Category: Maine

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

• 
  Silly’s owner Colleen Kelley has bought a building in Standish where she plans to reopen her restaurant. Kelly closed her last restaurant on Washington Ave in 2022. She has been operating a food truck in Standish since last October. Kelley plans to continue serving from the food truck while compelting renovations to her new building at 131 Osipee Road West.
• The August issue of Down East magazine includes an article about Rodney’s at 436 Main which is located at the Northeastland hotel in Presque Isle. The article describes Rodney’s as a “community anchor and one of the highest-aiming restaurants north of Bangor, it’s well worth a reservation the next time you’re in the County.”
• The Bangor Daily News reports that the former Tozier’s Family Market in Searsport has been purchased by Edwards Brothers Supermarkets with plans to reopen it in late November.
• The Owners of Joshua’s Tavern in Brunswick announced that they’ll be closing down their restaurant after 35 years in business. Their last day of service will be September 28th. For additional reporting, read this article from the Times Record.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

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

• Food & Wine magazine shared their selection of seven “standout lobster rolls” to be found in Maine. Toping their list are the lobster rolls at McLoons in South Thomaston, Nub’s in Cape Neddick, Latitudes in Kennebunkport, Twelve, Sur Lie, Il Leone and Luke’s Lobster in Portland.
• A new brewery called Island Park Brewing (instagram) is scheduled to open today in Winthrop.
• Maiz has announced that they’ll be closing their Brunswick location at the end of this month.
• Hannah Adams and chef Devin Dearden announced plans to launch a new restaurant called Winona’s (instagram)  in Camden.
• The Alna Store has hired Ben Slattery as their new chef de cuisine
• The Bangor Daily News published a report on grain farming in Maine.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

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

• 13 Oak (website, instagram) opened has opened for business. The 36-seat Rockland restaurant has been launched by the team from Fresh & Co. in Camden. It’s located at 13 Oak Street (see above) in the building that had been the longtime home of Cafe Miranda. The menu features dishes like a 14-ounce porterhouse pork chop and a roast eggplant with lentils and red sauce. 13 Oak will initially be open Monday through Friday, 5 – 9 pm. Cafe Miranda owner Kerry Altiero closed the cafe in 2022 after operating the restaurant for 29 years.
• The Times Record reports that a German bakery and restaurant called The Pelzer (website, facebook, instagram) recently opened in Bath. It’s located at 79-99 Commercial Street and is open 9 am – 5 pm daily (10 am on Sundays). You can see the full menu on their website.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that an Ecuadorian restaurant is the latest eatery to launch out of the Korean Dad incubation space in Veazie. Galindo’s Authentic Ecuadorian Cuisine (facebook) is open on Saturdays 11 am – 7 pm and are serving a menu that includes seco de pollo, ceviche and carne con menestra.
• The Lewiston Sun Journal has published a feature article about Sebagel (preorder, instagram), a relatively new bagel producer, that bakes at Poland Provisions and has weekend pop-ups at Lakeside Dairy Bar in Naples.
• Inside Hook has published an article on the expanding Maine oyster aquaculture industry.
• Maine Public has aired a report on the sovereign market in Stockholm.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

National press keeps rolling in about the Maine food scene. Here are the most recent highlights:

• Andrew Zimmern called out Fore Street as one of his favorite US restaurants in an article for the BBC.
• Wine Enthusiasts showcases the Janara walnut liqueur from Luce Spirits in Rockland and the A7 Americano aromatized wine from Maine-based winemaker RAS in an article that asks Is American Amaro the Next Big Thing?
• FSR Magazine has published an interview with Mimi Weissenborn who is the chef at Sur Lie in Portland, Gather in Yarmouth and Cat Face in Biddeford.
• Whiskey Advocate highlighted a selection of 7 Destinations for Whisky Lovers in Portland.

