Reynolds Joining Team at Bar Futo

| Posted in People

Cyle Reynolds is joining the team at Bar Futo (website, facebook, instagram) as a co-owner and as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine.

“We are excited to have Chef Cyle join the team at Bar Futo,” said Jordan Rubin. “Cyle’s menu at Crispy Gài has been a clear success since we opened in 2021. His passion for Asian cuisine and dedication to community align perfectly with our mission to provide an exceptional dining experience that reflects both global influences, local flavors and creative Japanese-American dishes that are playful and delicious like the new BEC Okonomiyaki (bacon, egg and cheese). We also have worked well together for the last 4 years and know when a shift is needed to adapt to consumer dining habits and the seasonal market we’re in – we think Cyle leading this new menu change of improving pricing and plate portions will excite a lot of Bar Futo – and Crispy Gài – fans.”

Reynolds resume includes time working in Thailand as an apprentice at a knife shop and cooking at the Michelin-starred restaurant Canvas. When he returned to the United States he worked at Restaurant Ukiyo in New York before moving back to Maine.

Bar Futo has a calendar of upcoming events with guest chefs including chefs Genie Kwon and Timothy Flores from Kasama in Chicago, Sai Guntaka from Taj in South Portland and Nikhil Naiker from NIMKI in Providence. Stay tuned to their instagram account for full details and schedule.

Jordan Rubin and Marisa Lewiecki launched Bar Futo in December 2022. They are partners with Cyle Reynolds and Sasha Brouillard in the operation of Crispy Gai.

 

Maine Food & Dining: Lewiston, Waterville, Kennebunk, Belfast, Eliot, Houlton, Windham, Bangor, Brunswick

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • Born Yesterday Bakery (website, instagram) has announced plans to open a bakery in Lewiston. Owner Syd Coty is leasing space in the former fire station at 188 Lincoln Street where Born Yesterday will be co-located along with a wood worker, and a fitness studio. To help fund this next step in the bakery’s development they’ve launched at $30k NuMarket campaign—supporters have already over $4k since it launched on Thursday. Coty shared “We believe food should be thoughtful, nourishing, and connected to the people and places around us. Every ingredient we use is sourced with intention—from the organic grains we mill in-house to the eggs, milk, and vegetables grown by local farmers we know personally. This bakery isn’t just about making great bread and pastries—it’s about creating a space that supports the people who grow our food and a community that values real, honest ingredients.” Born Yesterday began as a home kitchen bakery and now sells at farmers markets, to wholesale accounts and at pop-ups. When the new Lewiston location opens Coty plans to sell breads, pastries, coffee (with beans from Blind Tiger Coffee in Bangor) and will eventually expand the offerings to include a menu of toasts.
  • Mainebiz has a report on two new chefs taking over kitchens in Maine. Mary Dumont is the new chef at the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, and Matthew Zita is the new chef at Front & Main in Waterville. Zita is expected to launch a new menu at Front & Main this spring. Dumont was a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2006.
  • The Midcoast Villager has published a profile of Gary Cooper, the chef at Dos Gatos Gastropub in Belfast.
  • Enzo Benzo (website, instagram) have opened their new bakery in Eliot. They serve Italian pastries, donuts and other baked goods. Enzo Benzo is located at 987 Route 236 in Eliot and their winter hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 6 am – 3 pm.
  • The Bangor Daily News has published an article about the The County Co-op & Farm Store in Houlton which launched in 2013.
  • Pop’s Place in Windham has gone out of business. In their announcement on Facebook the owners shared, “The lack of quality and qualified workers, increasing prices and decreasing demands are some of the factors that have contributed to this decision. Also, as a small family business, the business of “Life“ has gotten in the way and therefore we have collectively, and individually decided to move on to other pursuits and spend more time with our Families, as we have lost too many this past year.”
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that a new wine, specialty foods and kitchenware store called Sunbury’s (website, facebook, instagram) has opened in Bangor. They’re located at 86 Hammond Street in the space formerly occupied by Bangor Wine & Cheese. Their hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 7 pm and Sunday, 11 am – 4 pm.
  • The Times Record has published an article about The Abbey in Brunswick which is a 2025 Beard Awards semifinalist in the Best New Bar category.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

New Restaurant Critic

| Posted in General

The Press Herald has announced that their food reporter Tim Cebula will be serving as the paper’s restaurant critic moving forward. Cebula replaces Andrew Ross who left the position earlier this year after eight years on the job.

