Smoked Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Smoked BBQ & Neighborhood Pub (website, facebook, instagram) is now open. They’re located in the former Maelily Ryleigh’s building at 951 Forest Ave. Smoked will be open 11am – 11pm daily.

The menu includes wings, burgers, sandwiches/wraps, apps and more. Shown here are the Smoked Dirty Wings coated in their Jamaican Jerk Dry Rub, a glass of Allagash White and a plate of beef sliders and fries in the background.

The redesigned space has a long bar along the left side of the dining room, with table seating up front, booths along the right wall and high top table towards the back of the room.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – Magnus on Water and Matchbook Distilling are collaborating on a spirits/cocktail event.

Tuesday – Award-winning chef and restaurant owner Marilou Ranta from The Quarry in Monson will be taking part in a Maine Voices Live interview at One Longfellow Square. Tickets are now on sale.

Wednesday – Wayside Tavern is holding an Alpine Food & Wine Dinner.

Friday – It’s the first day of the 6th annual Maine Seaweed Week.

Saturday – Flash BBQ, the new business being launched by Judy Gibson chef Chris Wilcox, will be popping up at Lorne. It’s the first day of the summer session of the Portland Farmers’ Market. The market will be in Deering Oaks Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays (7 am – 1 pm).

April 25 – Palette + Palate, a food event that mixes food and abstract art, is taking place.

April 27 – Portland Chowderfest is taking place.

April 28 – The Casco Bay Chef’s Association is holding their 2024 annual dinner.

April 29 – The Good Food Awards winners will be announced. Eight Maine food producers are finalists in the 2024 Good Food awards program.

May 11 – CiderFeast, an “all-inclusive tasting event celebrates craft ciders from some of the top cider makers in New England and beyond” is taking place.

May 18 – The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

May 19 – Fork Food Lab and Mayo Street Arts are collaborating to hold the Taste of Nations Food Festival.

June 10-16 – Portland Wine Week is taking place.

June 17 – The 3rd Annual ChopTails Competition will be taking place at Batson River.

June 22 – The Great Falls Brewfest is taking place in Lewiston.

June 26 – Secret Supper (instagram) is holding a dinner in the Portland area.

June 29 – The 3rd Annual Mast Landing Wavy Days Festival is taking place.

July 25/26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

August 30 – September 1 – Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 20-22 – The Common Ground Fair will be taking place.

Bandaloop, Hop Water, Veggie Burgers, Scallop Aquaculture

| Posted in Reviews, Beer, Fisheries

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes articles about scallop aquaculture and hop water products by produced by Maine breweries, an overview of Maine-made veggie burger options, and a 3½ star review of Bandaloop in Arundel.

In Arundel, executive chef/owner W. Scott Lee and co-owner Bridget Lee have continued their 20-year tradition of offering wide-ranging food and beverage options: from vegan and vegetarian options at every course to quirky cooking that embraces dishes like a fanciful Samoan-inspired coconut-and-ginger “palusami” stew, or German-style pork-and-red-cabbage.

Maine Food & Dining News: Waterville, Belfast, Freeport, Scarborough, Waldoboro, Ellsworth

| Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

  • Aki (instagram) has leased space at 10 School Street in Freeport where they hope to open a Japanese fusion restaurant. Aki was formerly located in Brunswick and closed in the summer of 2023. The new edition of Aki will serve favorites from their Brunswick menu plus a tapas menu. Aki will also feature a Boba bar.
  • The Black Point Inn has hired Michael Bergin to be their new executive chef. Bergin has worked at Del Posto in NYC and L’Espalier and Coppa in Boston, and was the executive chef at The Fat Hen and at The Salty Pig in Boston. In Maine Bergin has worked for Big Tree Hospitality and at Wandby Landing in Kennebunk.
  • Central Maine reports that former judge and mayor Tom Nale has taken over the former Lebanese Bakery building on Temple Street in Waterville where he plans to open a new Lebanese restaurant. Nale has renovated the building and in collaboration Jim Veilleux and Melissa Grant plans to launch Mezza (facebook) later this spring.
  • The Bangor Daily News published an article about Doug Hufnagel who passed away recently at the age of 78. Hufnagel operated the Coffeeman food cart at the Common Ground Fair and in Belfast.
  • The latest issue of The Lincoln County News includes an interesting article about the owners of the 220 Market & Deli in Waldoboro.
  • The Bangor Daily News reports that the Black Moon Public House (facebook) is under construction in Ellsworth and expected to open later this month.

Foulmouthed Brewing to Close

| Posted in Closings

Foulmouthed Brewing has announced plans to close their South Portland brewery at the end of this month.

We are sorry to say that Foulmouthed Brewing will be closing at the end of April. These last 8+ years of brewing, cooking, and neighborhood life have been an amazing experience, but we’ve been offered an opportunity to sell the business and we feel the time is right for us to move on.

Foulmouth’s last day in business will be April 28th.

