re closing down their restaurant on Fore Street. Their last day in business will be August 31st.

Their announcement on instagram reads,

It is with a heavy heart and a real sense of accomplishment that we share this news:
After three years of unhinged bar fun, Paper Tiger will be closing its doors on September 1st.

That gives you two more weeks to soak it all in before we’re gone forever.

We wrote an incredibly heartfelt (and way too long) essay about this moment… and then deleted the whole thing. Instead, we’ll leave you with this:

Senioritis doesn’t mean phoning it in; it means going out exactly how you want, loud, weird, and unapologetic.

So come get weird with us one last time. We love you. We’ll always love you. And we’ll miss you more than words can say.

Michael Fraser, Nace Cohen and Marcus Alcantara launched Paper Tiger in March 2022. Fraser is an owner or co-owner of several other establishments in town including Camp Pennant, Roma, CBG, and Nosh.

Dutchman’s Going to BagelFest

| Posted in Events

Dutchman’s in Brunswick has been invited to participate in the 2025 New York BagelFest. They’re one of 23 bagel producers from around the globe participating in the event, and the only one from New England. Jeremy and Marina Kratzer launched Dutchman’s—initially as a weekly pop-up—in 2022 and have quickly become a favorite bagel shop in the Southern Maine.

BagelFest was founded in 2019 by Sam Silverman. It’s an annual event that celebrates all things bagel. BagelFest 2025 is taking place in NYC in November.