Category: Under Construction

The Cookie Jar bakery, a well loved fixture on Shore Rd in Cape Elizabeth, is rebuilding the damage from a 2006 storm and, according to an article in today’s Press Herald, plans on opening on Memorial Day weekend.

At the Irving service station next door, Ray Clark and his employees field questions about the bakery every day. “I have heard from all the customers, ‘What’s happening with The Cookie Jar?'” Clark said. “They even come from out of state.”

Donna Piscopo said all of the old favorites will be back when The Cookie Jar reopens, as will the soup and sandwiches she had introduced before the storm. The business will likely open with 12 employees, and have more than 15 once it’s been running for awhile.

The Portland Daily Sun has published a report on the upcoming openings of Local Sprouts CSK and Bomb Diggity at 645 Congress Street, the old USM Portland Hall.

Local Sprouts Cafe will be Portland’s first “community-supported cafe”, according to the its website (www.localsproutscooperative.com), and will be operated by a worker-owned business — Local Sprouts Cooperative — which acquires its food from urban gardens in Portland and local farms in Maine.

Some fresh under construction news:

• A new restaurant called Soju is planned for the old Thai Chef Buffet space on Congress Street. They plan on serving Japanese and Korean cuisine. You can see a draft of their sushi menu (page 86) in the supporting materials they supplied to the city as part of their liquor license application.
• Havana South has also applied for a liquor license (see partial draft menu, page 106). One of the more interesting things to note on Havana’s floor plan (below) is an area right along Union Street marked Butcher Shop.
• In related news, Chiang Mai which moved out of the the butcher shop space on Union Street looks like they’re getting close to reopening at their new location on Washington Ave.

Some fresh under construction news:

• A new restaurant called Soju is planned for the old Thai Chef Buffet space on Congress Street. They plan on serving Japanese and Korean cuisine. You can see a draft of their sushi menu (page 86) in the supporting materials they supplied to the city as part of their liquor license application.
• Havana South has also applied for a liquor license (see partial draft menu, page 106). One of the more interesting things to note on Havana’s floor plan (below) is an area right along Union Street marked Butcher Shop.
• In related news, Chiang Mai which moved out of the the butcher shop space on Union Street looks like they’re getting close to reopening at their new location on Washington Ave.

Portland Food Coma has published a report on the Miyake team’s field research in NYC getting inspiration and ideas for the opening of Pai Mei Miyake in Longfellow Square.

To get us on the right track, Masa took the restaurant staff down to New York City for a full day of eating noodles and drinking recklessly. It was an experience that I will never forget, that I feel very fortunate to have been a part of. This is how it went…

Portland Food Coma has published a report on the Miyake team’s field research in NYC getting inspiration and ideas for the opening of Pai Mei Miyake in Longfellow Square.

To get us on the right track, Masa took the restaurant staff down to New York City for a full day of eating noodles and drinking recklessly. It was an experience that I will never forget, that I feel very fortunate to have been a part of. This is how it went…

The Christian Science Monitor has published an in-depth look at the process that’s led to Trader Joe’s buying the former Wild Oats as the result of Wild Oat’s merger with Whole Foods. (via About Town)

So if we’re treating competition as a zero-sum game, was it “lost” when Whole Foods acquired Wild Oats, when Whole Foods bought out The Whole Grocer, or maybe when Wild Oats decided to compete directly against The Whole Grocer? Remember, the stated goal of antitrust is to “restore” competition that might be lost.

The Christian Science Monitor has published an in-depth look at the process that’s led to Trader Joe’s buying the former Wild Oats as the result of Wild Oat’s merger with Whole Foods. (via About Town)

So if we’re treating competition as a zero-sum game, was it “lost” when Whole Foods acquired Wild Oats, when Whole Foods bought out The Whole Grocer, or maybe when Wild Oats decided to compete directly against The Whole Grocer? Remember, the stated goal of antitrust is to “restore” competition that might be lost.

Portland Daily Photo has posted a pair of images of the store fronts for the new Siano’s and Pat’s that are now under construction in the Old Port.

Here’s a pair of new under construction updates:

• Rosemont Market will be expanding their Brighton Ave store to across the street to the corner with Woodford Street into the old location of the Rosemont Pharmacy.
• Hilltop Coffee Shop has changed hands. Guy and Stella Hernandez from Bar Lola have bought the coffee shop, joining the growing ranks of multi-business restaurant owners in Portland. (Thanks to Kate from The Blueberry Files for the tip.)