Category: Under Construction

For today’s paper, the Maine Sunday Telegram has talked to owners and chefs that have taken on opening a restaurant during the pandemic.

These restaurateurs cite personality traits like flexibility, resilience, grit, optimism and a sense of humor as key to opening in these profoundly challenging times. They also credit reasonable landlords; strong relationships with purveyors; kind neighbors; and supportive staff, families, customers, and state and local officials. Did we mention hard work? Very, very hard work.

Chefs Jordan Rubin (aka Mr. Tuna) and Cyle Reynolds are launching a new takeout restaurant called Crispy Gài Fried Chicken (instagram). The Crispy Gai menu (see draft below) will be focused on Thai cuisine included dishes influenced by culinary traditions from elsewhere is Southeast Asia. Gai is the Thai word for chicken.

Crispy Gai will be doing a takeout pop-up this coming Tuesday from High Roller Lobster. The menu for that is up and you can place your order online.

The full official launch of Crispy Gai’s takeout service will be sometime in December. The business will operate out of the Public Market House.

Fried Chicken – ไก่ทอด:

• ไก่ทอด – 4 pc Bucket – 2 Drum, 2 Thigh, 1 Sauces
• ไก่ทอด – 8 pc Bucket – 4 Drum, 4 Thigh, 2 Sauces

Wings – ปีกไก่

• แกงเผ็ด – Gaeng Pèt – Red curry wings with kaffir lime leaf
• เสฉวน – Sichuan – Numbing spice “Thai-Chi” inspired hot wings
• ต้นฉบับ – Classic – Extra crispy wings cured in white pepper allium paste

Sandwiches – ขนมปัง

• ต้นฉบับ – Classic – Extra crispy thigh with kewpie and iceberg on a sesame seed bun.
• เผ็ด – Spicy – Extra crispy thigh with spicy karaage mayo and tsukemono pickled cucumber on a sesame seed bun.
• ต้นฉบับ – Chicken Skin – Extra crispy skin with kewpie and iceberg on a sesame seed bun.
• หนังไก่ – Spicy Chicken Skin – Extra crispy chicken skin with kewpie, iceberg, and fermented thai hot sauce on a sesame seed bun.

Sides – อาหารจานเริ่ม:

• ข้าวมันไก่ – Chicken Rice – Hainanese style rice toasted in chicken fat and cooked in chicken stock
• น้ําสต๊อกไก่ – Chicken Broth – chicken broth with cilantro, bitter melon, and white pepper
• สลัดกะหล่ำปลี – Cabbage Salad – fried shallot, peanut, bird eye chili, red onion, and herbs.

Sauces – น้ำจิ้ม:

• แจ่ว – Nahm Jim Jaew – Isaan dipping sauce, spicy, umami
• น้ำจิ้มไก่ – Nahm Jim Kai –  Sweet and sour
• น้ำจิ้มข้าวมันไก่ – Nahm Jim Khao Man Gai – Hainanese dipping sauce, umami, ginger

Big Tree Hospitality unveiled their latest restaurant concept today. XO Burger and Wings (website, instagram) will be a takeout and delivery restaurant serving a “menu full of crushable Americana.” XO Burgers and Wings is set to launch in early December, and will be operating out of the Hugo’s space in Portland and Eventide Fenway in Boston.

The menu include options like the Good Morning Burger (see above) with egg, red onion jam, hash brown and hot sauce, the XO Burger with XO sauce, banana peppers, and smoked cheddar, Chili Crisp Wings with house chili crisp and scallion, and a Grilled Caesar with grilled romaine, house mackerel caesar, mackerel “anchovies” and parmesan.

