Under Construction: Forage Market

Forage Market (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) has leased space at 123 Washington Ave where they plan to open a Portland branch of their popular Lewiston bakery and cafe.

Owner Allen Smith is excited to open on Washington Ave because as he explains, “it feels like a place we can be part of a neighborhood and get to know our customers by name. And we love the camaraderie of the amazing group of food entrepreneurs already on the street.”

Forage is perhaps best know for the bagels which Saveur tipped for the best in the country. In addition, Smith and his team lead by Portland store manager Laura Posiak also plans to serve breakfast sandwiches and hand-made pastries in the morning and European-style market sandwiches along with soups and salads for lunch.

Smith has ordered a wood-fired masonry oven from Spain which is expected to arrive in the Spring and hopes to open Forage “as soon as the mortar is dry”.

Under Construction: Quill Books & Beverage

A bookstore/coffee shop/bar called Quill Books & Beverage (facebook, instagram) is under construction in Westbrook. Owners Matthew Irving and Allison Krzanowski have leased space at One Westbrook Common.

Irving has worked for several years as a bartender at Lolita in Portland and Krzanowski is a weaver. At Quill they’ll be serving cocktails as well as bagels, baked goods, yogurt and oatmeal for breakfast, and sandwiches and salads for lunch, as well as a line-up of toasts, cheeses and charcuterie for small snacks.

Quill plans to stock a “diverse selection of carefully curated gently used books, including many recent titles” and will host “author and poetry readings, book clubs, and a weekly board game night”.

Under Construction: Highroller Lobster Co.

Highroller Lobster Company has announced plans to open a brick and mortar restaurant. The restaurant will be located at 104 Exchange Street in the former Portland Meatball Company space.

Owners Baxter Key and Andy Gerry launched their first food cart in June 2015. They’ve been a fixture at tasting rooms in the Portland area and have added a second cart on Commercial Street. Key and Gerry are working with Peter Bissell on this project to as they put it “make this place SLAP!”

Mac Luv Delivery Service

Mac Luv (instagram, facebook) is the name of a food delivery service under development that plans to focus solely on the production and delivery of mac ‘n’ cheese.

Owner Kristen Ouellette plans to deliver “warm, gooey, homemade mac and cheese” to Gorham, Portland, South Portland, and Westbrook. The draft menu includes both regular and vegan options with bacon, green onions, buffalo sauce and BBQ sauce as choices for toppings.

Under Construction: Lone Pine Expands (Updated)

News broke Monday that Lone Pine Brewing will be taking over the Sebago Brewing facility when Sebago moves to a new 31,000 sq ft space next year.

Lone Pine has purchased Sebago Brewing Co.’s facility in Gorham, the companies announced Monday. The move represents an aggressive expansion for Lone Pine, which has existed for only 16 months. It brewed 11,844 gallons of beer in 2016, according to data provided by the state; Sebago brewed 327,408 gallons – fifth-most in the state – at the Gorham brewery in 2016.

Update: The BDN has also posted an article about Lone Pine’s expansion plans.