Soul Food Paradise

| Posted in Under Construction

Soul Food Paradise (website, instagram) owner Martin Beavers has leased 2,835 sq ft of space at 24 Preble Street where he plans to open a second location for his business. The new spot is adjacent to Dutch’s and was the original location for Arcadia.

Beavers plans to add more soul food classic to the menu and provide a more elevated experience. He hopes to open the in-town location by the start of the summer.

Beavers launched Soul Food Paradise in May 2021 as a takeout business at Fork Food Lab. His current restaurant located in the Maine Mall food court launched in October 2021.

Thistle & Grouse

| Posted in Under Construction

A new restaurant called Thistle & Grouse (instagram) is under construction at 10 Cotton Street in the space formerly occupied by Rivalries. According to a report from the Press Herald, the business is being launched by Bobby Will, the chef/owner of Salt & Steel in Bar Harbor.

Will said he hopes to open his “hyper locally sourced gastropub,” which he plans to call Thistle & Grouse, in late June or July but knows that delays are likely. He said he plans “mostly cosmetic” renovations, including replacing the tile floor with wood and installing leather booths. The menu, he said, will include a raw bar, curry pot pie and an extensive cocktail program and Maine craft beer list.

Rivalries owners Amy and Lance Meader announced the sale of the Cotton Street property last week. They will continue to operate the Rivalries in Falmouth.

Nezinscot Farm: America’s Classic Award

| Posted in Reviews, Maine


Congratulations to Nezinscot Farm (website, instagram) for being named a James Beard America’s Classics Award winner.

Today’s announcement from the James Beard Foundation includes this description of the farm:

When Gloria married Gregg Varney, she insisted that they open a café on the farm in Turner, Maine that has been in the Varney family for more than a hundred years. The first organic dairy farm in Maine, Nezinscot Farm takes its name, shared by a nearby river, from the Abenaki word signifying a place to gather. The Abenaki name is seemingly also a mission for the Varneys. In 1987, Nezinscot opened its Café and Coffee shop, and Gloria’s original vision has since expanded to include a bakery, a fromagerie, and charcuterie. The Café has something beautiful and exciting on every shelf—cases of homemade cheeses and meats, bagels, freshly baked pies, and perfect breads rolling out the kitchen, topped with farm eggs and homemade sausage and cheeses. The energy behind it all feels directed at building community, with delicious homemade everything (even the teas, even the crackers) serving as the vital instrument of creating and sustaining that gathering. The Varneys feed the community in many ways, significantly providing a warm space to gather around food on a farm in the middle of Maine.

The America’s Classics Awards are given to “locally owned restaurants that have timeless appeal and are beloved regionally for quality food that reflects the character of its community.” Maine has celebrated two prior award winners in this category: Waterman’s Beach Lobster in South Thomaston in 2001, and Bagaduce Lunch in Penobscot in 2008.

The Varneys will receive their award at the Beard Awards Gala taking place on June 5th at the Lyric Opera in Chicago.

Additionally, 11 Maine restaurants and chefs have been named semifinalists and are in contention for the 2023 awards. The final list of nominees are due out on March 29th with the award winners also being announced in Chicago on June 5th.

Tacos La Poblanita in Westbrook

| Posted in Under Construction

Tacos La Poblanita (facebook, instagram) is opening a new restaurant in Westbrook at 57 Bridge Street across from the Dana Warp Mill. Owners Karina Contreras and Jaime Rodriguez hope to open sometime in March, and will be serving a menu that includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and burritos.

Tacos La Poblanita launched as a food truck in the summer of 2019 and in the Maine Mall in summer of 2022.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

February 20 – chef Sam Fore from Tuk Tuk will be at Crispy Gai for a pop-up dinner.

February 26/27 – the first 2023 Science Cafe and associated cooking class is taking place at Canopy Farms in Brunswick.

February 28 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week.

March 2 – Judy Gibson is holding a 5-course beer dinner in collaboration with Fore River Brewing.

March 5 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Spirit Quest.

March 9 – the New England Craft Brew Summit is taking place, and Fire & Co and Austin Street are collaborating on a Polenta Board Dinner.

March 12 – Two events are taking place at Coffee by Design: a coffee cupping with Juan Carlos Arango, owner of Arango Specialty Coffee, and the release of gin barrel-aged Alice Greele coffee.

March 17 – the final Flanagan Farm Supper Club (tickets) is taking place in Buxton. The  cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and multi-course dinner at being produced by Big Tree, the parent company of Eventide and The Honey Paw restaurants.

March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

March 29 – the James Beard Foundation will release the list of nominees for this year’s awards. There are 11 semifinalists from Maine under consideration.

