Category: Openings

555’s New Private Dining Room

| Posted in Openings

2013-11-25 555 Private Dining ©Jeff Roberts Imaging (8)

Five Fifty-Five created a beautiful new private dining room on the 3rd floor of their building. The room can be set up in a number of different configurations and seats a maximum of 30-35. A projection screen is available for business presentations.

There are only a handful of private dining rooms in Portland and so this space begins to address that need. Hopefully some of the other restaurants in town also follow Five Fifty-Five’s lead.

For more information on the room contact Sarah Allenby, Five Fifty-Five’s manager of marketing and events at sarah@fivefifty-five.com.

Photo credit: Jeff Roberts Imaging

2013-11-25 555 Private Dining ©Jeff Roberts Imaging (12)

2013-11-25 555 Private Dining ©Jeff Roberts Imaging (7)

2013-11-25 555 Private Dining ©Jeff Roberts Imaging (11)

Otto’s Big Opening

| Posted in Openings

The Bangor Daily News has posted a report on Otto’s opening of their new restaurant in South Portland.

“This is wicked good,” said City Councilor Linda Cohen, grabbing a butternut squash, ricotta and cranberry slice at the soft opening Monday night.

Judging by the turnout, OTTO’s eighth store, in a renovated garage, and second new shop in two weeks, is in the right place at the right time.

“They wanted us here,” said co-owner Anthony Allen, mingling with customers and handing out free pizza. “It’s nice to be wanted.”

New SoPo Bakery: Mainly Grains Bakers

| Posted in Openings

A new bakery, Mainly Grains Bakers (facebook), opened this past week in South Portland. Mainly Grains is run by Deb and baker Carlos Garcia. Carlos Garcia comes from a family of bakers and its been Carlos Garcia’s ambition to open a shop of his own.

Mainly Grains Bakers sell a range of breads (I recommend the seeded Prairie Bread), danish and turnovers (apple, blueberry, raspberry) and cookies.

The bakery is located at 904 Broadway and they’re open Tuesday through Sunday. They’re open today until 1 pm.

mainlygrains

Changes on Exchange Street: Steak House, Mornings in Paris, Holy Donut #2

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings, Closings

There are a number of changes taking place on Exchange Street:

  • The Mornings in Paris coffee shop at 13 Exchange Street is closing down sometime next month. From what I’ve heard the owners are closing their Portland location in order to focus their energies on the MiP in Kennebunk.
  • The new Holy Donut location at 7 Exchange Street is scheduled to open this coming Wednesday at 7 am.
  • North Point owner Daniel Talmatch is launching a steakhouse. He’s hasn’t signed a lease yet but hopes to locate the new restaurant at 106 Exchange, the longtime home of Oriental Table.

Empire Chinese Kitchen Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Empire Chinese Kitchen (website, facebook) has now opened at 575 Congress Street. The venue has been completely recast by owners Theresa Chan and Todd Bernard as a Chinese dim sum restaurant—harkening back to the building’s early 20th century past as a Chinese restaurant. Despite the rain, the restaurant was packed when The Blueberry Files and I stopped by for dinner.

According to the Press Herald,

The menu, a press release sent out today says, will feature “truly authentic Chinese cuisine and Dim Sum. The menu of traditional and modern ‘Chinese soul food’ will feature local meats, seafoods, and seasonal produce. The kitchen will be headed by a Dim Sum Master Chef with 40 years’ experience creating specialty dumplings in world class kitchens around the world.”

For more details see today’s article about Empire from the Bangor Daily News.

Historical tidbit: Maine’s first Chinese restaurant was opened on Custom House Wharf by Ar Tee Lam in 1880.