A pair of new businesses have announced their opening plans:
Portland Mash Tun opened their doors last night. The bar and brewpub operates a ½ barrel brewery onsite at 29 Wharf Street. Owner Rick Binet is also a co-owner of the King’s Head Pub.
Mash Tun serves a small menu that includes: a grass fed burger, veggie burger, Parmesan salad, sauteed Brussels sprouts, and a cheese plate.
The Drifter’s Wife (website, facebook, instagram) is scheduled to open on Tuesday at 4pm. The natural wine bar has been built into the front half of Maine & Loire at 63 Washington Ave.
Owners Orenda and Peter Hale are working with their former Wythe hotel colleague, chef Ben Jackson to launch the wine bar. The opening night menu is still in the works but you see a draft on the Drifter’s Wife website.
The Blueberry Files has published a report on the opening of Rhum.
It’s what Portland has been missing – a lounge full of escapism with an air of mystery. It’s the perfect place to sip on some rum until beach weather returns.
Urban Eye has posted a report on Rhum.
There are pupu platters and fog cutters, scorpion bowls and miso soup, chopsticks and umbrella drinks. But similarities to all Asian-themed restaurants you know and love end at Rhum’s octopus door handles.
Rhum (website, facebook, instagram) held an friends and family preview last night and opens to the public today—the bar opens at 4pm and the kitchen at 5pm.
The tiki bar and restaurant is a partnership between Jason Loring, owner of Nosh and Slab; Mike Fraser, owner of Bramhall Pub; Nat Towl, builder and designer with the all star team of Frank Warren Anderson, Fred Eliot, Sam Babcock, and Rebecca Ambrosi.
The bar serves tiki-themed cocktails such as the King Kong Sledgehammer, Painkiller, Junglebird and mocktails. You can also get large format drinks (“Why settle for a flagon when you can have the whole cask?”) that serve up to 7 people.
Rhum features a raw bar serving Island Creek Oysters by the half dozen and seafood towers that include Peruvian scallops, Mexican shrimp, Maine mussels, king crab and lobster. There’s also a menu of small plate dishes. My favorite so far has been the Hiramasa Poke (photo) made with coconut vadouvan, pineapple and fried shallots. See below for the full list of options, and pictures of the food and space are available on Instagram.
Pizzaiolo (website, facebook) opened earlier this week. The New York-style pizzeria is located at 360 Cumberland Ave in West Bayside. You can see a full menu on their Facebook page.
Woodford Food & Beverage (facebook, twitter, instagram, website) has announced plans to open on Wednesday January 20th at 5pm.The 85-seat restaurant is located in the center of Woodfords Corner, 660 Forest Ave, at the location of the original Valle’s Steakhouse.
Chef Courtney Loreg with owners Birch Shambaugh and Fayth Preyer have had as their goal to create a “classic neighborhood eatery where you can count on having a reasonable, simple meal or, when you feel like it, something a bit more special”.
Here’s and advance look at the opening night menu (click to enlarge). There’s a daily rotating list of specials (I’m looking forward to Friday’s braised lamb shanks) along with a mix of classic neighborhood restaurant dishes like roast chicken, strip steak, brussels sprouts, mussels and roast beet salad. The menu’s accompanied by a food friendly list of wine and beer and a short list of cocktails.
Woodford Food & Beverage will be open dinner 6 days a week (closed Tuesdays). They plan to start serving Sunday brunch (10-3) on January 31st.
Liquid Riot is releasing a fernet style amaro which they have named Fernet Michaud. The Fernet goes on sale at Commercial Street brewpub and distillery starting on Thursday.
Intervale Mercantile Co.(instagram) had a soft opening on Saturday and is now “slightly open“, 10-2 Monday through Friday with a grand opening planned for Saturday.
Intervale is located at 4 School Street in Freeport. A studio and retail shop for Erik Desjarlais’ line of Weft & Warp brand products (knife rolls, aprons, leather goods, etc) as well as a growing assortment of vintage chefs knive, grooming products and an interesting collection of flatware based jewelry and decorative items.