The Velvet Dog Has Opened

The Velvet Dog (facebook, instagram) has opened for business. The 70-seat restaurant and bar is located at 24 Preble Street next to Dutch’s and across the street from Za Pizza. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday, 3 – 9 pm, and until 10 pm on Friday and Saturday.

Chef Matt Burns and his family are serving a menu (see below) of small plates like fried sardines and corn ribs, entrees like the grilled white fish with butter bean and sausage ragu shown above. The bar menu includes wines by the glass ($9) and bottle ($32), beer, seltzer, cider, non-alcoholic drinks and a selection of classic cocktails. Shown here are the Paper Plane and Almond Sour.

Burns has has worked at a number of Portland area restaurants including Nonesuch River Brewing in Scarborough, and most recently Paper City Barbecue and Legends Rest in Westbrook. He envisions The Velvet Dog as a restaurant for local residents. “We are here for the people of Portland. Tourists are nice but I care about the people in the apartments next door, the industry workers and the people that commute in and out of this town a lot more. I want those people to always feel welcome and to get to know us as we know them.”