Paella Seafood Now Open

| Posted in Openings

Paella Seafood (facebook, instagram) opened for business Thursday at their new location, 865 Forest Ave.

Owners Casey and Dahlia Jabrawi are serving a seafood-forward menu (a few pages shown below) that includes both their seafood and chicken paellas, appetizers like a Mediterranean octopus salad or a bruschetta of smoked salmon and avocado. There are a variety of seafood skewers which can be paired with sides like bulgar wheat, onion rings or Spanish rice. There are also four options for pizza (shrimp, octopus, smoked salmon, chicken, vegetable), lobster rolls, and seafood and chicken sandwiches or cones. A children’s menu is also available. The new Paella Seafood also has a dedicated space for a Turkish coffee bar.

Starting today Paella Seafood will be open daily 10 am – 9 pm.

Maine Food & Dining News: North Berwick, Brunswick, Belfast, Camden, Fort Kent, Liberty

| 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 on what’s going on:

  • A new bakery called Baker Bru (instagram) is under development in North Berwick. It will be co-located at the Boulay Farm and Market (facebook) currently under construction at 381 High Street. Owner Alex d’Emarese will be channeling his South African and Italian heritage selling a menu that includes focaccia and ciabatta bread, various types of cornetti, tarts, cookies, and featuring South African meat pies (spinach and feta, peppered steak, chicken and veggies, bacon/egg/cheese). Baker Bru will also have ready to eat sandwiches and prepared meals to go. d’Emarese plans to have gluten-free variations for many of his menu items. The bakery and market is expected to launch by the end of February open 8 am – 6 pm daily.
  • Reverie Coffee House (instagram) in Brunswick opened for business (upper left) on Sunday. Reverie serves a variety of baked goods and coffee drinks prepared with beans from Time and Tide in Biddeford. They’re located at 117 Maine Street and will be open Thursday through Monday, 7 – 2.
  • Dos Gatos Gastropub (instagram) in Belfast launched on Friday. Their menu features tacos and a drinks list that includes mocktails, classic cocktails, margarita variants and a small list of specialty cocktails. See this report from Camden Famous for additional details. They’re open Friday through Monday, 4:30 – 10 pm.
  • The First Fig (instagram) cafe/winebar/wine shop in Camden is scheduled to open on Friday. Owner Joanna Spinks will be serving Kavka Coffee, croissants from The Place bakery, breads from Brazen Baking as well as wine and beer by the glass. First Fig will be open Wednesday through Saturday 10 am – 6 pm.
  • The Madawaska location of Sami’s Cuisine and Cocktails is closing but the Fort Kent location will remain in business.
  • Down East has published a profile of Pottles in Liberty. “Comfort food and a complete lack of pretense prevail at the cozy new pub in Liberty.”
  • The Bowdoin Orient has published an article about The Abbey—a hybrid coffee shop and cocktail bar that opened in December in Brunswick.
  • Edelweiss in Biddeford and Tres Leches in South Portland recently opened for business.
  • Meridians in Fairfield (upper right photo) and Maples in New Gloucester recently went out of business.
  • Blake Orchard has announced plans to expand to Brunswick and Scarborough.

Blake Orchard to Expand

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

Blake Orchard (website, facebook, instagram) has announced plans to open two new locations in 2024. The first is scheduled to open this spring at 2 Station Ave in Brunswick, and the second will be in Dunstan Village in Scarborough and will open this fall.

Blake Orchard serves a menu of plant-based foods including smoothie drinks and bowls, raw cold-pressed juices, matcha and coffee. Alexandra Blake Messenger founded Blake Orchard in 2015. The business was initially located on Exchange Street before moving to 561 Forest Ave.

Closings: Meridians and Maples

| Posted in Closings

Two mainstays of their communities have announced they’re closing:

Maples owner Robin Ray has announced the closure (facebook, instagram) of her New Gloucester location. Ray launched the New Gloucester cafe in 2023 after many years of operating her beloved bagel shop and cafe on Route One in Yarmouth. “…but it’s time to move on from the daily grind of owning Maples. We are closed because it’s what I need to do for myself. Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported me on this journey…”

The owners of Meridian’s Kitchen and Bar (shown above) and the Meridian’s Shop shut down both Fairfield businesses on January 27th. “…But in order to move forward and properly maintain our commitment to our mission and our community, we are taking time to regroup and reflect…”

Upcoming Events & Valentine’s List

| Posted in Events

Monday – The Roma Cafe is holding a 4-course Italian wine dinner.

Tuesday – The Portland Symphony is partnering with the Hunt and Alpine Club on the latest edition of Symphony & Spirits; the program “designed for music lovers aged 21-39” a $25 tickets gets you access to a pre-concert happy hour at Hunt + Alpine, a signature cocktail and a seat at the “Beethoven’s 5th” concert that evening.

February 7 – Food Coma and Oak & Ember are serving a collaboration dinner with a menu focused on Japanese and Norther Chinese cuisine with special sake, beer and Japanese inspired cocktails available.

February 10 – The Portland On Tap beer festival is taking place at the Cross Insurance Arena. Flanagan’s Farm in Buxton will be holding a Supper Club dinner featuring chef Krista Kern Desjarlais from Bresca and The Purple House.

Valentine’s Day – we’ll be sharing V-Day specials here as restaurants announce them. Please let us know if you see someplace missing. Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year.

