Category: Openings

A new initiative called the ReUp ME Restaurant Relief Fund is raising money to help restaurants when they reopen. Organizers are hoping to raise $1 million dollars, and will “provide direct and in-kind financial support on a sliding scale from $500 to $15,000 to each restaurant award recipient.”

The ReUp ME Restaurant Relief Fund was created to directly support restaurants who are in the midst of reopening, rehiring, and restocking.  It is anticipated that rebuilding of the Maine hospitality economy is going to take several years. The next 6 months will be critical to saving and helping to sustain Maine’s passionate restaurant owners.  

Mainers have always taken great pride in supporting their communities across all sixteen counties. If we mobilize quickly, this approach will create a profound and unified message of hope and inspire consumers inside and outside the state to donate.

Restaurants can apply to be a grant recipient online.

You can donate to the fund online.

As part of the kick-off for the ReUp Fund, Taste of Maine is launching the Sunday Supper online chef cook-along show. The first episode is scheduled to go live on August 23rd and will feature chefs Ilma Lopez, David Turin, Paolo Laboa, Charlie Zorich, Kirk Linder and Dorene Mills.

Sal de la Tierra (instagram) opened for business today. Their hours are 9 am to 9 pm. They have both indoor and outdoor seating as well as takeout.

Owners Carlos Sanchez and Isai Galvez renovated the former Wild Burritos space at 581 Congress Street where they’re serving a menu of Puerto Rican, Mexican and Salvadoran food. I enjoyed the grilled tilapia with rice, salad and a glass of horchata for lunch.

The George’s North Shore (instagram, facebook) food truck is set to launch today at noon at Battery Steele Brewing. Owners Logan and Alison Abbey relocated from Massachusetts several years ago and the North Shore roast beef sandwich is a taste of home they’d like to introduce in Portland.

The feature item on the menu will be a Super Beef Threeway: a grilled buttered bun, thin-sliced rare roast beef, topped with white American cheese, mayo and James River BBQ sauce. George’s is named for their dog, George Costanza.

Navis Cafe (website, facebook, instagram) is opening today serving breakfast and a lunch menu of soups, salads and sandwiches.

Navis is located in the first floor of the WEX building at 56 Thames Street.

A new food truck called Halsted’s Chicago Style Eats (instagram, facebook) launched this past weekend. Founders Angela and Jeff Aspito and Joel Jeffrey are serving up a menu of Vienna hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches—food classics from their native home of Chicago.

You can find them Saturday from 12-6 at Cornerstone Tile (1438 Washington Ave) and on Sunday 12-6 on the Eastern prom. In the meantime check out their promo video.

Jefe Juan’s (instagram) has opened for business at 47 Wharf Street. The sister restaurant of Portland Mash Tun, Jefe Juan’s serves a menu of Mexican barbacoa, burritos, tostadas.

A new restaurant called Paella Seafood (facebook, instagram) has opened at 849 Forest Ave in the former Miller Brother’s Seafood location. Paella Seafood serves paella and a range of other seafood-centered dishes.

A new food truck called Little Easy Snoballs (website, instagram, facebook) launched yesterday at Back Cove.

Owner Lauren Gauthier offers up 30+ flavors of snoballs (classic snoball flavors and some house specials) you can also get yours topped with marshmallow fluff, condensed milk or “stuffed” with ice cream. I got a peach flavored snoball with ice cream.

Gauthier plans to locate Little Easy on Back Cove on weekdays and on the Eastern Prom on weekends.