Lido’s 2 on Market Street

| Posted in Under Construction

Vien Dobui and Jessica Sheahan, owners of Cong Tu Bot, have leased the former Pat’s Pizza location at 30 Market Street where they will open a second restaurant. Lido’s 2 Oun Lido’s (instagram) will be a 60-70 seat restaurant centered on communal/family-style dining serving an Asian food and beverage menu.

The dining room (second floor) will have both bar and booth seating with some tables set up with lazy susans for easy sharing of dishes among diners. Along with the kitchen, the ground floor will have a checkout counter to facilitate take-out pick-up from Lido’s 2. For now Sheahan and Dobui will use the top floor for offices but the longer term plan is to convert it to an event space.

The name of the business was inspired by Dobui’s memories of Lido’s Nightclub in his hometown of San Jose, California. Through a series of concept shifts Lido’s 1.0 became the favorite bar for an eclectic mix of communities including Mexican cowboys, Vietnamese ballroom dancers and drag queens. While the Portland context is different, Dobui hopes his Lido’s can also be a home to a similarly unexpected mix of peoples, and one that can create an inclusive and welcoming Old Port space for Portland’s queer community.

Sheahan and Dobui hope to open LIDO’S 2 this year.

Cong Tu Bot was founded in 2017. Dobui was a James Beard Awards nominee in the Best Chef: Northeast category in 2020 and 2022. The New York Times included it in their 2021 list of the 50 restaurants they were “most excited about right now”.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses in development visit our Under Construction List.

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

Lecha in Deering Center

| Posted in Under Construction

A new bubble tea cafe and ice cream shop called Lecha (instagram) has leased space at 502 Stevens Ave near Pat’s Meat Market, Norimoto Baking, Rwanda Bean and The Honey Exchange.

Owner Som Mantasut plans to serve a variety of bubble teas, and both soft and hard serve ice creams, and will also have a retail space selling locally made products. Mantasut aims to create a “vibrant daily spot where Asian bubble tea traditions meet American decadent custard.”

Renovations are underway and Mantasut hopes to open Lecha on the first weekend of June. The shop will feature a mural from Pam Chevez, and Leacha will be working with local artists for exhibitions and cultural events in the adjacent Pocket Park.

The name Lecha is a play on words that combine Leche (milk in Spanish) and Cha (tea in Thai) into a single word.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants, bars and other hospitality businesses in development visit our Under Construction List.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – Scratch Baking is teaching a (sold out) bagel baking class, and the Garden Bar (instagram) is scheduled to open in Biddeford.

Thursday – Chaval is holding their annual May the Fourth Star Wars dinner.

Sunday – Crispy Gai is holding a 5-course dinner in collaboration with chefs from Norimoto, Pho Huong, Little Brother Chinese, Golden Wat, Frying Dutchman, Thai Esaan, and Mitr. A special cocktail menu featuring Golden Wat Cognac will be available.

May 8 – Bar Futo is holding an 8-course dinner in collaboration with chefs Tracy Chang from Pagu; Christine Lau from The CLAU Group; Tim Ma from Chefs Stopping AAPI Hate, Lucky Danger, and Chase the Submarine; Shuai Wang from Jackrabbit Filly and King BBQ; Sang Lee from Sushi Sang Lee, and Nikhil Naiker.

May 11 – The film City of Servers will premiere at the Maine Mayhem Film Festival taking place at the Nickelodeon.

May 12 – The Daily Grind and The Sinful Kitchen/Pig Kahuna are holding a pig roast as a benefit for Brea Lu. The Westbrook cafe recently suffered a fire at the construction site for their new location.

May 17/18 – La Gallera is holding a Puerto Rican takeout pop-up from the kitchen Belleville on North Street.

May 17/18 – Percy’s and Disco Jalisco are teaming up to produce a pair of dinners.

May 18 – Mrs. Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner.

May 20 – Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

May 30 – GMRI is leading an Alewife Migration Walk at the Mill Brook Preserve.

