Category: Under Construction

Maine a la Carte has published an interview with chef Chris Gould about the small plate restaurant he’s planning on opening this Spring in Portland.

“It will be like tapas-style small plates, but it’s not going to be necessarily Spanish or French or Italian,” Gould said. “It will be kind of chef’s whim, and the menu will change every day, depending on what’s available, what’s fresh. And it will be anything from pastas to sashimi dishes, fresh oysters, all from Maine. I’m using a lot of local products, whether it’s veal and lamb in the spring or braised short ribs or beef cheeks in the winter. But all small plates, all good price points, anywhere between $5 and $20 – mostly right around $12 a dish.”

According to a report from Maine a la Carte, Kamasouptra is in the process of opening a new location in the Maine Mall.

On or around Sept. 1, Kamasouptra intends to officially open in the Maine Mall food court in the location previously occupied by Taco Bell. With a robust roster of national retailers and chain restaurants, the Maine Mall’s list of Maine-based food purveyors will grow to two, including Amato’s, once Kamasouptra opens.

Sprudge, the leading blog in the specialty coffee world, has published an article about Tandem Coffee Roasters.

Sorry, we had to get that out of our system, but for reals people! The “other Portland” is home to a brand new specialty coffee operation called Tandem Coffee Roasters, a labor of love brought to the world by three former Blue Bottle employees: husband and wife team of Will and Kathleen Pratt, and their sole employee, Vien Dobui, who reached out to Sprudge with pics and info (Editors Note: When your only employee takes the time to reach out to relevant media, you have likely Hired The Right Person).

I heard from Kathleen Pratt yesterday and she confirms that, pending successful completion of inspections, they’re on target to open in a couple weeks. My caffeine addiction has me currently bouncing back and forth between Bard in the AM and Speckled Ax in the PM. I look forward to the challenge of fitting a third destination inTo the line-up.

Maine a la Carte has posted an article about a restaurant called Gather that’s under development in Yarmouth.

[Owner Matt] Chappell has hired Chad Conley, the chef who managed the Freeport farm that serves the Miyake restaurants in Portland, to run the kitchen. In addition to his time with Miyake, Conley has worked at Hugo’s and Yosaku in Portland, at Jean Georges in New York, and at the Harborside farm of organic gardening expert Eliot Coleman.

A few new under construction factoids:

• The new business that Novare Res has under development on Commercial Street will be call In’Finiti (see building permit below)
• The latest issue of the Stir email newsletter, indicates that both Harding Lee Smith (the Rooms) and David Turin (David’s, David’s 388) are working on new restaurants. From what I’ve heard, Smith is working on a seaside seafood restaurant.
• According to a tweet from Meredith Goad, there are rumors that “Buck’s Naked BBQ might be moving into the old Havana South space.”

Aided by a successful Kickstarter campaign that netted $8,740 in financing, Roost House of Juice is making progress towards an opening day sometime in August at 11 Free Street.

In the meantime you can wet your appetite by checking out the menu on their website. The menu is broken down into categories for cups, plates and wines. The site also has a list of the farms and distributors they’ll be working with.

The Dr. Lisa show on WLOB has aired an audio interview with chef David Levi about the new hyperlocavorion restaurant he’s planning in Portland (Vinland) and the origins of his interest in local and foraged foods.

Portland Magazine has published a report on Outliers Eatery, the restaurant under construction on York Street.

Though the chef still remains a mystery, Verrill has fresh ideas on the brain for Outliers Eatery, the name he’s chosen. “We’ll offer an ever-changing seasonal menu. We don’t have the exact details nailed down until I can sign the chef I want, but you can expect a few fish dishes, meat dishes, and several vegetarian options. We’ll also offer small plates for happy hour and only the best local ingredients.” And as far as the bar is concerned, “We’ll only be serving the finest small craft beers. I’ll work with the chef for beer and wine pairings. We’ll also have a very extensive and affordable wine list. I don’t want people to think they can only drink great wine for a special occasion.”

Those of you with good memories will recall that this former home of Popeye’s Ice House was slated to be another Tod Dana (owner of the El Rayo’s) restaurant called River House. Dana, however, sold the property earlier this year to Peter Verrill. Verrill’s name may be familiar because he was part of the team that launched Grace.

The Aspen Times has published an interview with Rob Evans which includes details on his future plans for Duckfat.

Last week, Evans injured his knee while erecting a building on the 82-acre farm he owns in western Maine, 30 miles from Portland. The farm features pigs, pickled items and vegetables; the building Evans was working on will house Duckfat’s charcuterie program, with aged hams, salamis and more. The food he produces goes right to Evans’ restaurant and to a second Duckfat that Evans expects to open in Portland within the next two years, this one with more of a pub feel and a strong charcuterie program.

Eater Maine has published an interview with chef David Levi. Levi is currently working on opening a new restaurant in Portland to be called Vinland.

Why do you think Nordic cuisine will work in Maine?
Nordic food can’t be exported beyond that region, but the philosophy can be. What Noma and Faviken have done is to be influenced by (traditional) Nordic cuisine – and steadfastly refused to be influenced by the French – and to look to wild nature to make it more interesting and delicious. Part of why I wanted to go to Noma in the first place, is that it’s one of (a limited) number of restaurants that executes its vision flawlessly.