Category: Under Construction

According to a report from Portland Food Heads, Siano’s is working on opening a third pizzeria. The new restaurant will be at 505 Fore St where Una used to be located. Siano’s website is predicting an opening date of February 1, 2010.

Some updates from the Under Construction list:

• Aroma Joe’s is replacing Fog Cutter as the drive-thru coffee business on Warren Ave.
• According to the Munjoy Hill News, Figa was granted their liquor license last night. The article provides some additional details on the restaurant but no definitive statement on when they’re going to open. December 10 Update: MHN posted an update on Figa: The restaurant “expects a series of soft openings ending in possibly a Grand Opening on New Year’s Eve.”
• Meredith Goad tweeted on the menu in store at Po’Boys, “Creole sausage & fried oyster sammies, La. gumbo & PRALINE BACON!“
• The Portland Daily Sun reports that Walter’s hopes to re-open at their new location this month.

Norm Jabar recently launched a set of websites for his three restaurants, Norm’s Bar & Grill, Norm’s East End Grill and the Downtown Lounge.  Additionally, K Horton has just relaunched the site for her cheese shop and market in the Public Market House. These and many other additions continue to flesh out the collective online presence for the restaurants, bars and other food vendors in town. However, some of the businesses that are part of the local food economy don’t have a site yet.
Here’s a partial list:

• Asmara
• Blue Spoon
• Bar of Chocolate Cafe
• Greek Corner
• Federal Spice
• Happy Teriyaki
• Bogusha’s
• Susan’s Fish and Chips
• Miyake
• Yosaku
• King of the Roll
• Shima
• The Wine Bar
• 158 Pickett St Cafe
• Artemisia
• Market Street Eats
• Rosie’s
• Ruski’s
• Arabica
• Maine Squeeze
• and the list goes on

Plenty of potential customers for some enterprising web designers to work with 2010 . . .

When the City Council meets on Monday they will be voting on 4 liquor license applications for businesses that are under construction, changing names or moving:

• The long awaited opening of Figa will be one step closer once they have approval for their liquor license. The application includes a sample menu (page 80) and indicates that they “hope to open the second week of December, 2009.”
• Katahdin is moving from their longtime location at the intersection of Spring and High Streets to the space formerly occupied by Geo’s on Forest Ave.
• Sabieng will be the new name for the Thai restaurant (currently Nakornping Thai) located next to Portland Stage on Forest Ave.
• Velvet is a new bar that’s taking over the spot on the corner of Fore and Union Streets next to Pearl.

Friday’s Press Herald included an article about the Coastal Maine Popcorn shop that’s under construction at 43 Exchange Street.

They have a 6-foot-tall, stainless steel industrial hot air popper, capable of popping 50 pounds of kernels at a time. After the popcorn is popped, it’s flavored. The company offers 30 to 50 flavors at any one time, broken down into sweets (toasted coconut, maple, berry) and savories (salt and vinegar, buffalo wing, garlic).

The plan is to keep popping the popcorn in Boothbay Harbor, supplying the seasonal retail operation there and the year-round operation in Portland.

Construction is ongoing at Sonny’s at 83 Exchange, Jay Villani’s new restaurant. The latest word is that they hope to open in December. As you can see from the floor plan, the overall layout is the same with the exception of a bar along the south wall.

According to Press Herald food writer, Avery Yale Kamila, Coastal Maine Popcorn plans on opening a retail shop at 45 Exchange Street.

An article in today’s Press Herald on the closing of LL Bean’s Portland store casts doubt on the possibility of Trader Joe’s landing in the spot.

Alison Mochizuki, spokeswoman for California-based Trader Joe’s, said Monday that “Portland, Maine, is not in our two-year plan.”

Travels with Hilary has published some additional information on the Cuban restaurant going in on Wharf Street.

…Cassady [Pappas] is a long-timer with restaurateur Michael Boland, so it makes sense. Boland, by the way, has a very successful track record with the restaurants he’s opened in Bar Harbor. He’s a savvy businessman. If this version of Havana is anything similar to the original one, it should be a nice addition to Portland’s crowded restaurant scene.