Upcoming Events: Dinner & Pop-ups, Dirty Dove, S’Mores Night, NYE List Started

MondayBissell Brothers is holding a (sold out) 5-course beer dinner, Pasilla is doing another pop-up at the Public Market House, and the Washington Baths are holding the December edition of their Bread Soup Cake series.

WednesdayHelm is serving a 4-course/5-wine Burgundy dinner, and Duckfat and Maine & Loire are collaborating on a 6-course natural wine dinner.

SaturdayDirty Dove is scheduled to open.

December 16Congress Square Park plans to kick-off their S’mores Night, which will take place weekly 4-6 pm.

December 18Belleville will be holding a pop-up 9 am – noon; preorders will go live on December 13th at noon.

December 19 – Fred Eliot from Scales and Michael Stokes from Fore Street will be the guest chefs at the East Ender.

New Year’s Eve – Here’s a small but growing list of options for your New Year’s Eve celebrations. We’ll be adding more as restaurants and bars announce their plans.

  • Broken Arrow – 5-course dinner ($95 per person) at 6 pm, and 7-course dinner ($145 per person) at 9 pm, both with optional pairings.
  • Friends & Family – a Tour d’Alps tasting menu; $48 per person.
  • Judy Gibson – a 6-course tasting menu plus snacks; $100 per person with optional beverage pairing for $45 per person.
  • Mr. Tuna – a range of sushi options for 2 – 10 people.

January 14 – The Good Food Foundation will be announcing the winners of the 2022 awards program; 10 Maine food producers are finalists this year.

Restaurant Real Estate: December 2021

Welcome to the December 2021 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company. This monthly column gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers/retailers to locate their next business.

Even during the pandemic many people are pursuing their dreams and opening new food businesses. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this new resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End

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.

101 York St – 7,391 sq ft of a 15,000 sq ft sub-dividable space in the new building on the corner of York and High Street is available for $15-20/sq ft (NNN). The space already has a hood vent and grease traps installed.

Arts District

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $17.04/sq ft (NNN).

555 Congress St – the former Five Fifty-Five building is for sale for $2,400,000.

Bayside

170 Anderson St – 2,000 – 3,500 sq ft in East Bayside available for $15/sq ft (NNN).

15 Chestnut St – the 14,000 sq ft building that was the former home of Grace is for sale for $3,730,000.

360 Cumberland Ave – two spaces (900 sq ft on Cumberland Ave and a 1,000 sq ft space in a building set back from the street) are available for $24-25/sq ft (NNN).

31 Diamond St – this 2,800 – 22,034 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

178 Kennebec St – 4 retail spaces (1,800 – 5,314 sq ft) on the first floor of a new building for $30/sq ft (NNN).

Old Port

1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is available. The 2,494 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).

383 Commercial St – 1,639 – 3,487 of retail space on Commercial Street for $28/sq ft (NNN).

30 Danforth St – 3 units (1,800, 1,881, 2,900 sq ft) are for lease at $2,900 – $3,950/month (MG).

446 Fore St – 1,600 – 3,400 sq ft in the former Pearl space with entrances on Wharf and Fore Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – A new building is under construction on Free Street by JB Brown. The first floor will have 4/5 storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft. The construction is expected to be completed in 2021. The rate is $30/sq ft (NNN).

5 India St – 1,250 – 2,500 sq ft for $30/sq ft (NNN) in a new building under construction near the intersection with Commercial St.

38 Market St – a 1,200 subterranean space near the intersection with Milk Street for $1,175/month (MG).

55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $24/sq ft (NNN).

157 Middle St –1,071 – 6,356 sq ft for $27.95/sq ft (MG).

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

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

1 Pleasant St – 850 sq ft of space adjacent to Hi Bombay for $4,000/month (NNN).

3 Portland Square – This new building will include 2,500 – 20,000 square feet of retail space for$28.50/sq ft.

3 Spring St – the 2,554 sq ft former Lio space is available at $19/sq ft (NNN).

41 Wharf St – the former Jager space is available; 1,107 sq ft for $43/sq ft (MG).

42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).

India/Washington Ave

100 Fore St – 1,914 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” for $27-30/sq ft (NNN).

22 Hancock St – 978 sq ft for $2,300/month (MG).

Forest Ave

333 Forest Ave – a 2,468 retail space is available for $16/sq ft (MG).

701 Forest Ave – this former Rite Aid building is being converted and has 4 retail spaces available for $16-20/sq ft (NNN).

1190 Forest Ave – located right in the center of Morrill’s Corner. 3,000 – 5,082 sq ft at $12 – 20/sq ft (NNN).

Other

170 Brighton Ave – a 2,173 sq ft free-standing building which most recently was home to D Ajan’s Market, includes parking; $22/sq ft.