  • Alto Terrace – will be serving a 5-course dinner for $85 per person.
  • Black Goat Test Kitchen (Warren) – will be serving a 4-course dinner.
  • Evo Kitchen + Bar – will be serving a 5-course tasting menu for $125 per person. Reservations go live Tuesday.
  • Helm – will be serving a 3-course dinner for $65 per person.
  • Ida’s (Waldoboro) – the wine bar at The Waldoboro Inn in collaboration with The Crooked Spoon is serving a Valentine’s Day dinner for $60 per person.
  • Isa Bistro – will be serving a 3-course dinner (see menu) for $110 per person.
  • Knotted Apron – will be serving a 4-course dinner with champagne and optional wine pairings for $120 per person.
  • Locally Sauced (Yarmouth) – is teaming up with Battery Steele Brewing on a 5-course dinner for $100 per person.
  • Love at First Bite – is offering a variety of Valentine’s Day treats including chocolate dipped strawberries.
  • Miller’s Table – will be serving a 5-course dinner for $85 per person.
  • Mr. Tuna – has a selection of three Valentine’s Day takeout sushi boxes.
  • Nina June (Rockport) – will be serving a 5-course dinner for $100 per person.
  • Noble Kitchen + Bar (Brunswick) – will be serving a 6-course dinner with optional wine pairings for $115 per person.
  • Novare Res – is serving a 3-course “Belgian Bolognese” dinner with 2 Belgian beers for $60 per person.
  • Ore Nell’s North (Biddeford) – is serving a 3-course dinner with a complimentary glass of bubbly for $49.99 per person.
  • The Alna Store (Alna) – will be serving a 5-course with optional pairings for $95 per person.
  • Thistle & Grouse – will be serving a 3-course dinner for $90 per person with optional wine pairings.
  • Twelve – will be serving a 4-course French-inspired dinner.
  • Wander at Longwoods (Cumberland) – will be serving a 4-course dinner for $100 person.
  • Wayside Tavern – will be serving a Roman-inspired dinner for $90 per person with optional wine pairings.
  • Woodford F&B – will be open serving their regular menu augmented with some Valentine’s Day specials.
  • Other Options – While we’re waiting for details, check for open reservations on February 14th via OpenTable and Resy.

February 18 – Flanagan’s Farm in Buxton will be holding a Supper Club dinner featuring chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti from Chaval and Devin Finigan from Aragosta.

February 21 – A West African Culinary Workshop and Dinner is taking place in Brunswick in collaboration with Jordan Benissan the chef/owner of Me Lon Togo in Rockland.

February 22-24 – The Inn by the Sea is holding their annual Ice Bar and Seafood Celebration.

February 23 – Deryck Todd will be leading a mixology class at Bow Street.

February 27 – Chef Sam Hayward will be participating in a Maine Voices Live event organized by the Press Herald.

March 1-12 – The 16th Annual Maine Restaurant Week is taking place.

March 28 – Ballast will be hosting a murder mystery dinner.

April 3 – The Beard Foundation will release the 2024 list of restaurant and chef awards nominees. There are 10 semifinalists from Maine this year.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Edelweiss & Tres Leches

| Posted in Openings

Two new establishments have recently opened in the Portland area:

Edelweiss (website, instagram) opened their new shop over the weekend. Located at 5 Alfred Street in Biddeford the pastry shop is selling a range of croissants and specialty pastries (upper right) and serving Time & Tide coffee. They’ll initially be open Friday, 7 – 2 and weekends 8 – 2.

Tres Leches Cakes Flor (facebook, instagram) has moved into the former Taytene space (upper left) at 863 Broadway in South Portland. Owner Flor Contreras is selling a range of cakes and other desserts as well as a menu (see below) of tortas, tacos, quesadillas and other savory dishes. Tres Leches is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am – 8 pm, and Sundays 9 am – 2 pm.

Maine Food & Dining News: Bangor, Van Buren, Skowhegan, Milo, Brunswick, Alna, Searsport, Westbrook, Damariscotta

| 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 on what’s going on:

  • Ana “Betty” Guzman has leased space at 1012 Stillwater Ave in Bangor where she plans to open Betty’s Ice Cream. Guzman hopes to have Betty’s open by early March. Guzman hails from Degollado, Mexico and her menu will feature Mexican-style ice cream.
  • The Northern Maine Kolache Co. (facebook, instagram) is set to open this Saturday in Van Buren in Aroostook County. Owner Donita Ayotte plans to specialize in preparing Kolaches filled with savory and sweet ingredients.
  • The Brick House Kitchen (facebook, instagram) in Skowhegan recently reopened under the ownership of Sarah Dore and Alex Wyman. The restaurant is open for lunch 6 days a week and plans are in the works to add a brunch service.
  • Three of the 2024 Beard Awards semifinalists from Maine are located outside of Portland in Milo, Brunswick and Alna.
  • Amandine (instagram) opened for business on Thursday. The Searsport bakery is is selling breads, custom cakes, and other baked good including Kürtőskalács a Hungarian pastry. Ladonna Bruce is the head baker for Amandine. They’ll be open Monday through Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm.
  • The Don’s Lunch food truck is opening a restaurant in the former River’s Edge Deli site in Westbrook. Owner Craig Bernier hopes to open later this winter or in early spring.
  • The Kickstarter campaign to help purchase S. Fernald’s Country Store in Damariscotta has so far raised $31k of their $35k goal.

2024 Beard Awards Semifinalists

| Posted in Reviews, Maine

The list of semifinalists for the 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards was just released. There are 10 semifinal nominees from Maine:

The final list of nominees (5 per category) will be released April 3rd, and the awards ceremony will take place on Monday June 10th in Chicago.

Related information: