Category: General News

The Food & Dining section in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about the 1939 Maine Chowder King,

Lafayette chef George Miller had pitted his creamy New England clam chowder against the tomato-based, Manhattan-style chowder of Philadelphia chef Julius Savinese (or, according to some accounts, Savineur). The judges’ verdict on the Philadelphia chowder, according to the next day’s Boston Daily Globe: “Not a bad vegetable stew.”

“I’ve always known since I was born that my grandfather was the Clam Chowder King,” Michel told me when I reached out to her.

and the paper checks in with folks around the state about the dining experiences they’re most looking forward to once the pandemic is under control.

This month, I asked eight fellow food-and-drink-focused Mainers to share their own expectations of what’s to come. We might not all frequent the same neighborhood bars and restaurants, but we’ve got remarkably similar plans for the post-pandemic future.

The Governor’s office announced a set of changes to regulations governing the operating of food and dining establishments during the pandemic.

The Moving Maine Forward plan maintains critical health and safety protocols that have protected Maine people over the past year, establishes a clear timeframe to increase capacity limits to support economic activity, and standardizes these limits across sectors by transitioning to a simple model based on percentage of capacity. The plan also revises Maine’s travel policies established last summer under the Keep Maine Healthy Program and sets a target reopening date of March 26 for indoor service at bars.

See the official announcement for all the details.

The City of Portland has published details on the 2021 Outdoor Dining & Retail Program. The program details street closure, how restaurants can make use of public spaces such as parks and on how to make use of adjacent on street parking space to expand their outdoor dining areas.

In order to continue helping local businesses through the pandemic, the City is updating its outdoor dining and retail permitting program, which will be in effect from April 2021 to April 2022. The program allows retailers and restaurants to apply to expand into public spaces, including closed streets, parklets, the public right-of-way, and parks. In addition, they may apply to extend their use of private space into the winter season.

Bravo Maine, the cooking education company located in the former Aurora Provisions space in the West End, has launched a crowd funding campaign on Go Fund Me. Owner Justine Corbi is hoping to raise $6,000 which “will be used for repair bills, a new fridge, and save money for future needs or in case of a new shutdown”.

For more information or to contribute visit the Bravo Maine page on GoFundMe.com.

The Food & Dining section in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a feature on outdoor dining in February.

Actually, every diner but one interviewed for this story was ready to repeat the experience, in some cases surprising even themselves. “A year ago if someone had said, ‘Do you want to sit outside in the middle of winter and eat?’ I’d have said, ‘That’s what inside is for,’ ” Brewer said. ” ‘That’s what fireplaces are for.’ ” But now, weekly, he sits around fire pits in the yards of friends and eats outside at restaurants, too. He’s come up with a term to describe the phenomena: “fire-pit culture.”

The Maine Sunday Telegram talked to restaurants about the steps they’re taking and the guidance they have on how to operate safely and what to do when they have a potential Covid exposure.

Similarly, every one of the five food businesses I called to learn more about COVID-19 closures was eager to talk about their plans and procedures. “It’s an issue every restaurant has to think about,” Zak Taillon, general manager of Boda, said. “We did lots of pre-preparation and have always been a few steps ahead, all the way back to March of last year, when we closed for indoor dining way before we were even required to be. We’re doing our best and have successfully avoided spreading it in our tiny kitchen two times so far. We are really proud and don’t want to keep that hush-hush.”

**This list is no longer being updated**

Here’s the ever-changing and newly revised list of takeout options in Portland.

OTHER RESOURCES

• Do you want to eat outdoors? Then see this list.
• Do you want to eat indoors? The check out this list.
• Do you want curbside cocktails? Look for listings that have the 🍸 icon next to them.
• Do you live outside Portland? Then check out these restaurant takeout lists for Bangor, Biddeford/Saco, Brunswick, Falmouth, Freeport, Gorham, Kennebunk/Kennebunkport/Arundel, Midcoast Maine, Mount Desert Island, Old Orchard Beach, South Portland and Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook, and Yarmouth. Please let me know if you’ve spotted other Maine city/town/regional takeout lists to add to the list.

RESTAURANT TAKEOUT/DELIVERY IN PORTLAND

• Delivery Services
  • 2 Dine In – handles food delivery for 126 restaurants.
  • CarHop – provides alcohol and food delivery for 81 breweries, distilleries and restaurants.
• African
  • 207 Bar and Restaurant – call (207) 613-9330 to order.
• American
  • Blue Spoon – order online.
  • Broken Arrow – order online.
  • Churchill Events – order online.
  • David’s – order online.
  • Isa – order online. 🍸
  • Katahdin – call (207) 774-1740 to order.
  • Knotted Apron – order online.
  • Lake & Co – takes pre-orders for takeout and delivery on Fridays, order online.
  • Little Giant – order online. 🍸
  • Renn – offers a changing menu of meal plans for pre-order and delivery, order online.
  • The Front Room – order online.
  • Woodford F&B – call (207) 200-8503 to order.🍸
• Barbecue
  • Noble BBQ – order online. 🍸
  • Salvage BBQ – order online.
  • Terlingua – order online.🍸
  • Wilson County Barbecue – order online.
• Cafes, Sandwich Shops and Diners
  • A & C Grocery – order online.
  • Artemisia – call (207) 761-0135 to order.
  • Bayside American Cafe – order online.
  • Becky’s Diner – order online.
  • Central Sandwich & Provisions – order online.🍸
  • City Deli – call (207) 772-9620 to order.
  • Crooked Mile Cafe – take out from both Milk Street and Brighton Ave locations, order online.
  • Daily Greens – order online.
  • Duckfat Friteshack– in Oxbow Alley, order online. Duckfat on Middle Street reopens on February 26th.
  • Dutch’s – call (207) 761-2900 to order.
  • LB Kitchen – order online.
  • Leavitt & Sons – order online.
  • Marcy’s – cal (207) 774-9713 to order.
  • Market Street Eats – order online.
  • Miss Portland Diner – call (207) 210-6673 to order.
  • Navis Cafe – order online.
  • Oh No Cafe – has takeout. Order online.
  • Other Side Deli – takeout from both the West End and Deering locations, order online.
  • Other Side Diner – order online. (on break February 1 – March 4)
  • Palace Diner – ordering online.
  • Portland Pottery Cafe – call (207)-245-6335 to order.
  • Quinn’s Bardega – call (207) 772-2206 to order.
  • Rick’s Lobby Cafe – order online.
  • Ramona’s – order online.
  • Roll Call – order online.
  • Sister’s Gourmet Deli – call (207) 536-4932 to order.
  • Tally’s Kitchen – call (207) 400-2533 to order.
  • The Local Press – call (207) 773-0039 to order.
  • The Sinful Kitchen – order online.🍸
  • Union Kitchen – call (207) 756-6230 to order.
• Cajun/Creole
  • Bayou Kitchen – call (207) 774-4935 to order.
  • Po’Boys and Pickles – order online.
• Chinese
  • Bao Bao – order online. 🍸
  • Bubble Maineia – order online.
  • Empire – order online.
  • Fortune Garden – call (207) 878-9888 to order.
  • Jing Yan – order online.
  • Mainely Noods – call (207) 536-4014 to order.
  • Panda Garden – call (207) 874-6935 to order.
  • Sichuan Kitchen – order online.
  • Zen Chinese Bistro – order online.
• Cocktail/Bars
  • Anoche – has packeaged cider and growlers of cider on tap.
  • Blue – Call 207-774-4111 to order. 🍸
  • Blyth & Burrows – order online.🍸
  • Magnus on Water – order online. 🍸
  • Sagamore Hill – order online. 🍸
  • The Jewel Box – takes pre-orders for pickup on Fridays and Saturdays. 🍸
• Eritrean/Ethiopian
  • Asmara – call (207) 253-5122 to order.
  • Red Sea – call (207) 805-1488 to order.
• Fried Chicken
  • Crispy Gai – order online.
  • Figgy’s – call (207) 805-0085 to order.
  • Judy Gibson – order online.
• German
  • Schulte & Herr – call (207) 773-1997 to order.
• Indian
  • Hi Bombay – call (207) 772-8767 to order.
  • India Palace – call (207)-773-1444  to order.
  • Taj – order online.
  • Tandoor – has takeout. (207) 774-4259.
• Italian
  • Ada’s – has sauces and packages of pasta for takeout in their market.
  • Amato’s – order online.
  • Anania’s – call (207) 774-8104 (Congress St) or (207) 774-4639 (Washington Ave) to order.
  • Anthony’s Italian Kitchen – order online.
  • Fusillo – email fusillomaine@gmail.com to order.
  • Leeward – order online.🍸
  • Maria’s – call (207) 772-9232 to order.
  • Ribollita – call (207) 774-2972 to order.
  • Roma Cafe/Bramhall – order online. 🍸
  • Solo Italiano – call (207) 780-0227 to order, on a winter break February 15 – 28.
• Jamaican
  • Yardie Ting – order online.
• Japanese
  • Benkay – call (207) 773 5555 to order.
  • Izakaya Minato – order online.
  • King of the Roll – call (207) 828-8880 to order.
  • Pai Men Miyake – order online.
  • Mami – order online.
  • Mr. Tuna – order online.
  • Sapporo – call (207) 772-1233 to order.
  • Yosaku – call (207) 780-0880 to order.
• Korean
  • N To Tail – call (207) 773-2900 to order.
  • Yobo – takes weekly pre-orders, call (207)536-0986 to order.
• Latin American
  • Bird & Co. – call (207) 747-4056 to order.🍸
  • Dos Naciones – call (207) 536-0045 to order.
  • El Corazon – order online. 🍸
  • El Rayo – call (207) 780-8226 to order. 🍸
  • Empanada Club – has pick-up and delivery, order online.
  • Luis’s Arepera – call (207) 284-5007 to order.
  • Maiz – order online.
  • Pacifico – Quiero’s sister restaurant in Saco, order online. 🍸
  • Quiero Cafe – order online. 🍸
  • Sal de la Tierra – call (207) 761-1600 to order.
  • Taco Escobarr – order online. 🍸
  • Tu Casa – call (207) 828-4971 to order.
  • Two Texans – are running a breakfast taco delivery service, call (713) 876-8234 to order.
• Malay/Indonesian
  • Kuno – order online.
• Mediterranean
  • Baharat – order online. 🍸
  • Chaval – order online. 🍸
  • Evo Kitchen + Bar – order online.🍸
  • Nura – order online.
  • Olive Cafe – order online.
  • Sur Lie – order online.
• Pan-Asian
  • The Honey Paw – order online.
• Pizzeria
  • Bonobo – call (207) 347-8267 to order. 🍸
  • Coals Pizza – order online.
  • Flatbread – order online.
  • Lazzari – order online. 🍸
  • Leonardo’s – order online.
  • Monte’s – call (207) 613-9873 to order.
  • Old Port Slice Bar – call (207) 899-3364 to order.
  • Otto Pizza – has delivery and takeout. You can order online.
  • Pat’s Pizza – order online.
  • Pizzaiolo – order online.
  • Pizza Villa – call (207) 774-1777 to order.
  • Portland Pie Company – order online. 🍸
  • Radici – order online.
  • Slab – order online.
• Poke
  • Crunchy Poke – order online.
• Pub
  • Batson River  – order online.🍸
  • Bayside Bowl – order online.🍸
  • Binga’s Stadium – call (207) 699-4263 to order.
  • Black Cow – order online.🍸
  • CBG – call (207) 613-9356 to order.
  • Commercial Street Pub – call (207) 761-9970 to order.
  • Down Town Lounge – call (207) 773-1363 to order.
  • Fire & Co. – at Rising Tide on Fox Street, order online.
  • Gritty McDuff’s – call (207) 772-2739 to order.
  • Liquid Riot – order online. 🍸
  • LFK – call (207) 899-3277 to order. 🍸
  • Nosh – call (207)553-2227 to order.
  • Ruski’s – call (207) 899-3277 to order. 🍸
  • Portland Mash Tun – call (207) 261-0490 to order.
  • Samuel’s – call (207) 797-6924 to order.
  • Shay’s – order online. 🍸
  • Three Dollar Deweys – call (207) 772-3310 to order.
  • Tomasso’s – order Online.
  • The Great Lost Bear – call (207) 772-0300 to order. 🍸
• Seafood
  • Boone’s – order online.
  • DiMillo’s – order online.🍸
  • Eventide Oyster Co. – order online.🍸
  • Gilbert’s Chowder House – call (207) 871-5636 to order.
  • Highroller Lobster Company – order online. 🍸
  • Island Lobster Company – order online.
  • Luke’s – order online.
  • Susan’s Fish & Chips – call (207) 878-3240 to order.
• Thai
  • Boda – order online. 🍸
  • Mi Sen Noodle Bar – order online.
  • Pom’s Thai – order online.
  • Sabieng Thai – call (207) 253-5311 to order.
  • Saeng Thai House – order online.
  • Thai Essan – call (207) 536-0752 to order.
  • Veranda Thai – order online.
  • Vientiane – call (207) 879-1614 to order.
• Vietnamese
  • Banh Appetit – call (207) 613-9399 to order.
  • Huong’s Vietnamese – call (207) 775-2344 to order.
  • Pho Huong – order online.
  • Saigon – call (207) 874-6666 to order.
  • Sun Vietnamese – call (207) 613-9036 to order.
  • Thanh Thanh 2 – call (207) 828-1114 to order.
  • Veranda Noodle House – order online.
• Vegan
  • Green Elephant – order online.

BAKERIES, DONUTS & BAGELS

• 158 Pickett Street Cafe – order online.
• Bam Bam Bakery – takes pre-orders for a weekly pick-up, order online.
• Big Sky Bread – call (207) 761-5623 to order.
• Botto’s – order online.
• Forage Market – order online.
• Gross Confection Bar – order online.
• HiFi Donuts – call (207) 747 5314 to order.
• Katie Made – call (207) 771-0994 to order.
• Mister Bagel – will have takeout Forest Ave location, call (207) 775-0718 to order.
• Night Moves Bread – order online.
• Norimoto Bakery – order online.
• Rose Foods – order online.
• Scratch Baking – order online.
• Standard Baking – order online.
• Sugar Giant – order online.
• Sweet Woodruff Provisions – takes pre-orders for weekend delivery, order online.
• The Holy Donut – order online.
• Tony’s Donuts – call (207) 772-2727 to order.
• Two Fat Cats – order online.

CANDY, CHOCOLATE, ICE CREAM, GELATO

• Captain Sam’s – order online.
• Chocolats Passion – order online.
• Dean’s Sweets – call (207) 899-3664 to order.
• Gelato Fiasco – order online.
• Gorgeous Gelato – order online.
• Old Port Candy – order online.
• Parlor Ice Cream – has  ice cream delivery in Biddeford and Portland, order online.
• Sticky Sweet – order online.

COFFEE, TEA & JUICE

• Arabica – walk-in takeout.
• Bard Coffee – order online.
• Blake Orchard – order online.
• Burke’s Perks – call (207) 536-1004 to order.
• Coffee by Design – order online.
• Coffee ME Up – call (207) 536-1279 to order.
• Dobra Tea – order online.
• Hilltop Coffee – order via app.
• Higher Ground – order online.
• Homegrown Herb & Tea – has takeout.
• Little Woodfords – order online.
• Maine Juice Co. – order online.
• Maine Squeeze – order online.
• Rwanda Bean – from their South Portland and Deering locations.
• The Proper Cup – order online.
• Speckled Ax – walk-in takeout from both the Congress Street and Thames Street locations.
• Tandem Coffee – re-opening in February.
• Uncharted Tea – order online.
• Yordprom – walk-in takeout.

BEER, WINE & SPIRITS

• CarHop – handles delivery for a growing number of breweries and distilleries. Check their website to see if the list includes one of the ones you’re interested in.
• Drizzly – Drizzly is an alcohol delivery service that delivers for Old Port Spirits and Old Port Wine Merchants.
• Breweries and distilleries – nearly all breweries and distilleries have takeout. Check with your favorite brewery for details.
• 1820 Wines – Online ordering for delivery and pick-up.
• Bier Cellar – online ordering.
• Bow Street Beverage – call (207) 228-2024 or email cheers@bowstreetbeverage.com to order for pick-up.
• Grippy Tannins – call (207) 747-4524, text (207) 650-1195, or email lindsey@grippytannins.com to order for pick-up.
• Juice Caboose – order online.
• Lorne – order online.
• Maine & Loire – order online.
• Old Port Wine – has curbside pick-up.
• Portland Beer Hub – order online.
• RSVP – call (207) 773-8808 to order.
• SoPo Seafood – order online.
• Urban Farm Fermentory – order online.
• Wine Wise – wine delivery, order online.

SEAFOOD

• Browne Trading – call (207) 775-7560 or email market@brownetrading.com to order.
• Gulf of Maine Sashimi – is selling fish fillets and whole fish for pick-up at several locations, order online.
• Harbor Fish – has curbside takeout service as well as delivery, order online.
• Free Range Fish and Lobster – call (207) 774-8469.
• PJ Merrill – call (207) 773-1321.
• Portland Oyster Shop – has takeout for oysters and tinned fish, order online.
• SoPo Seafood – delivers, order online.
• Buy Direct from Oyster Farms – Maine Oyster Co has put together this list of Maine oyster farms.
• Maine Coast Fishmermen’s – has a list of seafood purveyors doing pick-up and online orders.

The Press Herald reports a decision by the city to close Dana, Milk and Wharf Streets as well as a part of Middle Street to car traffic but to re-open Exchange Street for regular vehicular traffic.

The barricades last year allowed some businesses to expand outdoor seating or shopping into the empty street, so customers could avoid coming indoors and practice social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some businesses, especially restaurants, took advantage of that option. Others, particularly retailers, said their foot traffic dropped. The city reopened the streets when the temperatures dropped in November but allowed outdoor dining to continue.

WCYY reports that Anthony’s Italian Kitchen has received support from the Barstool Fund, a $35 Million fund to help restaurants during the pandemic.

The Barstool Fund will cover a number of expenses for Anthony’s until they can open and operate as they did prior to the pandemic. One of the key conditions for receiving assistance from The Barstool Fund was that restaurants had to be keeping a full payroll throughout the pandemic.

The 9 pm closing time implemented in Maine to curtail the spread of Covid-19 has been rolled back, reports the Press Herald.

Beginning Monday, businesses that had been subject to the requirement may resume evening operating hours while continuing to follow other public health and safety requirements. Mills pointed to Maine’s declining rate of positive tests and fewer cases per million people to support her decision.