Duckfat Changes Hands

| Posted in General News

Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh have sold their restaurants Duckfat and Duckfat Frites Shack and retired from the restaurant industry. The team at Duckfat and overall philosophy of the business will remain the same. A 16-year veteran team member and front of house manager, Trevor Lilly, will be the overall GM of the business and the new owner of Duckfat is David Shryock. The sale was completed on April 30th.

We caught up with Pugh and Evans recently. They shared their pride in what they’d built at Duckfat and their confidence in the team’s ability to independently carry their vision for Duckfat in the coming years. In fact it was the commitment and skill of the Duckfat staff that made Evans and Pugh comfortable that company could continue on without them under new ownership.

Trevor Lilly shared some similar sentiments about the path forward for Duckfat,

The Duckfat team is passionate about building upon Rob and Nancy’s legacy. We couldn’t be more excited to be stewards of the collaborative, respectful, and dynamic culture they’ve fostered over the years. We look forward to continuing to cultivate approachable menus with a focus on consistency, technique, and a commitment to supporting the Maine food and beverage community. More than anything, our staff is thrilled to continue to provide delicious food and exceptional service to our friends in Portland – in our hearts, we see both locations as neighborhood spots.

Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh moved to Portland and took over Hugo’s in 2000 and for nearly a quarter of a century have been central figures in the Portland restaurant community. The couple launched Duckfat in 2005 and Duckfat Frites Shack on Washington Ave in 2018. Evans was a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2004, and he won a James Beard award in the Best Chef North East category in 2009. A legion of their former employees at Hugo’s and Duckfat have gone on to make their own mark in the industry.

There’s a Lot Going On

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings, Closings

Even when factoring in for the normal rapid base of developments in the Portland restaurant scene, there’s been a lot going on this spring. If you’re feeling like nearly every day there’s a new opening or news of another new business development, well that’s because that’s not far off from being the case.

To get caught-up and to see the scale of what’s been happening, here’s a summary of recent/upcoming opening:

And here’s a quick list of other business changes in Portland that have emerged in April and May:

Magissa to Open Thursday

| Posted in Openings

Magissa (instagram), the new Greek restaurant in East Bayside, is set to open on Thursday. It’s located in the former Baharat space at the corner of Fox and Anderson Streets.

Owners Nancy Klosteridis and Emily Otero have held a series of preopening dinner services to tune up the restaurant and are now ready to open to the public. The restaurant will be open Thursday through Monday, 5 – 9 pm.

The menu (see below) includes modern renditions of Greek dishes with mezze, small plates, entrees and flexible gyro and salad options. Many of the dishes are gluten-free. Across the board the menu taps into the Klosteridis’ family recipes and taste memories as a guide. The bar program will include cocktails, draft wines by the glass/carafe, and draft beer. Low ABV and nonalcoholic drinks are also available.

Shown above are Tomato Martini (Ford’s gin, reyka, vermouth, tomato water), Mezze Plate with skordalia, briami, halloumi, taramosalata), Paros Chicken served with brussels sprouts, lemon rice and mustard veloute. The last two photos are of the Pavlova (rosemary, lemon, pistachio) and of the Baklava (pistachios, walnuts, almonds, orange, honey) on the dessert menu.

Five of Clubs Has Opened

| Posted in Openings

The Five of Clubs (instagram) cocktail bar opened on Friday. It’s located on the ground floor of the 48-room Longfellow Hotel at 754 Congress Street in the West End.

The bar menu (see below) features a selection of cocktails, beer, cider, wine by the glass and bottle and a list of nonalcoholic drinks (see the functional cocktails section). Shown above is the Mas Vida (mezcal, aperol, coconut, lime) cocktail. Five of Clubs opens daily at 3 pm.

The food menu at Five of Clubs and the daytime Twinflower Cafe at the Longfellow Hotel will launch Thursday, May 23rd. You can see menus for the bar and for the cafe created by chef Wilson Suliveras on the Longfellow Hotel website. The Twinflower Cafe will be open 7 am – 2 pm.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – Crispy Gai is holding their 3rd Annual Dinner Together in celebration of AAPI Heritage Month. The meal will feature dishes by Mitr, Thanh Thanh 2, Little Brother, Banh Appetit, Crispy Gai sous chef Amadeus Florendo, and a special drink pairing by Matcha Mood.

Tuesday – Friends & Family are holding a collaboration pop-up with Husky Boi serving a 5-course 1990s-inspired dinner.

Wednesday – Vagabundo is serving tortillas and tamales all made with local corn from Fairwinds Farm at a pop-up taking place at Root Wild.

Friday – The Other Side Diner is holding a Greek BBQ Night.

June 10-16 – Portland Wine Week is taking place.

June 17 – The 3rd Annual ChopTails Competition will be taking place at Batson River.

