Portland Cap N Stem Company is a new company that’s raising mushrooms for culinary and medicinal use. It’s run by an “Italian Architect and a Norwegian Artist”. Their plan is to sell their products to local restaurants and at farmers markets. They will be one of the vendors at the new Maker’s Market (August 21, 5-9 pm) being run by the Urban Farm Fermentory.
Category: Openings
Boone’s Opening Today
Harding Lee Smith’s new restaurant, Boone’s Fish House & Oyster Room, is set to open today. It’s located on Custom House Wharf making it one of the few restaurants in the city actually on the water. For more than a century the space was the home of Boone’s Restaurant, which was founded in 1898 by Alexander Boone.
This is Smith’s fourth restaurant. He also owns The Front Room, The Grill Room and The Corner Room.
A menu is available on the Boone’s website.
Black Cat Coffee Now Open
Black Cat Coffee opened for business today. They’re located on Stevens Ave in the store front previously occupied by Good Eats Boutique.
Owners Jenny Siler and her husband Keith James Dunlap selected Matt’s Wood Roasted as their coffee roaster. Baked goods are coming from Union Bagel, Standard Baking, Bam Bam and The Holy Donut.
MJ’s Plans to Open on Wednesday (Updated)
MJ’s (website, facebook), the new wine bar in One City Center, plans to open on Wednesday pending final inspections taking place today.
Mark Ohlson, the owner of MJ’s, a Certified Sommelier who has over the years worked a number of Portland restaurants including Perfetto’s, Bull Feeney’s, Walters, Hugo’s, Uffa and Frog and Turtle.
Ohlson plans to serve “30 wines by the glass and half glass from around the world focusing on traditional varieties from prominent regions”. The food menu will consist of a “selection of cheese, nuts, olives and chocolate and appropriate accompaniments”.
Update: MJ’s is on track to open on Wednesday. Mayor Brennan will be on hand for a ribbon cutting at 4pm and the bar will open to the public at 6pm. Take a look at this panoramic photo of the interior.
Under Construction: Pizza at 158
158 Pickett Street Cafe in South Portland has for many years been a destination for bagels, breakfast and lunch. Starting this Friday they’re adding dinner hours serving a menu of specialty pizza and salads.
To start out the new pizza menu will be available on Friday and Saturday nights; additional days will come online once the fall semester at SMCC (right down the street from 158) is in session.
First Look at the Portland & Rochester
The Blueberry Files and I stopped by the check out the newly opened Portland & Rochester Public House and she’s posted an article on her blog about the experience.
The draught list is solid, the cocktail list intriguing, and the wine full of things I’d never even heard of. Entrees range are typical proteins – chicken and steak, but with intriguing sides like spatzle. The restaurant is staffed with industry pros, and the space transformed into a hipper, younger joint.
I encourage my fellow bowlers to stop in and check the place out before or after a game. And the rest of you will just have to make the trek down into Bayside to see this place’s potential for yourself.
Portland & Rochester Now Open
The Portland & Rochester Public House is now open for business. The new restaurant is located in Bayside at 118 Preble Street in the space formerly occupied by G&R DiMillo’s. The P & R’s facebook page describes the public house as having, “[t]he soul of a Bistro and spirit of a Pub” and promises, “The flavors speak to what is grown, made or caught in the beautiful Northeast.”
Garrett Fitzgerald is the owner of the Portland & Rochester and the name of the chef is Chris Clark. Clark moved here from Boston and Fitzgerald moved to Portland from Bar Harbor where he still runs the Bar Harbor Lobster Pound.
Vena’s Fizz House Opening Today
Vena’s Fizz House (facebook, website, twitter) is opening for business today. Vena’s is mixology supply shop that stocks bar tools, glassware, a wide assortment of bitters and syrups, as well as a natural soda bar that serves “natural and organic fruit and herb sodas and slushes”.
Vena’s is located at the corner of Silver and Fore Streets across from Rosie’s in Boothby Square. The shop is the creation of Johanna Corman who together with her husband also runs a general store on Cliff Island.
Supperpie
A new dinner series called Supperpie is being launched next week. It’s the creation of Rocco Salvatore Talarico who was the featured guest chef at the first Pocket Brunch last summer and has played a supporting role at two others.
Supperpie is billed as “meticulously hand-crafted, righteously & unnecessarily gluttonous”. Each of the six dinners in the series will be a 9-course meal. Tickets are $150 per person and are available online at supperpie.com/tickets.
Carman’s Cafe is Now Open
Carman’s Cafe is now open for business. They’re located at 64 Market Street across from Fit to Eat. The store is owned by Darren Thomas and Abigail Johnston and named for Thomas’s grandfather.
Carman’s serves gluten-free baked goods made by Johnston and coffee from Matt’s Wood Roasted Coffee. In addition to be a coffee shop, Carman is also a small bookstore.