Category: Maine

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine, Openings

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • Scandinavia takeout bakery Fika (website, instagram) has opened for business in Saco. Fika is located just a few steps off Main Street at 17 Storer Street. Their menu included breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, cardamom buns, galettes, olive oil cake and other pastries plus coffee from George Howell Coffee. They’re open Friday/Saturday 7:30 am – 2 pm, and Sunday: 8 am – noon.
  • The Lincoln County News has a pair of updates from Round Pond. Dot’s Bakery has closed after 40 years in business., and the Round Pond Coffee has launched an evening wine bar. The new wine bar is called The Common House (facebook) serves wine, beer and meat and cheese boards Friday through Monday, 4 – 8:30 pm.

Bon Vivant Now Open in Lewiston

| Posted in Maine, Openings

Sonder & Dram in Lewiston has launched their new restaurant Bon Vivant (website, instagram) which is located at 133 Lisbon Street just upstairs from the cocktail bar. The ~50-seat restaurant features a long orange banquette along the left wall as well as central table seating and a cocktail bar and lounge area.

The beverage menu includes a selection of classic cocktails as well as New World and Old World wines by the glass and bottle, and a pair of draft beer from Oxbow Brewing and Definitive Brewing. Chef and co-owner Michael Gosselin is has put together a menu of contemporary small plates, steaks and entrees. Creme brulee, a lemon sabayon tart and a chocolate eclair are available for dessert along with a selection of after dinner cocktails, madeira and port.

The restaurant is open Wednesday through Saturday and on Monday, 4:30 – 9 pm. Reservations are available on Resy. For additional reporting on Bon Vivant read this article from the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Vuong Joining Tao

| Posted in Maine, Under Construction

The Press Herald reports that Frying Dutchman chef/owner Leon Vuong will be closing down his business to fully devote his time in a new direction. Vuong will be working with Cara Stadler as a head chef and a business partner in the relaunch of Stadler’s Brunswick restaurant Tao Yuan.

Vuong, who has fine-dining cooking experience including at the Barbara Lynch restaurant Menton in Boston, said he’ll retire most of his Frying Dutchman dishes along with the venue itself. At Tao Yuan, Vuong said he expects they’ll keep some of the signature dishes from the pre-pandemic restaurant, but about 50 percent of the small plates and tasting menu dishes will be new, like a bahn mi savory eclair course he’s been fine-tuning.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine, Openings

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • The newly renovated Norumbega (instagram) hotel in Camden is launching a new cocktail bar (see photos above). The menu centers on classic cocktails and is accompanied by a menu from chef Marymarcel Densmore including some dishes from her home country of Peru. The bar will be open Sunday through Tuesday, 4 – 7 pm starting on July 16th. The Norumbega is also playing host to a series of pop-up dinners this summer prepared by E. Wales Hospitality (the former operators of Blue Spoon in Portland).
  • The newly renovated Waldoboro Inn (instagram) has launched their new wine bar. Styled Ida’s the bar is named for Ida Stahl who’s family operated the Waldoboro Inn (and the co-located Stahl’s Tavern) in the mid-20th Century. Ida’s is open July 14-16th, 4 – 10 pm.
  • Down East magazine has published an article about Simones’ Hot Dogs in Lewiston which opened in 1908 and has been run by grandson of the founder for the past 50 years.
  • Tallulah’s (instagram), the new barn bar at The Waterford Inne in Waterford, opened this weekend (reservations required). The menu will include small plates and snacks, ice cream sandwiches, cocktails, wine, beer, and cider.
  • The Place Bakery (instagram) opened this weekend in Camden. The opening menu includes a range of baked goods including sweet and savory croissants, Dannish, brreads, cookies, pie and cake. This weekend and next they’ll be open Saturday/Sunday…look for expanded hours in the future.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine, Under Construction

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • The Lincoln County News reports that Jodie Roquemore, owner of Jodie’s Cafe and Bakery, has purchased the former Sarah’s Cafe in Wiscasset where she plans to open a new restaurant later this summer.
  • The Penbay Pilot includes an article about the Maine Produce Alliance (website, instagram) which is a network of ~50 Maine farmers that sells to restaurants accounts, natural food stores, farmer’s markets and other wholesale customers.
  • And a little further afield Boda co-owner Nattasak ‘Bob’ Wongsaichua is opening an Isaan Thai restaurant and bar in Portsmouth called Five 81 NE (website, instagram). Wongsaichua plans to open Five 81 NE later this month.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine, Under Construction

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • The Lincoln County News reports that Sarah’s Cafe in Wiscassett served their last meal on last Friday . Sarah’s was launched by owner Sarah Heald in 1987.
  • The Danish at Jackrabbit got a shoutout in the July edition of Food & Wine. The recognition came via fellow Biddeford baker Kelsey Mari Morgan who wrote, “It’s tough to forget a beautifully made pastry that celebrates seasonal fruit. I’m a sucker for summer berries, and Jakrabbit’s strawberry Danish, filled with locally grown strawberries, is a special kind of treasure.”
  • The Bangor Daily News shared a report on two Midcoast restaurants featuring French cuisine: Bistro La Cave (website, instagram) which recently opened in Camden and Alsace (instagram) which is expected to open later this summer in Union.
  • Mainebiz reports that Waterville-based Sunrise Bagel will be  opening a second location in Augusta.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine, Openings

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • Oystehers (website, instagram) held their grand opening this past weekend in Bath. The oyster bar is located at 97 Commercial Street and features waterfront outdoor seating. Oysterhers is owned by sisters Sadia and Lauren Crosby; Sadia Crosby is the owner of Oysthers Sea Farm.
  • Winemaker and Pipette Magazine publisher Rachel Signer (instagram) will be at the Warren Wine Shop for a book signing event on Monday June 26th. Regards chef Neil Zabriskie will be popping-up in Warren with food for the event.
  • Nina Interlandi Bell from Woolwich and chef Shannon Brown from Red’s Eats in Wiscasset have been selected to compete in upcoming episodes of MasterChef and Alex vs. America.
  • Goods (website, instagram) a food-oriented retail shop that opened last summer in Camden now operates an afternoon bar from their location at 31 Elm Street. The Goods bar is open Thursday through Saturday, 4-8 pm. They’re serving a menu of cocktails, wine, beer—traditional and nonalcoholic options available for each—and some light snacks.
  • The Maine Oyster Festival (website, instagram) is taking place now through Sunday in Freeport.

The Quarry Wins Beard Award

| Posted in Maine, General News

Congratulations to The Quarry in Monson, Maine on winning the 2023 James Beard Award for Outstanding Hospitality.

Chef/owner Marilou ‘Lulu’ Ranta accepted the award tonight at the awards ceremony in Chicago, “I never dreamed this—never in my wildest that I’d be standing here today. I just have my restaurant in what I call the boonies, and somehow Mr. Beard still found me. Don’t stop believing, please keep working. I want to thank my husband. He told me I have a Sisu in me.” Sisu is a Finnish word that Ranta explained embodies perseverance, moxie and other qualities.

11 Maine chefs and restaurants were semifinalists in 2023. Maine chefs, restaurants and food professionals have won 10 awards since the Beard Awards program began: five in the Best Chef Northeast category, one in the Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Producer category, one in the Outstanding Hospitality category and three America’s Classics winners. Nezinscot Farm in Turner, Maine was announced as an America’s Classic award winner earlier this year.

For additional reporting see these reports in the Press Herald and Bangor Daily News.