New Restaurant Coming to Dana St

| Posted in Under Construction

News broke back in early May that Vignola/Cinque Terre would be closing and that the Miranda Restaurant Group was in negotiation to buy the building. Now owner Joshua Miranda has announced he has leased the 3,900 sq ft space where he plans to open a new restaurant and private event space.

Details on the concept are forthcoming. Miranda shared that he has “a different concept that we hope people will respond well to, and the 10 Dana Street property is just too special to pass on. It’s one of the more iconic buildings in the Old Port.”

Miranda opened Blyth and Burrows in June 2017. He hopes to open the new restaurant late fall 2019.

December 6 Update: The restaurant will be named Via Vecchia (instagram).

Lolita To close September 2nd

| Posted in Closings

Lolita has announced plans to close. The night of September 2nd will be their last service.

Lolita is owned by Guy and Stella Hernandez in conjunction with business partners Neil & Lauren Reiter and Bob Manheimer. The restaurant opened June 1st 2014.

Here’s an excerpt from their announcement, you can read the full statement on instagram,

In January of 2006, we signed the lease on our first restaurant & our son came home from the Philippines in 2007. Since then, it’s been a thirteen-year whirlwind of family and restaurant life.

In 2012 we had the good fortune to connect with Neil Reiter, and with his experience & vision, the three of us developed what has become Lolita. Speaking of good fortune, we were also on the receiving end of the architectural skill, & creativity of Lauren Reiter who transformed a raw, concrete block space into the restaurant we love; softening the edges with reclaimed wood, a generous zinc bar, & finding ways for us to fit our wood grill & wine storage all into less than 900 square feet. As Neil has said, our intention was to make a place ‘reminiscent of an Old World bodega where, throughout the day, neighbors & visitors alike gather to share some wine, snacks or a meal, and a lot of congenial conversation.”

The restaurant has a sneaky way of cutting to the front of the line in life. It’s the thing that’s on fire (sometimes literally) that draws your energy. It’s been our way of life & it’s been absolutely grand. But now we’re ready for more – more time for us & our family. We’re not a fan of long goodbyes – (okay this post is a bit long) – so Monday, September 2nd will be our last night of service at Lolita. It has been the best adventure of our lives – so far.

Alcohol Manufacturing Fee (Updated)

| Posted in General News

Today’s paper reports on a new fee for producers of alcoholic beverages,

The Portland City Council on Monday will consider delaying implementation of a new manufacturer’s license fee for breweries, distilleries and wineries after brewery owners complained about being blindsided by the proposal, which was part of the city’s budget.

Update: the City has decided to postpone the new fees.

This Week’s Events: Welcome Feast, Honey Bee Dinner, Cape Farm Alliance

| Posted in Events

Wednesday – Tempo Arts is holding the third of their Welcome Feasts, and the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Thursday – Union is serving a Honey Bee Dinner, and the Inn by the Sea is serving a Cape Farm Alliance Dinner.

Saturday – the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

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.

Wine Guy in a Beer Town

| Posted in General News

Joe Appel has penned a feature article for today’s Maine Sunday Telegram that explores what it’s like to be a wine guy in a beer town.

But even if the numbers tell a mixed story, the feelings tell a straight one: There’s cultural excitement around beer in southern Maine that wine doesn’t currently match. Surely in the near future nothing will matter but marijuana (stack those pallets high next Thursday, Riverside Industrial Parkway!), but for now Portland feels like a beer town, and a fancy-beer town at that.

Smokin’ Sausage Showdown

| Posted in Reviews

Mainer (formerly The Bollard) has published their 7th Annual Smokin’ Sausage Showdown.

Barbeque fans, have we got a meaty treat for you! This summer’s Smokin’ Sausage Showdown was the biggest, toughest, meatiest, juiciest competition yet! For past Showdowns, we drafted competitors from butcher shops in Greater Portland, occasionally venturing down to Biddeford (Hoglund’s) or out to Windham (Hoggy’s) in search of fresh meat. Last year we were blown away by the uncured franks from Wee Bit Farm, up in Hancock County, sold at the Portland Food Co-op, but we’ve generally stuck to sausages made within The Bollard’s circulation area.

David Moran, 63

| Posted in People

David Moran, founder of Sorella’s Bakehouse, has passed away at the age of 63.

Mr. Moran owned a string of businesses and restaurants dating back to the 1980’s. Some of those include PA’s Luncheonette and PA’s Restaurant in Portland, and M. J. Richio’s and the Raymond General Store in Raymond. He purchased the former Nappi’s Bakery and opened Sorella’s Bakehouse 17 years ago.

Ada’s Kitchen Restaurant and Retail on Congress

| Posted in Under Construction

Construction of the Portland Ada’s Kitchen (instagram) at 640-642 Congress Street near Longfellow Square is currently on track and the owners hope to open in mid September pending the arrival of custom built pasta making equipment from Italy.

The storefront will be divided into two sections: a counter service restaurant serving moderately price Roman pizza and house made pasta, and a retail store selling pasta and pizza as well as a small selection of wines and other Italian food stuffs. The back portion of the retail shop we’ll be set aside for a Fiore olive oil tasting room and retail shop.

The restaurant will seat 12-14 plus a standing bar. It will feature a set chef’s counter seats that face in to an open kitchen, and will have a beer/wine license. Chef Rumma plans to teach pasta and pizza making classes at Ada’s.

Ada’s will be holding a preview of their pasta menu August 21st in a collaboration with their neighbor Sagamore Hill. The menu will feature a 3-course pasta menu with cocktail pairings. Tickets are now on sale on Eventbrite.

The first location of Ada’s Kitchen opened in Rockland in 2017.