The announcement also shares that reviews will be published every other week and they will now wait two months rather than three before reviewing a restaurant.

10 Essential Bars of Portland

| Posted in Reviews

Wine Enthusiast has published their list of the 10 Essential Bars in Portland, Maine.

Portland has entered a modern drinking era, where luxe cocktail bars sit alongside classic, beloved breweries and a new generation of drink makers expand the local palate. We tapped the industry professionals creating this infectious energy around Portland’s drinking scene for their picks of the best bars in town. 

The list features: Room for Improvement, Lambs in South Portland, Maine & Loire, Regards, Papi, The Jewel Box, Bubba’s Sulky Lounge, Blyth & Burrows, Five of Clubs, and Maine Beer Company in Freeport.

Crafted Conversations Series

| Posted in Events

Five of Clubs at the Longfellow Hotel is launching an event series featuring local brewers and distillers. It’s kicking off this Thursday with Shahin Khojastehzad who will be there to talk about his business Handshake.

The series will take place the second Thursday of every month. Here’s the upcoming schedule:

Sissle and Daughters Cafe Closing

| Posted in Closings

Owners Mary Chapman and Will Sissle have announced they’re closing the Sissle and Daughters (website, facebook, instagram) wine bar, market and cafe in Woodfords Corner. The announcement shares “The circumstances of this closure have come on suddenly, and are deeply personal.”

It goes on to say,

We cannot express how much we have loved serving the Woodford’s Corner neighborhood for the short period that we were a part of it; your enthusiasm for the space, the food and the community was palpable every day.

REST ASSURED, Sissle & Daughters Cheesemongers at Washington Ave is stronger than ever! We are honored to continue to serve you there, and look forward to having Mary back on our cheese counter! (Welcome home, Mary ❤️)

The Woodfords location opened for business on November 1, 2024. It’s last day in business will be February 22nd.

Fresh Approach Market

| Posted in General News

The Bollard reports that Fresh Approach Market is at risk of closing due to an administrative issue that’s impacted their ability to process food stamp EBT transactions.

Federal authorities have pulled the food-stamp retail license of a mom-and-pop neighborhood market in Portland’s West End due to what appears to be an administrative snafu at the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Congresswoman Chellie Pingree’s office is attempting to rectify the situation, but without a speedy resolution, the market’s owners say they may not make it through the month.

Fresh Approach is located at 155 Brackett St. They’re open Monday through Friday, 8 am – 7 pm, Saturday 9 am – 7 pm, and Sunday 9 am – 5 pm.

Update: A GoFundMe has been launched to raise funds to help Fresh Approach while they regain their ability to process food stamp transactions.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – Friends & Family is hosting an olive oil tasting with Tenuta di Spannocchia. Chef Christine Lau will be collaborating with Bar Futo on a Lunar New Year dinner.

Tuesday – Chef Christine Lau will be collaborating with Crispy Gai on a Lunar New Year dinner.

Wednesday – The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Falmouth is offering ServeSafe certification classes throughout the spring.

Thursday – Five of Clubs is kicking off their Crafted Conversations series. Shahin Khojastehzad from will talk about his business Handshake and the bar will have a custom cocktail that features his Persian amaro. Devin Finigan from Aragosta⁠ will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner. Prairie Baking and Belleflower Brewing are collaborating on a 4-course beer and pastry pairing event.