At a glance, XO Burger and Wings will offer a menu of delicious burgers, wings, salads and sides. Good food to fill your belly. But take a closer look and you’ll find we’ve applied the best of Big Tree Hospitality – high-end culinary technique, high-caliber creative chefs, and top of the line and house made ingredients – to our idea of the perfect neighborhood burger joint. Sure, you’ll find the familiar bacon and blue cheese burger, buffalo(ish) style wings, and fries, but you’ll also find creative takes on nearly every menu item. Our buffalo sauce is fermented with koji, made with fresh chilis and house-made yogurt. Our bacon is braised and made from humanely raised Winter Hill pork. We haven’t left Frank’s hot sauce off the menu, instead, we’ve dropped it into the fryer to create Red Hot Puffs…

Big Tree Hospitality is led by Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley and Arlin Smith. In 2012 they bought Hugo’s from then owner Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh and in the same year launched Eventide. They went on to  create The Honey Paw in 2015 and open Eventide Fenway in 2017.

Photo credit: Zack Bowen Photography

Quiero Cafe owners Carlos Guzman and Alejandra Herrera are launching a new Latin American restaurant in Saco called Pacifico (website, facebook, instagram).

Located in a former mill building at 120 Main Street on Saco Island, Pacifico will “be offering Latin American cuisine in a casual fine-dining environment” that takes its “inspiration and flavor profiles from all over Central and South America”.

Chefs Geoff Briggs and Shane Walsh will be leading the kitchen staff, and Pacifico has hired LyAnna Sanabria to develop their cocktail program.

Pacifico is slated to open later this month for indoor dining.

Guzman and Herrera launched the Saco Quiero Cafe in 2017 and opened a second location in Portland in May 2019.

Hunt + Alpine is planning to take their cocktail bar on the road next year with a new airstream food truck. Co-owner Briana Volk told me they’re planning to hold off site events and “adventure-style Hush, Hush pop-ups”.

The Volks hope to launch the mobile part of their business in the spring, and are now taking reservations for mobile cocktail catering.

Chef Christian Hayes, owner of The Garrison, has announced he’s taken over the former Andy’s Handy storefront In Yarmouth where he plans to open Dandy’s Handy Store. As a first phase Hayes will be moving Thoroughfare, his takeout operation, to the new space, followed the opening of Dandy’s in the spring.

Eaux (website, facebook, instagram) has announced plans to move to as yet undisclosed new space.

In the midst of preparing our little space for some type of safe indoor dining we came to a very apparent realization, we’ve flat out outgrown our space on Exchange Street.

We’ve made incredible memories, met incredible people and have had the privilege to serve Portland a piece of my heart that I think has left at the very least, a tiny little foot print in an absolutely incredible food scene.

Is Eaux done? Not even a little bit. Is Eaux moving? It certainly is (although we’re unable to reveal yet).

Eaux will continue to serve takeout and offer outdoor seating now through November 22nd.

Chef Siddharta Rumma is launching a new food delivery business called Fusillo (instagram) selling fresh pasta, pasta kits, sauces, and a “few really old regional specialties from Italy”. Orders will come with prep instructions and details about the history of the dish. Rumma is also planning to hold pop-up events.

I’ll be personally making small batches of fresh pasta, sauces, Italian specialties and other delicacies, you’ll get your favorite kit delivered, contactless, to your door…

Follow the detailed instructions. Have fun plating. Read the story behind the dish, get suggestions on how to pick the right wine or local craft beer pairing and enjoy a love letter.

Fusillo is coming to you.
With love.
Sid

For the last three years Rumma has been the executive chef for Ada’s in Rockland and Portland.

A new food truck called Hi Bar Brunch Truck (instagram) is under development by Hi Bar Bakery.

The new food truck will serve a menu that includes breakfast sandwiches, fried chicken and waffles, shakshuka bread bowls as well as muffins, scones, choco tacos, and cookies.

Owners Andy Rowell and Eric Wentworth hope to launch the brunch truck in March.

Mainebiz has published an update on Jing Yan, the Asian fusion restaurant under construction in the former Lolita space on Munjoy Hill.

Getting the operation up and running mostly just involves some cosmetic work, including swapping in new light fixtures and paint; plus buying a new fryer and hood system. The couple is doing the painting themselves but hired sub-contractors for the rest of the work. They financed the purchase and installations through a loan with Gorham Savings Bank.

“There are not many people wanting to open a restaurant right now,” she said. “It’s one of the riskiest times to do it. But we’re young and we saw an opportunity and we just fell in love with the space.”