873 Brighton Ave – the 1,334 sq ft building that formerly housed the Redemption Center is for sale for $465,000.

441 Congress St – The 2,400 sq ft former home of Guitar Grave across the street from 1 Monument Square is available for $20/sq ft.

1020 Congress St – a 3,375 service station that is going to be “redeveloped as part a planned mixed use development”. The finished space will be available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

88 Danforth St – a 1,231 sq ft free-standing building on Danforth Street is for sale for $269,000.

132 Marginal Way – 1,584 sq ft of retail space available for $25/sq ft (NNN).

155 Riverside St – the Season’s Bar & Grille and Banquet Center is for lease. The 23,750 sq ft facility includes parking and all furniture, fixtures and equipment.

240 Saint John St – 1,661 – 10,000 sq ft in Union Station Plaza for $12-14/sq ft (NNN)

Westgate Shopping Center – two spaces are for lease at $17-37/sq ft (NNN).

158 Pickett St, South Portland – the former home of 158 Pickett Street Cafe is for lease. Call (207) 615-2858 for more information.

23 Lincoln St, Biddeford – a 12,600 sq ft space divided equally on two floors, each floor has a kitchen with hoods is available for $11/sq ft (NNN). Contact Tony Delois for more information at anthony@uncommongroups.com.

Gather, Yarmouth – Owner Matthew Chappell has put his Yarmouth restaurant, Gather, up for sale.

Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co closed on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information

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

Hungry Huskies

The USM Free Press has a report on a new University of Southern Maine food truck.

Parked outside of Luther Bonney lies USM’s newest dining service on wheels. The newly acquired food truck currently offers hot meals Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tadd Stone, General Manager of Sodexo at USM, said that Sodexo was “looking for a dining option that would be available to use even after the new student center/café were complete.” 

Upcoming Events: Meredith Goad, Kitchen Licensing, Winter Farmers’ Market

Monday – retiring Press Herald Meredith Goad will be the featured speaker at a Newsroom Live discussion at 7 pm.

ThursdayMOFGA is teaching a Kitchen Licensing workshop.

Saturday – It’s the first day of the weekly Winter Farmer’ Market. It will be located once again at 631 Stevens Ave, 9 am to 1 pm.

Sunday – Sean Turley (aka The Righteous Russet) will be appearing on this Sunday’s episode of Plate the State (instagram). The weekly Maine food show airs at 11 am on News Center Maine (channels 2 and 6).

December 6Bissell Brothers is holding a (sold out) 5-course beer dinner.

December 8 – Duckfat and Maine & Loire are collaborating on a 6-course natural wine dinner.

December 11Dirty Dove is scheduled to open.

December 16Congress Square Park plans to kick-off their S’mores Night, which will take place weekly 4-6 pm.

December 19 – Fred Eliot from Scales and Michael Stokes from Fore Street will be the guest chefs at the East Ender.

January 14 – The Good Food Foundation will be announcing the winners of the 2022 awards program; 10 Maine food producers are finalists this year.

Interview with Jordan Rubin

Joe Ricchio has interviewed Jordan Rubin (aka Mr. Tuna) for the latest episode of Food Coma Maine.

Why are you sharpening them? Why are you assuming you should drown the fish in the soy sauce? I discuss this, and plenty of other important issues, with Jordan Rubin aka Mr. Tuna. Do you like Mochi? How do you feel about the Mandalorian? Do you really need a $10,000 knife? You’ve got questions, we’ve got answers. Enjoy. 

Union Bagel Construction

Union Bagel had a significant equipment failure earlier this month that damaged their shop and bakery on Cumberland Ave. They’re making use of the need to recover from that damage to execute some additional planned construction.

So, we will be down for a few weeks as we replace the kettle, oven, and floor and follow through with other parts of the renovation plan. I don’t as yet have an exact timeline but as I know more, I will send updates. We recognize that this is an inconvenience and thank you in advance for your patience and understanding. We are excited to take this time to give our amazing space the love and makeover it needs, and to reopen with our menu and added retail days.

Little Tandem Renovations

Tandem Coffee has kicked-off renovations to their building on Anderson Street—the site of their original roastery and small cafe in East Bayside. The renovated tasting room for their roastery will feature additional counter and table seating including a spot that the architect has labeled “Kathleen’s Cozy Corner”. The coffee bar will be moved from the left side of the building to the center right (see the floor plan below).

Will and Kathleen Pratt launched Tandem Coffee on Anderson Street in 2012, and opened their location on Congress Street in 2014. They hope to open the renovated East Bayside location this coming spring.