Friday – Tandem Coffee is restarting their weekly coffee cuppings this week. Sign-up for a free. “You’ll learn about the process that we use to evaluate coffee as our barista guides you step by step through the experience. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn a thing or two about your own palette.”

Valentine’s Day – drop us a line if you know of a Valntine’s Day special menu that isn’t yet on the list below.

February 28 – Kashas Kitchen is serving a Polish Dinner in Kittery.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week is taking place.

March 2 – Sara Jenkins, Dustin Martin, and Lauren Radel from Nina June will be the guest chefs at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

March 6-8 – The traveling Edgar Allen Poe Speakeasy will be in Portland for three nights.

March 11 – Barak Olins and Atsuko Fujimoto are the featured guests at a Maine Voices Live event at One Longfellow Square.

March 23 – The Casco Bay Chef’s Association is holding their annual dinner.

May 17 – The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

May 30 – June 1 – The Maine Fungi Fest is taking place.

September 14 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.

September 19-21 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.

October 12 – The Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.
25-packs of the Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now available on our online store.

Maine Food & Dining: Wells, Bath, Freeport, Brunswick, Camden, Northport, Wiscasset

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  •  Alex d’Emarese and Tiffany DeMartino have leased the former Drake’s Island Cafe building at 2073 Post Road in Wells where they plans to open the Baker Bru Cafe (instagram). Renovations are already underway with the hope of launching by the end of March. The completed 2,400 sq ft counter service cafe will seat 30. d’Emarese and DeMartino will serve house-made pastries, meat pies and quiches as well as açaí bowls, breakfast bowls, and breakfast sandwiches. For drinks they’ll have 6 different types of smoothies, specialty coffee drinks and a collagen boosted hot chocolate. d’Emarese’s first venture was Baker Bru which had opened in North Berwick last March. Baker Bru Cafe will be open Tuesday through Sunday, 7 am – 3 pm.
  • Brunswick-based Reverie Coffee has a second location under development at 9 Park Street in Bath. The 1,500 square foot space (three times the size of their Brunswick cafe) will have a similar design and feature a gated children’s area as well as a section with tables and more casual couch seating and a larger retail area selling Maine made products and art. In addition to the coffee, tea, and baked goods served in Brunswick, owner Hannah Josselyn. plans to offer more savory food options to the menu like rice bowls, sandwiches, salads and eventually have savory and sweet waffles. Josselyn is planning to use the Bath location to host community events like book readings and to partner with the Bath Run Club on outings to the nearby Thorne Head Preserve. The new Reverie is part of a mixed use development in a former hospital building. Renovations are well underway and Josselyn hopes to open the new cafe by the end of February. Reverie initially got its start as a food truck and their Brunswick coffee shop opened in January 2024.
  • The King’s Head Pub is opening a second location in Freeport in the former Jameson Tavern (photo on right) building. Renovations are underway with hopes of opening sometime in April or May. The King’s Head in Portland opened in the summer of 2014. The Jameson Tavern closed this past November and at the time owner Tom Hincks was considering reopening in Windham.
  • The Bowdoin Orient has published an article about Pomelia, the popular new Sicilian-inspired restaurant that opened recently in Brunswick.
  • Down East magazine has published an article about Buttermilk Kitchen in Camden.
  • The Pen Bay Pilot has published an update on the new Spark Bagel cafe that opened recently in Northport.
  • Panacea (website, instagram) opened in Wiscasset this past weekend. The quartet of photos (above left) are from our visit on their opening day and show the clam chowder (bottom right) and mushroom and seaweed chowder (upper left). Panacea is open Friday through Monday, 11 am – 4 pm.
  • Portland-based culinary shop Skordo has announced plans to open a second location in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
  • The Times Record reports that Seafoam Cannabis owner Richard Petron is opening Liberty Pizza in the space next to his Wiscasset Seafoam shop on Route 27. Liberty Pizza expected to open on February 14th.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, plus other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.