Category: Under Construction

Under Construction: Chez Nous, Liquid M2, Thai 9

| Posted in Under Construction

Three new food businesses are under construction in Portland:

  • Chez Nous is under development at 52 Washington Ave, the current home of Chiang Mai site. Owner Colombe Kahindo is launching an African restaurant, and a draft menu is available on page 22 of the City Council materials for tonight’s meeting.
  • Liquid M2 (facebook) is under construction at 465 Fore Street in Two Portland Square. Owner Jacqueline McClure plans to serve “smoothies, cold pressed juices and a healthy food menu…bottled beer, wine and cocktails” with a vegetarian/vegan focus. A draft menu is available on pages 39-43 of the City Council materials.
  • Owner Khone Sansay plans to open Thai 9 (website, facebook) at 90 Exchange, the current home of Little Seoul. Sansay currently runs a restaurant with the same name near Cabela’s in Scarborough. A draft menu is available on pages 56-57.

For more info on all the Portland businesses under development see the PFM Under Construction List.

Conley and Mitchell at The Palace

| Posted in Under Construction, People

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Chad Conley, head chef at Gather, and business partner Greg Mitchell have leased the Palace Diner (website, facebook, twitter) on Franklin Street in Biddeford with plans to relaunch the business this Spring. The pair plan to maintain a traditional diner menu for breakfast and lunch. In the evening they’ll be launching a dinner service with more creative fare, and have submitted an application for liquor license. During warmer weather they’ll have outdoor seating.

Conley is a Portland native who in addition to Gather has cooked at Hugo’s and Jean-Georges in NYC. He worked for Eliot Coleman at Four Season Farm in Harborside and helped launch Miyake Farms in Freeport. He and Mitchell met when they were both working  Four Season Farm.

The Palace Diner was founded by Louis LaChance in 1927 and is being leased to Conley and Mitchell by the current owner, David Capotosto. It was built by the Pollard Company in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The new Palace Diner joins a growing community of food businesses in Biddeford. the former mill town is home to Rabelais which moved their in 2011, Elements coffee shop/bookstore, Royal Rose cocktail syrup (a Brooklyn transplant), Cobblestones (formerly located on Monument Square), newly launched Banded Horn Brewing and the production facilities for Vervacious. The low rent and steadily growing downtown community are making it an appealing place to launch a business. A number of other Portland chefs have recently considered opening in Biddeford. Conley and Mitchell’s may become an example for other chefs looking to launch their own restaurant.

These photos are from a friends and family breakfast Conly and Mitchell held yesterday to celebrate their new business.

Gather is now in the process of recruiting a new head chef.

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Under Construction: Bissell Brothers, Austin Street & Foundation Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Three Portland breweries under construction on Industrial Way are making good progress:

For some additional details on Austin Street and Bissell see the What Ales You column in today’s paper.

Interview with David Levi

| Posted in Under Construction

Eater Maine has published an interview with David Levi.

Vinland, the highly anticipated and long-in-the-works 100% local restaurant coming to the Arts District, is shooting to open on Dec. 6, according to chef/owner David Levi. Much progress has been done on the interior: an ultra-efficient heating/cooling unit has been installed, plumbing, electrical and fire suppression systems are mostly complete, and the kitchen is nearly operational.

Under Construction: Interview with David Levi

| Posted in Under Construction, People

SoupWhiteBackground4-300x284The Ink & Pine podcast has posted an interview with David Levi about his restaurant Vinland.

Listen in to hear how top chefs in Italy and Denmark influenced Levi’s decisions about Vinland, how to fill a Maine kitchen with exclusively Maine foods, why lard has a bad rap and much more. Here, David Levi will discuss everything from a future Portland culinary school to foraging for edible mushrooms in New York City’s Central Park to the gourmet preparation of reindeer lichen. What food staples could be locally grown in Maine, but aren’t?

Under Construction: Colucci’s

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The Press Herald reports that work has begun to renovate and eventually reopen Colucci’s.

The city of Portland’s inspections division approved a building permit Oct. 30 to Congress 135 Market LLC to “rehabilitate and renovate” Colucci’s Hilltop Superette at 135 Congress St.

The renovation work began Tuesday. According to documents filed with the city, the renovation is expected to cost $300,000.

Under Construction: Fiore Artisan Olive Oils & Vinegars

| Posted in Under Construction

Fiore Artisan Olive Oils & Vinegars will be opening a store in Freeport later this month, according to a report from Maine a la Carte.

Fiore Artisan Olive Oils & Vinegars will open its third store and tasting room Nov. 21 in Freeport, giving southern Maine cooks easy access to its unfiltered olive oils infused with flavors like blood orange, chipotle, Baklouti green chili and Persian lime.

Under Construction: Coffee by Design in East Bayside

| Posted in Under Construction

The Bangor Daily News has published a report on the large roasting facility and cafe that Coffee by Design is constructing in East Bayside.

They are building a futuristic cafe, which opens in early 2014. Anchored by an island bar, it will showcase the latest coffee extraction techniques. Because the coffee industry is changing rapidly, so are they.

“We want to make this fun,” said Spear. “We want people to have choices.”

Customers will be able to make their own blends, join a home-roasting club and, much like a brewery, go behind the scenes to smell, taste and sample beans as they go from bag to cup.