Ghee & Cinnamon Girl

The Portland food truck fleet continues to expand:

The Cinnamon Girl (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) food truck launched in mid-October. Owner Melissa Cott serves cinnamon buns and sticky pecan buns. As Cott explains on the Cinnamon Girl website,  her “mission is to provide recognition of and financial support to local Maine non-profit companies and organizations”.

Radhika Shah Patel and Sam Patel launched their fusion Indian street food pop-up Ghee (instagram) earlier this month. They’re regularly in operation at Apres in East Bayside on Fridays and Saturdays. The Patels are now working on a food truck which they hope to launch this spring.

Upcoming Events: last Outdoor Farmers’ Market, Thanksgiving, December Events

Wednesday – the last day of the regular season of the Portland Farmers’ Market.

Thursday/Thanksgiving – 56 restaurants and other food producers have announced their Thanksgiving offerings:

  • Ada’s – charcuterie and cheese boards, baked pasta and desserts; order by the 20th for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Bam Bam Bakery – has a range of gluten-free baked good; order deadline November 19th for pick-up on the 23rd and 24th.
  • BenReuben’s Knishery –  roast chicken, sides, dessert for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Big Tree – Thanksgiving online ordering goes live November 11th and closes on the 19th for pick-up on the 24th in Portland, Biddeford, or shipped out on Casco Bay Ferry.
  • Black Betty Bistro – is offering a roast half turkey with green beans, mashed potato, corn bread, cranberry sauce, gravy to serve six people for $175. Order deadline in November 17th for pick-up on the 23rd or 24th.
  • BlueFin – 4-course dinner for $75 per person.
  • Bread and Friends – will begin taking Thanksgiving pre-orders on November 10th for pick-up on the 25th.
  • Butter + Kale – sides and pies with vegetarian and vegan versions available; pick-up on the 23rd or 24th.
  • Cakes for All Seasons – order by 21st for pickup in Biddeford on the 23rd or 24th.
  • Central Provisions/Tipo – appetizers, sides, desserts and drinks for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Chaval – apple tarte tatin, pumpkin, cranberry and maple pecan pie, or chocolate pie with peanut butter and sea salt crunch; pick-up on the 24th.
  • Crispy Gai – will be offering up free meals on Thanksgiving to those in need.
  • Dandelion Catering – turkeys, sides and desserts; deadline on the 17th for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Daybreak Alliance/CarHop – the CarHop delivery service and Daybreak Growers Alliance are teaming up to offer Daybreak’s farm and butcher boxes to the Greater Portland area in time for Thanksgiving on the 23rd and 24th. Ordering via the CarHop site starts on November 9th and the ordering deadline for Thanksgiving is November 21st.
  • Dizzy Bird – family meals, individual meals and apps, sides and desserts; pick-up on the 24th in Biddeford.
  • Friends & Family – appetizer kits; deadline on the 21st for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Gather – takeout dinner for 4 people for $149; pick-up on the 24th.
  • Isa – Thanksgiving take out order available by pre-order.
  • Italian Heritage Center – is offering family style options for turkeys, sides and pies; order deadline on the 22nd for pick-up on the 24th or 25th.
  • Lake & Co. – dinner for two, sides, and desserts; order deadline November 15th for pick-up on November 24th and 25th.
  • LB Kitchen – has some sides, breads and desserts; order by the 22nd for pick-up on the 23rd and 24th.
  • Maria’s – takeout roast turkey dinner for $22 per person; order by the 23rd for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Milk Bottle/Port Box – a pair of drink and charcuterie offerings that are a collaboration from 2 Fork Food Lab vendors; order by the 22nd for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Monte’s – is taking orders for turkeys; deadline on the 10th for pick-up on 22nd – 24th.
  • Nonesuch River Brewing – is offering whole roast turkeys, sides, and individual full Thanksgiving dinners; order deadline on the 21st for pick-up on the 23rd, 24th or 25th.
  • North 43 Bistro – a ready to roast turkey along with sides and pie, feeds 6, $235.
  • Onggi – a Thanksgiving cookie box, 20 cookies consisting of 5 different flavors; pick-up on the 24th.
  • Other Side – is taking pre-orders for turkeys, sides and dessert.
  • Pepperell Provisions – mains, sides and desserts for pick-up in Biddeford on the 24th.
  • Petite Jacqueline3-course onsite dinner for $75 per person. PJ’s is also offering a takeout dinner for pick-up on the 23rd, 24th or 25th.
  • Portland Co-op – is starting to take turkey pre-orders on November 1st.
  • Prairie Baking Co. – has a cake and coffee cake available for pre-order.
  • Purple Whisk – baked goods for pick-up on the 24th at Omi’s Coffee in South Portland.
  • Rosemont Market – is taking pre-orders for turkeys, sides and baked goods for pick-up on the 23rd or 24th.
  • Rosie’s – is serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for $19.95 per person with a $5 optional dessert add-on.
  • Rover Bagel – pre-ordering for bagel goes live on the 18th for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Ruby’s West End – turkeys, sides, desserts and wine.
  • S + P – a plant-based Thanksgiving; order by the 15th for pick-up on the 23rd and 24th.
  • Salt Yard – dinner for 2, $120; for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Scratch Baking – baked goods for pre-order for pick-up on the 23rd and 24th.
  • Siblings Bakery – pumpkin maple pie, carrot cake and cranberry pudding cake, order by the 21st for pick-up on the 24th or 25th.
  • Solo Cucina Market – on November 23rd or 24th is a pick-up location for turkey orders from Farmers’ Gate.
  • Standard Baking – a wide range of baked goods for pre-order by the 21st for pick-up on Thanksgiving Day.
  • Sur Lie – turkey, sides, and/or wine for four; ordering deadline November 18th, for pick-up on November 24th.
  • Sweeet Cream Dairy – is taking pre-orders for pints and a special Carrot Cheesecake Ice Cream Tart; deadline on the 19th for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Sweet Woodruff Provisions – ordering starts on the 7th for pick-up on the 23rd or 24th.
  • Tandem Coffee – order deadline 19th, pick-up on 23rd or 24th.
  • The Cheese Shop – sides, apps and cheese platters; order by the 19th for pick-up on the 24th or 25th.
  • The Harraseeket Inn – is offering their Thanksgiving Grand Buffet; $115 per person, $49 per child (6-12) and free for kids 5 and under….plus tax and tip.
  • Three Dollar Deweys – a full turkey turkey dinner with sides (desserts sold separately) with vegan and gluten-free alternatives available;  $25 per person.
  • Tin Pan Bakery – is offering a selection of pies, cookies and other baked goods for pick-up on the 23rd or 24th.
  • Two Fat Cats – has a wide array of baked goods available for pre-order with pick-up on November 23-25th.
  • Verbena – 3-course takeout menu for $36 per person; deadline on the 22nd for pick-up on the 24th.
  • Wayside Food Programs – Wayside Food Programs uses “food to reduce waste, fight hunger and strengthen community through volunteer-driven programming and a collaborative, cross-industry network of partners in Southern Maine”. They have already surpassed our capacity of 400 takeout meals for pick-up on the 24th. However they still have available Thanksgiving Baskets which include groceries and a turkey to make a meal at home. Call their office (207) 775-4939 to sign up. If you’re able and want to support Wayside Food Programs make a donation on their website.
  • Wayside Tavern – will be serving a prix-fixe Thanksgiving menu for $85 per person, 1-5 pm. Call or go on Resy to make a reservation.
  • Westin – offering a 2-person ‘take and bake’ meal for $80 for pick-up on the 24th, and a 3-course dinner on Thanksgiving day at the Westin for $85 per person (reservations open on October 27th).
  • Wine Wise – dinner for 2-4 people with wine that’s a collaboration with 8 local restaurants and food producers (Central Provisions, Chaval, Helm, Other Side Deli, Nigh Moves Bread, Solo Italiano, Sur Lie, Tipo) plus turkey and stuffing prepared by Wine Wise chef Jef Wright and wine selected by Wine Wise sommelier Erica Archer. Order deadline November 17th. Wine Wise is also offering a 6-bottle Thanksgiving sett of wine.
  • Yardie Ting – Thanksgiving meals for families of 4-, 6- and 12 and sides; for pickup on the 25th.

November 29 – Departing Press Herald food reporter Meredith Goad will be participating in a Newsroom Live session to discuss her 17 years covering the Portland food scene.

December 2MOFGA is teaching a Kitchen Licensing workshop.

December 4 – The Winter Farmer’ Market will start on Saturday December 4th and will be located once again at 631 Stevens Ave, 9 am to 1 pm.

December 6Bissell Brothers is holding a (sold out) 5-course beer dinner.

December 8 – Duckfat and Maine & Loire are collaborating on a 6-course natural wine dinner.

December 11Dirty Dove is scheduled to open.

December 12Sean Turley (aka The Righteous Russet) will be appearing on this Sunday’s episode of Plate the State (instagram). The weekly Maine food show airs at 11 am on News Center Maine (channels 2 and 6).

December 16Congress Square Park plans to kick-off their S’mores Night, which will take place weekly 4-6 pm.

December 19 – Fred Eliot from Scales and Michael Stokes from Fore Street will be the guest chefs at the East Ender.

January 14 – The Good Food Foundation will be announcing the winners of the 2022 awards program; 10 Maine food producers are finalists this year.