Eighty 8 Donuts for Sale

Owner Kevin Sandes has decided to put Eighty 8 Donuts up for sale.

Greetings friend,

I’m writing to you today regarding my future with Eighty 8 Donuts. Something personal and relevant you may not know about me, this July will mark my 10th year as a kidney transplant patient – or my 10th second birthday as I like to call it. To be blunt, facing death as I have and receiving a second chance at life has taught me (more than anything else) the significance of ‘now’ and my misconceptions of ‘later.’ Unfortunately kidney transplants are not cures. They do not last forever and the chances of receiving just one are pretty slim. So…time being what it is…. this chapter of my life has been outstanding and as much as I want to hang on to it, I know that the time has come for me to let go.

It’s important to me to say that although I will no longer be making the donuts ‘that make ya go nuts’ I will in fact remain grateful that our lives happened to come together, if only as brief as it may have been. Moving forward, the plan is to find a passionate new owner for Eighty 8 Donuts. From there, I will continue to explore some other passions of my own while I seek out future medical care possibilities abroad. Until then, please pass my contact info along to any interested parties and please always, always eat well.

Kevin

No-Show Fees, Winter Deals

The Food & Dining section in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes an article about the fees restaurants have to discourage reservation no-shows and the reasons for them,

Restaurateurs say that when you skip out on your reservation, it can have a big ripple effect on supplies, staffing and finances, especially for smaller restaurants. Knowing how many diners to expect helps the chef determine how much food to buy, and what size staff to have on the floor that night.

“It hurts everybody here,” said Niko Regas, chef at Emilitsa, a 48-seat Greek restaurant on Congress Street in Portland. “It doesn’t just hurt the business. It hurts my employees as well.”

Servers may go without tips, Regas said, and the back-of-house staff might be sent home an hour early.

and an article about program some restaurants have put in place to encourage Winter business.

Winter has always been a tough season for Maine restaurants in seasonal communities along the coast. Once tourists go home, making enough money to get through until spring can be a challenge. Towns like Yarmouth, where snowbirds fly south for the winter, can also suffer. This year has been especially difficult, since winter started early with snow on Halloween. Keeping diners in the seats requires creativity – cue the special events, exclusive dinner offers, and happy hour specials that run only during snowstorms.

Review of Evo

The Bollard has reviewed the Evo.

As vegan diners walking in off the street, this was the most delicious impromptu lunch we’ve experienced in Portland. While the difference in the welcome we received between night and day was stark, and the pacing of the vegan tasting menu too fast, outstanding food and service place Evo at the top of the list as a vegan foodie destination in Maine.

Boston Globe: East End

The Boston Globe has published an article about the East End of Portland with a focus on the restaurants and other food purveyors located there.

Last year, Kittery stalwart Bob’s Clam Hut opened an outpost at the corner of Cumberland and Washington avenues. If you’re not in the mood for fried clams, Washington Avenue boasts an Ethiopian restaurant, an African market, a boutique Texas barbecue place, a vegan cafe and marketplace, a pho joint, and a Salvadoran restaurant. Drifters Wife, a chef-driven locavore restaurant with its own wine shop (Maine & Loire) in back, is a national critical darling.

Under Construction: Other Side Diner

Other Side Delicatessen owners Peter and Jessica Sueltenfuss have announced plans to open Other Side Diner at 500 Washington Ave, the space formerly occupied by Hella Good Tacos and Steve and Renee’s Diner.

The diner will have the same focus on using local product and in-house production as the East Deering and West End Other Side Delicatessens. Other Side will serve traditional breakfast and lunch diner fare with some Greek influences such as baklava and Greek donuts. Jessica Sueltenfuss will be managing the diner. The hope is to open the diner in April.

The launch of diner will not impact the hours or menu at either of two existing Other Side locations.

Under Construction: Magnus on Water

A cocktail bar named Magnus on Water (website, facebook, instagram, twitter) is under construction in Biddeford. Magnus will be headlined by Elda bartender Brian Catapang and the restaurant’s former GM Brittany Saliwanchik, in partnership with Julia Russell and Carmen Harris. Magnus on Water will draw its menu inspiration from locally foraged-ingredients.

The bar will be located in the former Lacava space at 12 Water Street adjacent to Liberty Park, and the team hopes to open the 30-seat establishment sometime this Summer. Seasonal outdoor seating will also be available for private events.

Magnus is named for Albertus Magnus, a 13th Century alchemist and Catholic saint, thought of as one of the “greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages”.

The Magnus team is working with Might & Main on branding and graphic design.

This Week’s Events: Wine Tastings, Beer & Cheese, Winter Market

Wednesday – There will be a wine tasting at the Old Port Wine Merchants.

Thursday – Maine & Loire is holding a Sangiovese wine tasting.

Friday – there will be a wine tasting at the West End Rosemont, and Foundation Brewing is teaming up with Winter Hill Farm for a beer and cheese event.

Saturday – there will be a wine tasting at LeRoux Kitchen, Tipo is holding a Winter Carnival all day with a cocktail ice luge, hot chocolate and more. The Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Walkers Maine – Chef Justin Walker will be teaching a set of cooking classes starting in March. The series kicks-off March 24th with a class on Hearth Cooking.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Review of Izakaya Minato

The Portland Phoenix has reviewed the Izakaya Minato, “one of the best dining experiences Portland has to offer”.

Choosing a standout dish at Izakaya Minato is challenging given the fact that nearly every menu item offers something unique and discussion-worthy, but the honors must go to the sublimely complex shiromi ankake. An almost gravy-like base of smoky amber dashi sets the scene for tender mushrooms and blisteringly hot fried white fish, topped with a flurry of cooling shaved daikon. It is, at its heart, the very definition of “comfort food,” yet distinctly different from the fat and salt-laden dishes typical of the Western usage of that same term.

Oxbow in Oxford

Oxbow Brewing has opened a new tasting room and bottle shop in Oxford. They’re also working on launching a wood-fired pizzeria in the building in future. Oxbow plans to brew beer onsite to “create special batches of beer for the upcoming restaurant”. They’re located on Route 26, and will be open noon – 7pm this weekend.

Oxbow was founded in Newcastle, and opened their Portland location in late 2014.