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

• Lee Frank has leased the former Gravy location in Wells (321 US Route 1, above left) where he plans to open a second location of his eponymous restaurant Lee Frank’s (website, facebook, instagram). The menu, branding and concept is expected to remain the same in Wells as at the original Lee Frank’s which opened in South Berwick in 2021. Brooke Frank will be the general manager of both restaurants. The Franks hope to open the Wells location in late August and expect they’ll seasonally close the restaurant in January and February. While there are no definite plans, they may expand to other communities in the future.
• Aragosta (website, facebook, instagram) on Deer Isle and its chef/owner Devin Finigan are the subject of a feature article in the August issue of Food & Wine magazine (above right). The April issue of F&W had named Aragosta to their list of the Top 20 Restaurants in the United States.
• The Bangor Daily News published a report about The Key Room (facebook) a new cocktail bar that opened this week in Bangor. Owners Tan Tai, Katie Ratchatavech and Jira Rustana also operate Umami Noodle Bar which is next door to the bar.
• Avery Yale Kamila has assembled a round-up of Maine plant-based food news for the Maine Sunday Telegram.
• Cat Biggar and chef Derek Ronspies have announced they’ll be closing down Black Goat Test Kitchen in Warren later this year and moving to Europe to launch a new business. Additional details on the timing of their departure and where they’re relocating to are still TBD.
• Chef/owner Christian Hayes announced he’ll be closing his restaurant The Garrison. Tonight is the Yarmouth restaurant’s last night in business.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Chef Khristoher Hogg opened his new Swanville restaurant Circumstance (website, instagram) in early June. It’s open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, Saturday afternoon for snacks and wine, and for Sunday brunch.

For dinner Circumstance customers have a choice between a 3- or 6-course menu. Wine and cider are available by the glass or bottle along with an optional set of pairings to go with your meal. Here’s a look at the restaurant and some of the dishes from a meal last weekend:

• The entrance to the barn/restaurant in Swanville 
• A bowl of fennel soup with oyster cream and dried scallop flakes with a glass of Oyster River Winegrowers Morphos from the Midcoast
• A bread salad made with fermented Japanese knotweed, radishes, roasted garlic and feta
• Day Lilies stuffed with a pork rillette with carrot and browned honey sauce
• A glass of Iapetus Tectonic wine from Vermont
• Pork and chanterelle sausage with confit leeks and chanterelles
• The full menu for the dinner
• Chef/owner Khristoher Hogg at work in the open kitchen

Circumstance is open now through early October. See their website for more information on the menu and details on making dinner reservations.

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

• The Waterville Morning Sentinel has a report on the sudden closure of Big G’s in Winslow. The restaurant launched in 1986 in town and had been at its current location since the mid 1990s.
• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new “Sicilian-inspired” restaurant called My Buddy’s Place (instagram) has opened in the space formerly occupied by Friar’s Brewhouse Tap Room which closed last year. My Buddy’s Place is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am – 8 pm and Sunday 8 am – 3 pm.
• Harbor Burger Shack (instagram) opened last week in Kittery. They’re located at 355 US Route 1. Mainebiz reports that the restaurant is part of the First Serve Hospitality Group which include Bob’s Clam Hut and Mabel’s Lobster Claw. Harbor Burger Shack will be open daily, 11 am – 9 pm.
• Mainebiz also has a report on the Black Moon Public House (facebook) in Ellsworth which opened in early June.
• A recent Forbes article about Biddeford and Kennebunkport highlights Magnus on Water, the White Barn Inn, Palace Diner, Elements, Fish & Whistle, Nibblesford, Dizzy Birds Rotisserie, Vietnamese Que Huong, the Chinese Happy Dragon Restaurant, The Jewel of India, Thai ME, Layalina, Batson River, and Mexican Coco Bar & Grill.
• The Press Herald reports on the relaunch of Dennett’s Wharf (website, facebook, instagram) in Castine.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

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

• The Bangor Daily News reports that a new cocktail lounge called Barliman’s is under construction in Bangor and expected to open in August. “Barliman’s, a new restaurant and bar that will serve cocktails, hearty farm-to-table snacks and plenty of nonalcoholic options, is the brainchild of local developers and a former co-owner of The Fiddlehead, a shuttered Bangor restaurant.”
• Uncle Willy’s Candy Shoppe in Camden has closed. The building recently sold and the new owner will be using the retail space for a different business. Uncle Willy’s itself has been for sale and remains on the market. According to a report from The Courier-Gazette, July 7th was the last day in business for Uncle Willy’s.
• The Bier Cellar has announced they’re closing their location in Gorham. “We hope this message finds you well. We wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude for your unwavering support over the past 5 years. It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that we will be closing the Gorham store at the end of July, with our last day being Sunday the 21st.”
• The June edition of Down East included articles about Northern Maine Kolache in Van Buren and Alsace restaurant in Union, and the July edition includes an article about the new restaurant in South Berwick, Secundo.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.