Wander at Longwoods Now Open

| Posted in Openings, Maine

Wander at LongWoods (website, facebook, instagram) opened last Wednesday. The farm-to-table restaurant is located off Route 9 near the center of town in Cumberland. The restaurant is part of the overall Longwoods Preserve (instagram) project which will include walking trails, a sculpture garden and a farm to supply produce and other ingredients for the restaurant.

The menu (see below) takes a locally-focused approach both for the food and as a touchpoint for the cocktail program. Wines by the glass/bottle and beer from Maine producers like Allagash, Bissell, Oxbow and Nonesuch are also available. The dessert menu includes panna cotta, a butter cake topped with local berry puree, gluten-free donuts, ice cream, sorbet and espresso-based coffees.

The restaurant can accommodate close to 100 customers overall including a large outdoor seating area with picnic tables and Adirondack chairs looking out over the open fields surrounding the restaurant. If you sit outside be sure to try the wood-fired pizza. The Saint Fergus is topped with mozzarella, bone marrow butter, breadcrumbs, parsley, shallots, capers and gray sea salt.

Mike Allen is the executive chef, Rich Maggi is the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, and Molly and Jordan McDuffie, are the Longwood farmers with Joe Atwood as the overall general manager.

Wander is open Wednesday through Sunday, 4 – 9 pm. They’ve been operating Wander on a walk-in basis for its first week, but starting August 9th they’ll begin taking reservations—visit wanderatlongwoods.com starting Wednesday to book a table.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – Ramona’s will be hosting Liberty Kitchen (instagram) from Philadelphia for a BYOB pop-up dinner, and chef Amy Kayne from 2Gether is serving a pair of candlelight dinners on House Island in Casco Bay.

Saturday/Sunday – The Saint Peter’s Italian Bazaar is taking place.

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 – Dandelion Spring Farms is holding a Harvest Dinner, and Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

October 25-28 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

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

Restaurant Real Estate: August 2023

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the August 2023 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.

This resource gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland (and a few in the surrounding area) that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers and retailers to locate their next business. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End

2 Pine St – Part of the former Treasure Chest space in Longfellow Square is for lease. Enterprise Records has moved into the right-hand portion with the remainder (adjacent to Weekend Vintage) still available. Call (207) 773-7100 for more details.

235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

Arts District

549 Congress St – the 1,397 sq ft space formerly occupied by the Portland Downtown offices is available to lease for $2,500/month (NNN).

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $2,301/month (NNN).

44 Oak St – 4,347 sq ft of space in a beautiful historic building at the corner of Oak and Free Streets is available for $15.50/sq ft (NNN).

Bayside

73 Cove St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft; it’s expected to become available in 2024.

360 Cumberland Ave – an 1,100 sq ft space near Schulte & Herr is available for $22/sq ft (NNN).

46 Elm St – this 385 sq ft corner space in the parking garage at the corner of Elm Street and Cumberland Ave. It’s available for $500/month (MG).

52 Hanover St – On the first floor of a new building will be 1,500 – 4,500 sq ft retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN).

65 Hanover St – 1,800 sq ft of space is available for $20/sq ft (NNN).

178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $25/sq ft (NNN).

34 Portland St – the 3,400 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is for sale for $599,000.

Old Port

1 Canal Plaza – 4,284 – 14,412 sq ft of ground floor retail space will be available as part of upcoming renovations; $30/sq ft (NNN).

1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is undergoing renovations. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).

100 Commercial St – 1,535 sq ft of retail space at the corner of Commercial and Portland Pier is for lease for $28.75/sq ft (MG)

185 Commercial St – a new building under construction will include 2,229 sq ft of ground floor retail space that will be available in 2024; $55/sq ft (NNN).

215 Commercial St – 2,487 sq ft of retail space near the corner of Commercial and Dana Streets is available for $65/sq ft (MG).