June 5 – The James Beard Awards ceremony will take place. Nezinscot Farm will receive an American Classics award and The Quarry in Monson will learn if they have won in the Outstanding Hospitality category. Scratch Baking is teaching a (sold out) bagel baking class,

June 11 – Big Tree Hospitality is holding a farm to table dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week is taking place with events at restaurants all over the Portland area.

July 23 – Maine Open Farm Day 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.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

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.

City of Servers

| Posted in Events, People

The Press Herald has published an article about the documentary City of Servers that’s due to premiere at the Nickelodeon on May 11th.

But what about the people bringing you all that delicious food? Those impossibly hard-working food service professionals are the subject of “The City of Servers,” a new documentary from Portland filmmaker and former server Elora Griswold, which will premiere next Thursday, May 11, as part of the Maine Mayhem Film Festival.

View the City of Servers trailer on instagram.

Review of The Danforth and Vegan Dining Advice

| Posted in General News, Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of The Danforth.

The Danforth is buzzy for good reason. Opened last July by the owners of New York’s Death & Co. bar, this lounge/restaurant is decorated sumptuously, taking midcentury modern tropes and inflecting them with a hint of ’70s mod glam. It is an exceedingly appealing restaurant to stare at from a seat in the plush lounge. Drinks are a bit hit-or-miss, but the bar staff knows how to shake up a tasty nonalcoholic drink, so order a gingery Artificial Light and ask for a food menu. Here, The Danforth is on solid ground, thanks to executive chef Michael Boomhower’s menu of comforting “Americana” classics.

The paper also includes guidance to date-night worthy restaurants with vegan food options.

The End of Portland Now Open

| Posted in Openings

A new bar called The End of Portland (instagram) opened this week. It’s located at 229 Congress Street in the space formerly occupied by Saint Joe’s Restobar. The bar’s name is a nod to being located across the street from the Eastern Cemetery.

The bar has been launched by Johnny Althoff, Andrew Roseman, Celeste Parke, and Benbazi.

As you can see below the menu includes a line-up of house cocktails, a couple of snacks, beer, wine, cider and some “extra curriculars” modified beer drinks. They’re also serving Allen’s Coffee Brandy cupcakes from Clementine Cake Company.

Ore Nell’s Barbecue in Biddeford

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

Kittery-based Ore Nell’s Barbecue (website, facebook, instagram) is opening a second location in Biddeford. The restaurant will be located at 42 Franklin Street in the building formerly occupied by Louie’s Pizza.

Ore Nell’s serves Texas-style barbecue that’s a reflection of chef Will Myska’s Houston upbringing. The menu includes brisket, ribs, pulled pork, house made sausage, chicken and and BBQ tofu. See orenellsbbq.com for the full menu.

Ore Nell’s launched in 2018 as a collaboration between Myska, David Vargas from Vida Cantina in Portsmouth and restaurateur Jay McSharry. Kyle Chauncey is joining the founders in launching the Biddeford location. The team hopes to open the new Ore Nell’s by the end of June.

Fine Fried Chicken

| Posted in People

Crispy Gai chef/owner Cyle Reynolds is featured in a Washington Post article about fine dining chefs making the leap to fried chicken.

It’s easy to forget, but chefs are consumers, too. Cyle Reynolds recalls frequently going out to eat Thai-style fried chicken after his shift at Canvas, a fine-dining restaurant in Bangkok that he helped open in 2016. In Maine a few years later, when his plan to sign a restaurant lease fell through — on March 30, 2020, no less — Reynolds turned to happier memories of fried chicken. He now runs a Thai-style fried chicken restaurant called Crispy Gai in downtown Portland, Maine, with two business partners.

Taste Bud Travel Guide

| Posted in Reviews

The Taste Bud Travel Guide has posted an eating guide to kid-friendly dining destinations in Portland.

Rocky and beautiful, this city by the sea is ready to roll. More than just lobster (although don’t miss that either) the tide is rolling in on Portland, which was named Restaurant City of the Year in 2018. We’re rounded up the top eats, bakeries and fine dining in Forest City for Food Adventures that will delight Taste Buds big and small.

More photos on instagram.