Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Wednesday – chef Bijan Eslami is holding a pop-up for his BiziBuns food truck at Jing Yan.

February 11 – Ali Waks Adams is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

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

February 20 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week.

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

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

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.

2023 Beard Awards Semifinalists

| Posted in Reviews, Maine

This year’s list of restaurant and chef semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation Awards was just released. There are 11 semifinal nominees from Maine:

Additionally, chef David Vargas is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Chef category for his restaurant Vida Cantina in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Vargas also owns Ore Nell’s BBQ which is located on Badger Island in Kittery, Maine.

The final list of nominees will be released March 29th, and the awards ceremony will take place on Monday June 5th in Chicago.

Related information:

Continued Growth & Development

| Posted in General News

MaineBiz reports on the ongoing development of the Portland restaurant scene.

Today, as survivors seek to put pandemic setbacks behind them while grappling with industry-wide staffing and supply-chain shortages, Portland’s culinary cachet is on the rebound. Driving that momentum is a host of new investments in the 68,000-population southern coastal city that’s home to more than 500 licensed eating and drinking establishments.

BiziBuns Food Truck in Brunswick

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

Chef Bijan Eslami is planning to launch a food truck called BiziBuns (instagram) in Brunswick this spring.

Eslami will be serving a menu of buns and rice bowls. Options will include dishes like a lamb bun with sumac, onions and tahini, and rice bowls such as Persian green curry (ghorme sabzi) and a sour chicken with barberries and pickled sour grapes.

Eslami is currently the chef at Jing Yan where his cooking helped earn the restaurant 4 stars from Maine Sunday Telegram restaurant critic Andrew Ross. Watch the Jing Yan instagram account for word of a BiziBuns pop-up which will take place in February.

Eslami plans to locate BiziBuns on the Main Street Mall in Brunswick and be open through dinner hours closing at 10 pm.

Ruby’s Moving to 642 Congress St

| Posted in Under Construction

Owners Matt and Corrinna Stum plan to move their West End restaurant Ruby’s (website, instagram) to 642 Congress Street to the storefront that was formerly occupied by Ada’s. The last service at the Pine Street Ruby’s West End will be on January 29th.

The Stums have put together a team that includes chef Garret LeClair, baker Nee-Nah Hall, barista Aly Shannon and bartender Ethan Cory. Ruby’s will be serving brunch, lunch and dinner.

The menu for the 40-seat restaurant is still under development with the working theme of “Maine roots, French inspired”. Some classic French dishes like cassoulet, duck confit, coq au vin, and loup du mer are expected to be part of the dinner menu as well as vegan and vegetarian options. Lunch and brunch menus will expand with options for soup, salads and sandwiches.

The team hope to open the new Ruby’s in February. They plan to initially be open Wednesday through Sunday, 9 am – 9 pm.

The Stum’s opened  Ruby’s West End in April 2021 at 64 Pine Street, and recently launched a new restaurant called Back River Bistro in Wiscasset.

New LB Kitchen Now Open

| Posted in Openings

The new LB Kitchen (website, instagram) is now open. Owners Bryna Gootkind and chef Lee Farrington purchased the building on the corner of Congress and Smith Streets back in February and have completely renovated the corner unit to move and expand LB Kitchen into. The new LB will feature a 28-seat dining room, a retail market and a dedicated space for takeout pick-up.

LB Kitchen will be open everyday 8 am – 3 pm with their regular menu (food, drinks, children’s). Then from 3 to 6 pm they’ll be serving beer, wine, cider snacks and small plates during what they’ve dubbed Golden Hour (menu).

The original LB Kitchen storefront is being converted to serve as a brick and mortar location for Quanto Basta.

Bake Maine Pottery Cafe

| Posted in Under Construction

Portland Pottery Cafe on Washington Ave will be reopening under new ownership as the Bake Maine (instagram) Pottery Cafe. Owners Doug Perry and Kristen Perry have been doing some light renovations and hope to reopen as soon as this weekend.

The menu (see below) includes a variety of sandwiches, wraps, toasts and baked goods for breakfast—yes, the raspberry scones will continue to be available—and soups and sandwiches for lunch.

The Perry’s grew up in Wells, Maine. Before taking over the Pottery Cafe they operated the 1690 House Bakeshop and Cafe and subsequently A Cafe and Bakery, both of which are in Wells. Kristen Perry had previously worked at both Flour Bakery and the Tatte Bakery in the Boston area.

Baked Maine will be open seven days a week, 8 am – 3 pm.

 

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

Thursday – Urban Farm Fermentory is kicking off their monthly Fun with Ferments potluck.

January 28 – Sam Hayward is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

February 11 – Ali Waks Adams is teaching a virtual cooking class to benefit the Oasis Free Clinic in Brunswick.

February 14 – Broken Arrow will be serving a Valentine’s Day dinner.

February 20 – Scratch Baking is teaching a bagel baking class.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week.

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

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

June 12-18 – Portland Wine Week.

July 23 – Open Farm Day.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day.