Category: Openings

Mark’s Sports Bar (facebook), the sports bar that took over the former Buck’s Naked BBQ spot on Wharf Street, opened over the weekend.

Scratch Baking Company reopened in Willard Square on Tuesday. Bagel production has been delayed due to an equipment malfunction.

Brea Lu Cafe (facebook) reopened yesterday at their location, 9 Cumberland Street in Westbrook.

Brea Lu was founded in 1989 and for 27 operated at 428 Forest Ave. Damage from a fire on Valentine’s Day this year forced them to close and owner Christian DeLuca made the decision earlier this summer to move to Westbrook.

Brea Lu is open 6 – 2 (M-F) and 7 – 2 (weekends).

Big J’s Chicken (website, facebook, instagram) opened earlier today on Thompson’s Point. It’s set-up as a BYOB restaurant which means you’ll be able to grab a 4-pack from Bissell or a bottle of rye from Stroudwater next door and bring them into Big J’s for your meal.

Big J’s also expects to do a brisk take-out business. They’re launching mobile apps for both iOS and Android that enables patrons to place an order and pay online so pick-up is streamlined. There’s even a take-out window that connects into Bissell Brothers in case you want have your fried chicken dinner in the tasting room.

Here’s a look at the menu:

Big J’s will be open 5 days  a week Wednesday  through Sunday, 11-8.

Rossobianco (website, facebook, instagram) held a soft opening Wednesday night. Chef Scott London has put together a menu of Northern Italian cuisine to complement the restaurant’s focus on natural wine.

Rossobianco, founded by David Levi and Colleen Callahan, is located at 3 Deering Ave in Bramhall Square. The grand opening is scheduled to take place on Friday.

Stroudwater Distillery (website, facebook, instagram) is scheduled to open today at noon. The distillery—Portland’s 4th after New England Distilling, Maine Craft Distilling and Liquid Riot—and its tasting room are located at Thompson’s Point in the same building as Bissell Brothers, Cellar Door and Big J’s Chicken Shack (set to debut later this summer).

Stroudwater is “currently rolling out distinctive bottles of Bourbon, Rye, Vodka and Gin”. A list of key staff on the Stroudwater website includes John Myers with the enigmatic title of Boss of the Sauce.

The Blueberry Files has published a first look inside Flying Fox Juice Bar.

It’s pretty much a guarantee that I’ll love anything with beet juice in it, and the carrot combo made it a nice earthy root juice. I love that the juice options are less traditional and tend towards savory, a taste I am personally cultivating in my juice preferences. 

A new food truck called Classic Sliders (website, facebook, twitter) recently got licensed and is now operating in Portland. They serve a menu of full sized sandwiches and sliders.

Fly Fox Juice Bar (instagram, facebook) opened their doors today at 98 Washington Ave. Owner Birch Hincks is serving fresh juices and smoothies as well as iced teas and nitro 44 North Coffee.

Hincks’ vision is to run “a fresh juice and smoothie bar, using a range of local and non-local ingredients. Our focus is to provide products that are delicious, healthy and accessible. Most of our juices and smoothies [will be] more heavily vegetable based, aiming to reduce the amount of sugar content. Our set menu [will be] small, allowing for more space to create rotating seasonally influenced items.”

Flying Fox is open 7:30 – 2.