327 Commercial St – the former Tiqa restaurant is for lease—7,981 sq ft @ $30/sq ft (NNN)—or for sale for $3,500,000.

383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

441 Congress St – the 2,400 sq ft former Guitar Grave retail space is available for $15/sq ft (MG).

201 Federal St – 2 retail spaces will be available in the new 18-story building under construction at the corner of Temple and Federal Streets. The 527 and 2,300 sq ft spaces are listed at $40/sq ft (MG).

416 Fore St – the former Mark’s Place is available; 1,100 sq ft for $5,500 (NNN).

446 Fore St – a 1,600 sq ft space on the corner of Fore and Union Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,473 to 3,024 sq ft for $27.50/sq ft (NNN).

55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

121 Middle St – a 2,482 sq ft retail spot is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

157 Middle St – 1,091 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27 – 29.95/sq ft (MG).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $3,125/month (MG).

28 Monument Square – a space on the 2nd floor of the Public Market House is avaialble (143 sq ft with a base rent of $1,185 + utilities and CAM charges—call  413-636-9688 for details).

25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).

66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

144 State St – 2 retail spaces will be available in the development in the former Mercy Hospital building on State Street. The 1100 and 2,566 spaces are available for $26/sq ft (MG).

15 Temple St – the 2,086 sq ft space formerly occupied by Bubble Maineia is available for $26/sq ft (MG).

110 Thames St – two spots (2,700 and 3,200 sq ft) are now available in the newly constructed building in the Portland Foreside development. Both are listed at $35/sq ft (NNN).

53 Wharf St –a 1,600 sq ft space on the corner of Wharf and Union Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).

India Street

144 Fore St – the former VA building is near the Portland Foreside development and adjacent to several new office buildings off Thames Street. It has 1,560 – 10,620 sq ft of space available for $24-29/sq ft (NNN).

Forest Ave

301 Forest Ave – the former Higher Concept space is for lease, 4,000 sq ft at $15/sq ft (NNN).

503 – 509 Forest Ave – the exterior of this building is slated to be restored to its historic design. It has 4,500 – 9,500 sq ft of space available for $10/sq ft (NNN).

701 Forest Ave – 3,147 – 6,405 with parking available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flat building is for sale for $2,700,000.

Deering Center

476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,450,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory.

Elsewhere in Portland

1091 Congress St – the former Denny’s building and parking lot are available to lease; 4,901 sq ft at $25.50/sq ft (NNN).

43 York St – this 1,800 sq ft space is tucked around the corner from Yosaku on York Street. It’s available for $3,000/month (MG).

Northgate Shopping Center – 2,200 to 5,700 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – three spaces are for lease at $18-40/sq ft (NNN).

Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.

Outside of Portland

Bath – the former  home of Salt Pine Social is available. The 3,535 sq ft building is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

125 Bucknam Rd – the former Ela’s Market & Grill building in Falmouth is for sale for $850,000.

18 Ocean St, South Portland – the 4,351 sq ft former Snow Squall is for lease for $12/sq ft (NNN).

372 Cottage Rd, South Portland – the former Omi’s Coffee Shop is available for lease. Call Jennifer Davies at (207) 650-9944 for more information.

Glossary

MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.

NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.

Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.

Review of Gather

| Posted in Reviews

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

Despite a small menu, food at Gather lags behind the beverage program and is, unfortunately, sometimes subpar. Stick to dishes like panko-crusted cod with smashed fingerling potatoes and olive relish, or the Boursin-and-smoked-gouda-topped smash burger, both of which are solid choices. Skip dessert and instead buy a drink for Cole, whose hustle and dedication are unparalleled.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Maine

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

  • Rabelais Books owner Don Lindgren has announced he’s shutting down the bookstore’s Biddeford retail shop. Lindgren will continue to operate the rare book component of Rabelais as a virtual business. The bookstore will remain open through the remainder of August, Thursday to Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm with a 30% discount on all books priced under $1,000.
  • Wolfpeach in Camden will be closing permanently. The Camden restaurant opened in late 2021 and was a James Beard Awards semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2023. Earlier this year Wolfpeach transitioned to a pizza-centric menu and has also been home to Pastoralia Wines which has run a daytime wine shop and wine bar from the restaurant.
  • Jodie’s Cafe and Bakery has announced they’ll be moving their operations to 45 Water Street in Wiscasset where they’ll be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Last month owner Jodie Roquemore purchased the former Sarah’s Cafe from longtime owner Sarah Heald. The new Jodie’s is expected to open sometime in August.
  • The Bangor Daily News reported on the use of invasive green crabs on the menu at Must Be Nice Lobster in Belfast.

The Continental Now Open

| Posted in Openings


The Continental (instagram) launched on Thursday. It is located at 170 Brighton Ave at the intersection of Brighton and Saint John. The Continental will initially be open Tuesday through Saturday 4 – 11.

The concept is inspired by English and Irish pubs. The 2,200 sq ft former 7-11 building has been completely renovated. The dining room features dark wood along the bar and booths, blue and gold wall paper throughout and a polished and painted concrete floor. A rarity for a Portland restaurant, The Continental has a large parking lot in front of the building.

The beverage menu (see below) includes a variety of draft and packaged beers and wines by the glass. The Continental has a full liquor license as well. The initial food menu trends to comfort food pub dishes like scotch eggs, boxty, fish and chips (see below) and shepherds pie.

Michael Barbuto and Kevin Doyle are the founders of The Continental. Doyle and Barbuto along with Michael Fraser are co-owners of CBG and of Nosh Kitchen Bar.

Henry’s Public House Now Open

| Posted in Openings

The newest restaurantand bar from The Miranda Group, Henry’s Public House (instagram), is now open. It’s located in the former Bull Feeney’s building at 375 Fore Street.

The menu includes appetizers like coconut shrimp and wings, sandwiches, salads, and some mains like surf and turf, fish and chips and moules frites.

The beverage program includes beer and wine with a strong focus on cocktails. The 16 house cocktail options are divided into categories titled: Dead Poet’s Society (try the Cease & Desist), From the Cannon, Writer’s Block and Martini Lunch. Shown below is a Bamboo (sherry, vermouth blend, cucumber, eucalyptus) from the Martini Lunch section and an off-menu Perfect Martinez.

The two-story restaurant offers a variety of room styles with an overall layout that remains true to what Bull Feeney’s customers were familiar with. On the first floor is a central bar with table/booth seating along the edges of the room and in the front windows. At the top of the stairs is a pair of rooms with a library theme (blue room show below); there is a second bar on the second floor and on the corner overlooking the intersection of Fore and Exchange is a upscale lounge.

Henry’s will be open 7 days a week: 4 – 11 pm on Mondays through Thursdays, 4 pm – 1 am on Fridays, 11 – 1 am on Saturdays, and 11 am – 11 pm on Sundays.

The Miranda Group also operates Blyth & Burrows (2017), Via Vecchia (2020) and Papi (2023). Bull Feeney’s closed earlier this year.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday-Saturday – 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.

Saturday/Sunday – Wild Blueberry Weekend is taking place—visit a wild blueberry farm in a county near you.

Sunday – Yardie Ting is holding their annual Jamaican Independence Day Celebration.

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

August 7 – Ramona’s will be hosting Liberty Kitchen (instagram) from Philadelphia for a BYOB pop-up dinner.

August 12/13 – The Saint Peter’s Italian Bazaar is taking place.

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.

October 25-28 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

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

Boba Tea in Maine

| Posted in General News

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article on the growing interest in and opportunities to buy boba tea in Maine.

The boba boom has hit Maine for sure. At least five new bubble tea shops have opened in the state since November, including Kim Boba Tea & Coffee on Mellen Street and Lecha on Stevens Avenue in Portland, as well as farther-flung locations like Quickly Boba Café in Brunswick, Boba OOB in Old Orchard Beach, and Bubble Tea Café all the way up in Presque Isle.

The drink is also on the menu at many local Asian restaurants, like Keg and Kraken or Crunchy Poke, and has even been sold at major chains like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts.