Vuong Joining Tao

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

The Press Herald reports that Frying Dutchman chef/owner Leon Vuong will be closing down his business to fully devote his time in a new direction. Vuong will be working with Cara Stadler as a head chef and a business partner in the relaunch of Stadler’s Brunswick restaurant Tao Yuan.

Vuong, who has fine-dining cooking experience including at the Barbara Lynch restaurant Menton in Boston, said he’ll retire most of his Frying Dutchman dishes along with the venue itself. At Tao Yuan, Vuong said he expects they’ll keep some of the signature dishes from the pre-pandemic restaurant, but about 50 percent of the small plates and tasting menu dishes will be new, like a bahn mi savory eclair course he’s been fine-tuning.

The Great Lost Bear

| Posted in Profiles

The Bollard has published an article about The Great Lost Bear and the recent change in ownership at the beer bar.

“It was Chip’s idea,” Dave said of the bar’s embrace of craft beer. Geary’s Pale Ale went on tap as soon as it was available, and Gritty McDuff’s Pub Style followed two years later. Dave recalled a few early breweries that didn’t last, including Casco Bay and Sparhawk. And he remembered driving to Massachusetts for beers that were not yet distributed in Maine, like Sam Adams, Ipswich, Commonwealth and Watch City. 

Quanto Basta Opens Thursday

| Posted in Openings

Quanto Basta (website, instagram) is scheduled to open this Thursday, 5 – 10 pm. The Neapolitan pizzeria is located at 249 Congress Street in the original LB Kitchen space. It has room for 20 to sit comfortably indoors and there’s outdoor seating out the back door of the kitchen.

In addition to the Neapolitan pizza that Quanto Basta is known for, the menu (see below) includes appetizers, desserts, Southern Italian wines, spritzs and sparking water. Shown above are Salsiccia pizza (garlic confit, Italian sausage, broccolini ripassata) and seasonal specialty pizza (basil pesto, zucchini, peas), caccio e pepe suppli, bagna cauda, and both desserts.

Owner Betsy English along with front of house manager Adam Carlow will be operating QB  Thursday through Saturday 5 – 10 pm, Sunday 11 – 4 pm, and Monday 5 – 10 pm. Quanto Basta is walk-in only with a wait list and operating on a counter service model—see their recent instagram post for more details.

English launched the Quanto Basta food truck in August 2021, and very quickly built a strong following for the mobile pizza operation.

Oga Suya

| Posted in Profiles

Ajambo Africa has published an article about Oga Suya, the mobile Nigerian barbecue business owned by Young Francis and Rose Barboza.

Francis grew up in Nigeria surrounded by a big family, where food played a significant role in his upbringing. He worked in restaurants growing up, and his skills and passion for cooking – combined with Barboza’s business savvy – are a winning combination. “Young is just an amazing chef. Since we’ve met, I just don’t cook anymore. … He carefully blends a mix of spices and peanuts to create a nutty, smoky, and spicy flavor that is unmatched,” said Barboza.  

Author Lillian Lama has also profiled several other restaurants for Ajambo Africa including one of Tostones Cafe, Flores, Sal de la Terre, and Yardie Ting.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday – Quanto Basta is holding their grand opening on Thursday. Twirl has opened their ice cream shop in the Public Market House and will be open Thursday through Sunday this week. There will be a Percy’s pop-up event at Crispy Gai.

Friday – Fika (instagram), the new take-out Scandinavian bakery in Saco, is scheduled to open Friday morning.

Sunday – Maine Open Farm Day is taking place, and Maine Bakers for a Cause are holding an event at Ugly Duckling.

July 24 – Little Pig (website, instagram) is transitioning from pop-up mode to being fully open Monday through Saturday, noon – 8 pm.

July 26 – it’s the Frying Dutchman’s last day in business.

July 27 – Absolem Cider in Winthrop will be hosting chef Justin Smillie for a pizza pop-up called Slow Fires. Absolem will be serving a special line-up of cider, cocktail, and wine for the night and the crew from Table Bar is DJing the event.

July 27-29 – The Kneading Conference and Maine Artisan Bread Fair will be taking place in Skowhegan.

August 3-5 – the Wavy Days beer festival and associated events are taking place. The beer festival itself will feature beers from 55 breweries and take place on Thompson’s Point.

August 6/7 – Chef Amy Kayne from 2Gether is serving a pair of candlelight dinners on House Island in Casco Bay.

August 23 – An Outstanding in the Field dinner is taking place at Dandelion Spring Farm with guest chef Neil Zabriskie from Regards.

August 25-27 – chefs Sam Hayward, Evan Mallett and others will be leading Take a Bite out of Appledore: An Eco-Culinary Island Retreat.

September 10 – the Maine Cheese Festival is taking place.

September 24 – The Saltyard is holding a cocktail brunch at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

September 30 – Tender Table is holding their 3rd annual food and art fair in Congress Square Park.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

Review of Mitr

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Mitr.

Lucky for Libbytown, this COVID-delayed, skewers-and-charcoal-grill-centric casual dining spot made it to its debut. Food is solid at Mitr, especially skewers like marinated chicken livers or lemongrass beef, crisp Han Yat-style fried chicken, and deceptively light, balanced desserts like cream-topped coconut cake. Combine that with the miniature dining room’s Instagram-worthy 19 coveted seats, and it’s easy to imagine Mitr becoming an attraction on an otherwise unlovely stretch of Congress Street.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Openings, Maine

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • The newly renovated Norumbega (instagram) hotel in Camden is launching a new cocktail bar (see photos above). The menu centers on classic cocktails and is accompanied by a menu from chef Marymarcel Densmore including some dishes from her home country of Peru. The bar will be open Sunday through Tuesday, 4 – 7 pm starting on July 16th. The Norumbega is also playing host to a series of pop-up dinners this summer prepared by E. Wales Hospitality (the former operators of Blue Spoon in Portland).
  • The newly renovated Waldoboro Inn (instagram) has launched their new wine bar. Styled Ida’s the bar is named for Ida Stahl who’s family operated the Waldoboro Inn (and the co-located Stahl’s Tavern) in the mid-20th Century. Ida’s is open July 14-16th, 4 – 10 pm.
  • Down East magazine has published an article about Simones’ Hot Dogs in Lewiston which opened in 1908 and has been run by grandson of the founder for the past 50 years.
  • Tallulah’s (instagram), the new barn bar at The Waterford Inne in Waterford, opened this weekend (reservations required). The menu will include small plates and snacks, ice cream sandwiches, cocktails, wine, beer, and cider.
  • The Place Bakery (instagram) opened this weekend in Camden. The opening menu includes a range of baked goods including sweet and savory croissants, Dannish, brreads, cookies, pie and cake. This weekend and next they’ll be open Saturday/Sunday…look for expanded hours in the future.

Cong Tu Bot Crowdfunding for Lido’s 2

| Posted in Under Construction

The owners of Cong Tu Bot have launched a $75k crowdfunding campaign to help to assist with the launch of their new restaurant Lido’s 2. In the few days since it kicked-off the campaign has raised $7,033 towards their goal. Contributes to the campaign will receive 120% of that amount as a credit to be used at Lido’s 2 or Cong Tu Bot. The credits don’t expire and will vest over a period of six months.

As we reported back in May, Lido’s 2 will be located on Market Street and will likely open later this year. The campaign site shares some additional plans for Lido’s,

While CTB is small and scrappy, this new location in the Old Port dreams to be: moody, fun, a family-style affair with the same focus on pushing our own limits of what Asian American food can be, tight cocktails, and how to support our communities.

Visit the CTB/Lido’s page on Nu Market—a restaurant specific crowdfunding site–to contribute to the campaign.

Update: Since this article was published the prospective name of this business has been changed to Oun Lido’s.

Night Moves Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Night Moves Bread (website, facebook, instagram) opened their new South Portland bakery this morning. Baker/owner Kerry Hanney is offering a range of breads and baked goods as well as coffee (using beans from East Alstead Roasting Co.). Hanney focuses on bread and baked goods made with sustainably grown local grains which she mills in-house. In 2020 Food & Wine named Night Moves one of the 10 Most Essential bakeries in the nation.

The new Night Moves is located at 695 Broadway just over the Casco Bay Bridge. Night Moves will be open this week Wednesday through Saturday, 8 am – 2 pm, and the closing time will extend to 6 pm starting next week.

Hanney and Wade Ritchey leased 695 Broadway in South Portland late last year. Ritchey is in the final stages of the build out for his bar Lambs (instagram) which will be located in the space adjacent to Night Moves. Lambs is expected to open later this summer.

Update on Remake of OPT

| Posted in Under Construction

The Portland Phoenix has published an update on the plans to open a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by the Old Port Tavern.

Wills Dowd, the owner of the Woodfords Corner restaurant Bird & Co., hopes to have the “totally new concept” in the Old Port space open by April 2024.

Dowd, 34, who grew up in the Rosemont neighborhood, said he’s just a few weeks away from finalizing the name and concept after taking over the lease at 11 Moulton Street, but is “99 percent” decided on what the new restaurant will have to offer.