As for the buyer, Foulmouth shared that,

We can’t reveal all the details, but the buyer is a new, independent brewery with plenty of experience working within the industry here in Maine. They intend to continue operating as a restaurant and brewery and plan to open under their own name as soon as licensing allows.

Angoor Wine Bar Update

| Posted in Under Construction

Construction is well underway at Angoor Wine Bar (website, instagram). Owners Sangeeta Nasiff and Rafael Dones hope to wrap up the final stages of the buildout and be open for business in late spring.

Angoor will be a self-pour wine bar. Customers will be able to dispense 2, 4 or 6 ounce pours from one of 32 different wines. In addition, they’ll also be offering a range of whiskeys and draft beers.

Nasiff and Dones will initially be sourcing the food from local shops and restaurants including The Cheese Shop, Sugarcane, Empanada Club, Two Fat Cats and Hi Bombay.

Angoor is located at 100 Fore Street in the newest WEX building. You can read more about the bar and its owners in this article in Portland City Lifestyle magazine.

Trudy Birds Property for Sale

| Posted in General News

The owners of Trudy Birds have announced that the property of the North Yarmouth restaurant is for sale and that the restaurant itself will shut down when a buyer is found, “As of right now the future of Trudy Birds is unclear but we will continue to operate as normal and keep making memories until the sale of the building. We hope this is only the end of a chapter in our book with many more left to write.”

Jonathan and I, along with our amazing staff have worked tirelessly and endlessly to make this restaurant concept a success and are damn proud of what we have accomplished over the last 16 months. However, in an effort to try and provide the best dining experience in an updated, refined setting we ran into cost and time overruns that have proven to be too difficult to overcome.

Trudy Birds opened December 9, 2022. It serves Scandinavian-style food. A highlight of the bar program is their extensive list of domestic and imported aquavit.

For more information the property, take a look at this listing.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

April 3-21 – See a performance of Clyde’s at Portland Stage. The synopsis of the play reads, “It may seem like a run-down truck stop diner, but for the formerly incarcerated staff of Clyde’s, it’s a place where they can find community, support, and a second chance at life. Their quest to create the perfect sandwich keeps them motivated to access their full potential and move on to bigger and better things, even when Clyde tries to keep them right where they are. A savory comedy that shows us what we can achieve with patience, dedication, and a little thyme.”

Tuesday – The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is holding a FoodTech Maine Showcase at USM. Jean Christophe Rusatira, founder of Umuko Coffee Importers, will be speaking at Coffee by Design on Diamond Street.

April 15 – Magnus on Water and Matchbook Distilling are collaborating on a spirits/cocktail event.

April 16 – Award-winning chef and restaurant owner Marilou Ranta from The Quarry in Monson will be taking part in a Maine Voices Live interview at One Longfellow Square. Tickets are now on sale.

April 17 – Wayside Tavern is holding an Alpine Food & Wine Dinner.

April 19-28 – The 6th annual Maine Seaweed Week is taking place.

April 20 – It’s the first day of the summer session of the Portland Farmers’ Market. The market will be in Deering Oaks Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays (7 am – 1 pm).

April 27 – Portland Chowderfest is taking place.

April 28 – The Casco Bay Chef’s Association is holding their 2024 annual dinner.

April 29 – The Good Food Awards winners will be announced. Eight Maine food producers are finalists in the 2024 Good Food awards program.

May 11 – CiderFeast, an “all-inclusive tasting event celebrates craft ciders from some of the top cider makers in New England and beyond” is taking place.

May 18 – The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

May 19 – Fork Food Lab and Mayo Street Arts are collaborating to hold the Taste of Nations Food Festival.

June 10-16 – Portland Wine Week is taking place.

June 17 – The 3rd Annual ChopTails Competition will be taking place at Batson River.

June 22 – The Great Falls Brewfest is taking place in Lewiston.

June 26 – Secret Supper (instagram) is holding a dinner in the Portland area.

June 29 – The 3rd Annual Mast Landing Wavy Days Festival is taking place.

July 25/26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

August 30 – September 1 – Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 20-22 – The Common Ground Fair will be taking place.

Ocotillo Opening Thursday

| Posted in Openings

Ocotillo (website, instagram), the new brunch restaurant being launched by the owners of Terlingua, is scheduled to open this Thursday. Ocotillo is located at 211 Danforth Street in the space formerly occupied by The Danforth. The space has undergone a renovation, changing the color palette, adding skylights and a variety of other touches that have made it a brighter lighter room in keeping its new mission as a brunch restaurant.

As you can see from the menu (see below), like Terlingua, Ocotillo is taking its culinary cues from the flavors of Mexico and Texas. An agave-focused beverage program with coffee and agua frescas align with a menu that includes a selection of breakfast tacos, sandwiches, churros, chilaquiles and more. See the bottom image below for the dietary restrictions version of their menu.

The restaurant will initially be open Thursday through Sunday, 8 am – 3 pm. They expect to launch their outdoor patio later this spring.

Ocotillo is joining Ugly Duckling, Ruski’s, Zu Baker, Smalls and Oh No Cafe which collectively are establishing this part of the West End as Portland’s Brunch District.