Category: Under Construction

Cara Stadler, chef owner of Tao Yuan restaurant in Brunswick, will be opening a Portland restaurant this Spring, according to a report from Maine a la Carte.

The West End Deli is moving, and a restaurant featuring Chinese dumplings is already under construction in its place. Chef Cara Stadler, who owns Tao Yuan in Brunswick…confirmed today that the basement of the building at 133 Spring St…is being excavated and the space will be reconfigured into a single-level restaurant. It is expected to open in April or May…

Update: There’s been some question about where the West End Deli is moving to. A reliable source tells me that they plan on moving a couple blocks away on Congress Street.

The Forecaster interviewed Stella Hernandez, co-owner of Bar Lola, about the plans she and husband Guy have to close Bar Lola and open a new restaurant.

The new eatery will offer “a bit more diversity” in its menu, although the precise nature of the cuisine is still being determined, according to Hernandez.

“We’d like to step outside the structure (of Bar Lola) and create more freedom for our diners and for ourselves,” she said. “But the way we approach food and the way we approach service won’t change.”

Mainely Wraps (website, facebook) has leased 339 Fore Street in Boothby Square. This will be the 3rd location for Mainely Wraps which also has shops in Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough. Mainely Wraps was founded by Rich & Naphtali Maynard.

339 Fore was most recently the home of the short-lived Compass Rose, and prior to that has been occupied by Sebastian’s, Apsara, Shima.

For a complete list of Portland restaurants in development check out the PFM Under Construction list.

Chef/owner David Levi has provided an update on Vinland (website, facebook, twitter) and announced plans to open the restaurant in December.

…Our locally sourced, solid birch bar is finished, all our major equipment is purchased, our gorgeous local birch and walnut tables made by artisan woodworker Marc McCabe are done, the plumbing and electric are roughed in, the floors are refinished, and, in short, we’re getting close. We easily won approval from Portland’s City Council for our food, liquor, and outdoor seating permits. Portland Dry Goods and Seawall are teaming up to help us outfit our staff in casual elegance, in clothing made ethically here in New England…

Today’s Press Herald includes a front page story on Slab, a new bakery/pizzeria headlined by Stephen Lanzalotta.

Slab will operate in the spot once occupied by Scales, a seafood restaurant that anchored the public market. The space has 30-foot-high beam ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. If approved by the city, the layout will include an outdoor beer garden with 20 taps and 160 seats.

Eater Maine has posted an interview with Chris Gould about his upcoming restaurant Central Provisions.

Did the character of this building influence the restaurant concept?
Absolutely. The concept was always to do tapas-style small plates. But the feel and what we’re putting in here in terms of the bars and the stools and the tables and the decor is totally driven by the 200-year-old building. This was built in 1828. It’s one of the oldest buildings in Portland. It’s survived two fires. It was originally a warehouse right on the water. There’s these trap doors that go up through the floors on every level and at the top there’s a wheel that they used to pull up crates and barrels from the ships with goods coming from the East India Trade Company.

The Forecaster has published an update on the restaurant under development at 211 Danforth Street.

Keith Hickman, of Portland and New York City, expects to close Nov. 1 on the $440,000 purchase of the one-story building, now the site of Vespucci’s variety store.

Hickman and business partner Josh Kaplan hope to open the restaurant by next summer, after moving the store to the rear of the building, where it would continue to operate.