June 22 – The Great Falls Brewfest is taking place in Lewiston.

June 26 – Secret Supper (instagram) is holding a dinner in the Portland area.

June 29 – The 3rd Annual Mast Landing Wavy Days Festival is taking place.

July 25/26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

August 3/4 – The Maine Wild Blueberry Weekend is taking place.

August 30 – September 1 – Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 20-22 – The Common Ground Fair will be taking place.

Boston Globe on Biddeford

| Posted in Reviews

The Boston Globe has published an article about Biddeford.

We tend to like Biddeford, Maine, more for what it’s not than what it is. The former mill town, along the Saco River, is not glossy, overly refined, touristy, or crowded. It doesn’t shout its charms.

But look close enough and you’ll discover a buzzing energy, a town that welcomes new ideas, and a community dependent on collaboration. Biddeford has been quietly, slowly rising from its ashes (many downtown buildings stood derelict and shuttered for years), emerging as an under-the-radar hot spot for makers, artists, chefs, and entrepreneurs. The result is a destination worth checking out.

The article mentions Magnus on Water, Palace Diner, Lorne, Fish and Whistle, Dizzy Bird, The Hamburger Stand, Time and Tide, Elements, Nibblesford, Banded Brewing, Sacred Profane, Lucky Pigeon Brewing, and Round Turn.

Mr. Tuna on Middle Street Now Open

| Posted in Openings

The new Mr. Tuna (website, facebook, instagram) at 83 Middle Street opened on Saturday. It’s open Friday/Saturday, 11 am – 9 pm and Sunday through Tuesday and Thursday, 11 am – 8 pm.

Owners Jordan Rubin and Marisa Lewiecki leased space in the new building at the corner of Middle and Franklin Streets in late 2022 and have built out a full services restaurant with an expanded menu. The space features a 15-seat sushi counter and banquet table seating in the front windows. Outdoor seating will be available shortly for takeout customers.

The new restaurant serve an updated Mr. Tuna menu (see below) with the addition of a full bar program of cocktails, sake, beer, wine. Shown above are scallop sashimi, blackbird’s delight maki roll, and avocado salad. This restaurant brings to life the vision for Mr. Tuna that Rubin has had since he launched the business as a food cart in 2017.

The Mr. Tuna sushi counter opened in the Public Market House in 2018. Rubin, Lewiecki, Sasha Brouillard, and Cyle Reynolds launched Crispy Gai in the summer of 2021. Rubin and Lewiecki launched Bar Futo on Fore Street in 2023.

Review of Rise Pizza & Pub

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Rise Pizza & Pub in Cumberland.

…Served in a light, open space painted in vibrant yellows and oranges, chef/owner Rocco Marzilli’s pizzas run the gamut from traditional Italian-American pies to oddball options like Mexican street corn (a decent pie) or Buffalo chicken (a spicy, well-balanced riff on hot wings in pizza form). Don’t skip the Southwestern-style salmon cakes or the homemade s’mores ice cream sundae…

Loco Taco on Forest Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

The Press Herald reports that a new restaurant called Loco Taco (website, instagram) is under development at 849 Forest Ave. The business is being launched by Ahmed Abbas and Mohammed Abbas from Dina’s Cuisine.

Though the restaurant is small, the menu will be large, Abbas said. In addition to tacos (on a choice of tortilla), it will serve quesadillas, fajitas, nachos and burritos. Filling choices will include classic Mexican tacos and an array of global flavors, such as chicken tikka masala, teriyaki, falafel, Greek gyro tacos, shawarma, cheeseburger and more creative flavors. There is something for vegetarians, too: fried tofu or fried vegetable tacos.

Updated: Photograph and instagram account link added on August 23, 2024.

Off Track Pizza Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Off Track Pizza (instagram) opened for business on Friday. It’s located at 15 Exchange Street in the former Lupita’s/B Good location. Longtime Portland residents will remember it as the original location of Walter’s.

Off Track is initially serving pizza by the slice, salads, bottled cocktails and soft drinks. Shown above are slices of sausage and pepper pizza and the pepperoni pizza along with a low ABV Santa Anita cocktail made with Aperol and Tang. They’ll be expanding to full menu (see below) and offering full pizzas as they ramp up kitchen production capacity. The counter service restaurant has some window bar seating (see above) on the first floor and dining  rooms on the second floor with a great view of Exchange Street. Overall Off Track seats 46 people.

Off Track has been launched by Mark Hibbard and Mitchell Ryan along with business partner Josh Miranda. Ryan and Hibbard are the executive chef and the beverage director at Via Vecchia.

Hours this weekend are noon – 8 pm (or sellout). Next week the hours will be Wednesday through Sunday 11 am – 10 pm (2 am on Friday and Saturdays).