Category: Under Construction

A new restaurant called Thistle & Grouse (instagram) is under construction at 10 Cotton Street in the space formerly occupied by Rivalries. According to a report from the Press Herald, the business is being launched by Bobby Will, the chef/owner of Salt & Steel in Bar Harbor.

Will said he hopes to open his “hyper locally sourced gastropub,” which he plans to call Thistle & Grouse, in late June or July but knows that delays are likely. He said he plans “mostly cosmetic” renovations, including replacing the tile floor with wood and installing leather booths. The menu, he said, will include a raw bar, curry pot pie and an extensive cocktail program and Maine craft beer list.

Rivalries owners Amy and Lance Meader announced the sale of the Cotton Street property last week. They will continue to operate the Rivalries in Falmouth.

Tacos La Poblanita (facebook, instagram) is opening a new restaurant in Westbrook at 57 Bridge Street across from the Dana Warp Mill. Owners Karina Contreras and Jaime Rodriguez hope to open sometime in March, and will be serving a menu that includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos.

Tacos La Poblanita launched as a food truck in the summer of 2019 and in the Maine Mall in summer of 2022.

Joseph Rank recently took over ownership of Big Sky Bread Company (website, facebook, instagram). Co-founder and owner Martha Elkus posted a statement that in part reads,

After 29 wonderful years at the bakery, the time has come for me to move on. In January 2023, after searching for the right person, I sold the bakery to a great guy named Joe Rank. He is a neighbor and long-time customer who is committed to our signature products and all the things that make Big Sky a very special place. At the same time, he has the energy, skills, and vision to make sure Big Sky stays strong for the next 30 years. Joe and his wife Jean live in Deering Center and have 3 sons who attend Portland schools. They have been customers of Big Sky for many years, their kids have played at our dough table, and they understand why Big Sky is so important to this community. I feel confident that the bakery is in good hands.

Martha Elkus and and her late husband Bill Harris founded the Portland Big Sky Bread in 1994. It’s located in the former Engine 8 Firehouse in Woodfords Corner at 536 Deering Ave.

Co-owners Caleb Landry, Adam Sousa, and Matt Brown are launching a new distillery called the Portland Distilling Company (instagram). The distillery is under construction at 135 Walton Street on back side of the same building as the Speckled Ax roastery and coffee shop.

They aim to eventually have a full portfolio of spirits including whisky, bourbon, rum, vodka and various styles of gin. Their first product—which they hope to launch this fall—will be Goldie’s Cocktail Gin produced in a London dry style. PDC’s production still has a 300-gallon capacity which will enable the distillery to produce 10,000 gallons of spirits a year.

Landry and Sousa are the creative directors at Blyth and Burrows and Brown work at Ameriprise Financial. From their bartending background Sousa and Landry have developed an understanding of where there’s opportunity to bring new products to life that meet industry needs and wants which will guide the new product development process at PDC.

George and Jossie Papanikolaou have leased the former Seasons Grille space at 155 Riverside Street where they plan to open a new bar and grill called Volcano (website, facebook, instagram, twitter).

The menu is still under development but is expected to include standards like burgers and fried chicken as well as some Greek dishes. Volcano will have a full bar and will host live music. Renovations are underway and no opening day has been set.

The Papanikolaou family also own Stacks Pancake Company which the opened in July 2021 and previously operated restaurants in New York and New Jersey.

Bite Into Maine (website, facebook, twitter, instagram) continues to make progress on their new Portland location. The 3,400 sq ft they leased in late 2021 is being built out to be a cafe and commissary kitchen for their food trucks at Fort Williams at at Allagash.

Located at 31 Diamond Street in East Bayside, the new Bite Into Maine will have a 25-seat dining room, outdoor seating and offer takeout.

Owners Matt and Corrinna Stum plan to move their West End restaurant Ruby’s (website, instagram) to 642 Congress Street to the storefront that was formerly occupied by Ada’s. The last service at the Pine Street Ruby’s West End will be on January 29th.

The Stums have put together a team that includes chef Garret LeClair, baker Nee-Nah Hall, barista Aly Shannon and bartender Ethan Cory. Ruby’s will be serving brunch, lunch and dinner.

The menu for the 40-seat restaurant is still under development with the working theme of “Maine roots, French inspired”. Some classic French dishes like cassoulet, duck confit, coq au vin, and loup du mer are expected to be part of the dinner menu as well as vegan and vegetarian options. Lunch and brunch menus will expand with options for soup, salads and sandwiches.

The team hope to open the new Ruby’s in February. They plan to initially be open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 am – 9 pm.

The Stum’s opened  Ruby’s West End in April 2021 at 64 Pine Street, and recently launched a new restaurant called Back River Bistro in Wiscasset.