April 3 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

April 21 – The Good Food Awards will take place, there are 12 finalists from Maine in the running this year.

May 20 – Maine Wild Wine Fest.

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.

Caballeras in Brunswick

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

Nikaline Iacono, the owner of Vessel & Vine in Brunswick, is launching a new bar. Named Caballeras (instagram) the menu will focus exclusively on oxidized and aromatized wines like vermouth, sherry, rancio, madeira and apertivos which Iacono refers to as her “true loves”. She hopes to launch Caballeras in April.

The 14-seat bar will be located within the Vessel And Vine shop with additional outdoor seating during the warmer months of the year. In addition to the bar program Caballeras will serve tapas-style snacks. Charley Zimmerman will be heading up the bar with Iacono working on the wine list and food.

The Ugly Duckling Opens Tuesday

| Posted in Openings

The Ugly Duckling (website, instagram) is scheduled to open this morning at 8 am. The new bakeshop and luncheonette is being launched by Ilma Lopez  and Damian Sansonetti the co-owners of Chaval (Lopez is shown above talking with Matt Bolinder from Speckled Ax and chef Rob Evans from Duckfat). The cafe space features a horseshoe coffee bar as well as additional table seating in the front windows along with a small retail section.

The Ugly Duckling will be open this  week Tuesday and Wednesday 8 am – noon. Next week it will be open Tuesday through Thursday and the hours will be 8 am to 1 pm. Over the next few weeks menu and hours/days of operation will expand; closing time will eventually be 6 pm. The Ugly Duckling is located at 246 Danforth Street in the West End.

Shown above are the pastrami and rye breakfast sandwich (pastrami, fried egg, provolone, horseradish-espresso red-eye aioli) on a house made rye caraway English muffin, a canalé and scenes from the friends and family test run that took place Monday. The Ugly Duckling is serving Speckled Ax coffee and espresso drinks and has a full liquor license—watch for the spirit-espresso pairings—and be sure to try the fennel/orange/tea mocktail if you’re looking for a no ABV beverage.

Here’s a look at the opening day menu:

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

February 14 – it’s Valentine’s Day. Check with your favorite restaurant on special menus and events.

February 17/18 – the Maker’s Galley is holding a 4-course Croatian Dinner and cooking class.

February 20 – chef Sam Fore from Tuk Tuk will be at Crispy Gai for a pop-up dinner.

February 26/27 – the first 2023 Science Cafe and associated cooking class is taking place at Canopy Farms in Brunswick.

February 28 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Incredible Breakfast Cook-off.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week.

March 2 – Judy Gibson is holding a 5-course beer dinner in collaboration with Fore River Brewing.

March 5 – Maine Restaurant Week’s Spirit Quest.

March 18 – Chris Toy is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

April 3 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

April 21 – The Good Food Awards will take place, there at 12 finalists from Maine in the running this year.

May 20 – Maine Wild Wine Fest.

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.

Michelin in Maine?

| Posted in General News

The Michelin Guide recently launched in Florida, and in an article in the Wall Street Journal they asked a panel of food writers to predict where the guide should expand to next. Guess which state made the list?

Restaurateur and author Michael Cecchi-Azzolina predicts Maine,

“There are the lobster shacks, but also amazing chefs like off-the-grid genius Erin French at the Lost Kitchen in Freedom; Melissa Kelly at Primo in Rockland; and Sara Jenkins, who was behind Porchetta in New York City and opened Nina June in Rockport. Everyone talks about Noma and foraging, but the simplicity of what these chefs do is also steeped in originality and a homage to Maine’s culinary origins.”

Michelin currently covers 6 geographies in the US: New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Florida and California. They expanded into California in 2019 when the state’s tourism board agreed to underwrite the annual operational costs.

Wayside Review & Savory Cocktails

| Posted in Reviews, Distilling & Cocktails

The Maine Sunday Telegram has published a review of Wayside Tavern, and

Cast in deep greens, golds and Victorian-era stained wood, this European-inspired restaurant (read: mostly Italian and French) is the sort of bistro-esque neighborhood restaurant any locality would be lucky to have. The cocktail menu takes familiar classics like negronis and boozy spritzes and tweaks them just enough so you’d notice only if you’re paying attention. The menu does the same, although it also plays with format, reimagining a roast chicken as an open-faced sandwich slathered in ricotta and pine nuts, soaking up the fat and juices from griddled chicken thighs…

an article about a trend in cocktail design popping up in local bars.

Au courant cocktail enthusiasts or anyone with an adventuresome palate these days can sip drinks all around town that showcase the savory flavors of everything from fresh spinach and carrots or roasted beets to Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, brown butter, lobster, North African shakshuka sauce – even hot and sour Thai tom yum soup.