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.
The Root is reporting on a new collaboration between Masa Miyake and Wolfe Neck Farm and a Q&A about Miyake Diner.
SK: How will the new restaurant differ from the two existing ones? How is the food different from the food at the other restaurants?
WG: Miyake Diner will differ from the existing restaurants in a couple of ways. First the menu. We will be serving items that could be considered Japanese comfort food in many ways. This will consist of curry, doria, pork cutlet, udon, shabu-shabu, okonomiyake etc. Though seemingly simple dishes we will strive to have a menu that is concise yet dynamic in a manner that we will be offering authentic Japanese fare that Portland residents have not had the opportunity to sample in not only our current restaurants but also in Maine.
Frontier Psychiatrist has published an interview with David Levi about his background and his upcoming restaurant Vinland.
FP: So, the burning question: what is the food going to be like?
DL: Wild foods are the ultimate for me. We are biologically wild animals, we evolved to eat wild foods, wild foods are more nutritious, they are more unusual and exciting and varied than anything we can buy, and they connect us in the most fundamental way to our landbase. I’m really interested in fermentation, especially wild fermentation (as in, fermenting without a starter culture, just relying on wild bacteria and yeast), so there will be lots of fermented ingredients and lots of foods that can be stored through the winter. Clearly, I won’t be using any food ingredients I can’t get in Maine. So, no olive oil, no black pepper, no lemon. This is where creativity comes in.
The business under construction at 3 Deering Ave is a ethnic market called Tawakal Store. Tawakal is currently located at 646 Congress Street.
Evan Daigle is launching a new business called Daigle Baked Goods. The bakery will specialize in producing sweet (apple, blueberry, black and blue, and mixed berry) and savory hand pies for wholesale. Daigle has leased commercial kitchen space at 154 Saint John Street, which coincidentally is also the base station for Wicked Good Street Kitchen.
For more information, you can reach Evan Daigle at daiglebakedgoods@gmail.com or 207-331-0167.
Nosh’s Jason Loring, former Rosemont butcher Jarrod Spangler and others are working on a project to launch a new butcher shop in Portland.
Loring tells me he’s still in the funding stage for the venture and is looking for the ideal spot to locate the business on the peninsula. He and his partners “really want to change the landscape of local, all natural meats” in Portland.
In a separate project Loring is collaborating with Stephen Lanzalotta to launch a bakery/pizza shop called Slab.
Carson Lynch, owner of the Gorham Grind, is working on a food truck called Anywhere Coffee Bar. Lynch plans on launching ABC in Portland on May 1. He’ll be offering a full espresso menu from the truck as well as his trademark Rocket Fuel coffee beverage.
A small market is moving to Bramhall Square to the space formerly occupied by Mr. Sandwich & Mrs. Muffin.
211 Danforth Street, the current home of Vespucci’s Market, is under contract for sale and hopeful new owner, Keith Hickman has submitted a zoning variance request for a change of use to a restaurant. If approved, Hickman intends on opening a 64-seat restaurant and bar called 211 Danforth. Josh Kaplan will be serving as the chef at 211 Danforth.
Here’s an excerpt from Hickman’s application:
We firmly believe that there is a need and a market available for a quality and affordable neighborhood dining option in this area. Furthermore, we are confident that 211 Danforth Restaurant will be welcome addition to the West End and surrounding neighborhoods.
211 Danforth would add to the growing cluster of restaurants currently anchored by Ruski’s (1982), Ohno Cafe (2004), Outliers (2013) and Omi’s (2013). There are other spaces in the neighborhood that would also lend themselves well to further additions to the food and dining options in the area.
Update: For additional reporting see Maine a la Carte.
Maine a la Carte reports that the owners of Zapoteca, Tom and Shannon Bard, are planning to open a Spanish restaurant in Portland next year.
Tom Bard confirmed today that he is working on a location and hoping to open in early summer, 2014. Depending on the space, he said the atmosphere could either be quite casual (he mentioned Boston’s super-hot Toro as a reference), or somewhat more upscale than Zapoteca, the Bards successful Mexican restaurant in Portland.