Catface Cafe in Biddeford

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

Sur Lie owner Krista Cole and business partner Tyler VanScoy have leased the space being vacated by Part & Parcel in Biddeford where they plan to open the Catface Cafe (website, instagram).

Catface will be serving breakfast, lunch and weekend brunch. Chef Mimi Weissenborn is planning a seasonal Maine-inspired menu with “elevated modern flare.” The cafe will have a specialty coffee program, beer, wine and “fun boozy cocktails” to go with the food. Weissenborn is the executive chef of Sur Lie and Gather.

Cole and VanScoy want Catface to be a community gathering place. The location includes a back patio which can host warm weather events or be a spot to hang out solo or with friends. They plan to hosts monthly special events at Catface for the people of Biddeford to gather and socialize.

Cole is a co-founder of Sur Lie which opened for business in 2014. In 2023 she was a James Beard Awards semifinalist in the Outstanding Restaurateur category and Sur Lie was a semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category. In 2022 Cole took over ownership of Gather in Yarmouth from the restaurant’s founder, Matt Chappell. VanScoy has worked in the hospitality industry in a variety of front and back of house roles for over 10 years.

Part & Parcel owners Danielle O’Neill and Ali Preble announced on November 25th that they plan to close their market/cafe. Their last day in business is December 23rd.

The Chametz in New Vineyard

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

A new fine dining restaurant called The Chametz (website, facebook, instagram) is under development west of Skowhegan in the town of New Vineyard, Maine. The restaurant promises to bring “Michelin-level dining experiences” to Franklin County.

Founders Lina Mamut and chef Jared Rudnick plan to source all their ingredients from within a 100-mile distance from their restaurant and in 2023 planted a biodynamic garden to augment the produce they’ll have available from Maine farms and from foraging in the local area.

When it launches the 20-seat restaurant will offer a 10-course tasting menu served at a communal table (see architect’s rendering above). The Chametz will have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings to go with the meal and with a full liquor license will also have a cocktail program. The menu is expected to showcase seasonal ingredients and Rudnick’s skills in whole animal butchering and fermentation/preservation techniques.

The couple met while working at Journeyman in Somerville, Massachusetts. They have extensive front of house and back of house experience at a variety of restaurants in the Boston area. Rudnick’s resume includes Craigie on Main and No. 9 Park as well as being the chef de cuisine at Journeyman. In addition to their hospitality experience, Mamut also has MS in Data Science, and has worked in the food tech startup world.

For Mamut and Rudnick how they operate their business is perhaps as important as the food and dining experience they and their team will create.  The Chametz will be run as a collective that gives all the team members a voice in decision making and an approach to compensating staff that reflects that shared responsibility.

The build out of a commercial kitchen for The Chametz is underway with the hope the restaurant can launch in early June. To support the launch of The Chametz, Rudnick and Mamut have set-up a $150k Kickstarter campaign. The campaign has already raised $25k towards its goal.

If you are in the Sugarloaf area on this Saturday December 16th you may want to stop by at Cork & Rind for an event featuring tastes of Rudnick’s cooking.

Credit: Image courtesy of The Chametz.

Sacred Profane on Thompson’s Point

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Sacred Profane Brewing (website, instagram) has leased the former Stroudwater Distilling space on Thompson’s Point where they plan to open a second brewery, tasting room and eatery. It’s slated to open early next year.

According to the cover letter that accompanied their license application, the demand for their beer has outpaced the capacity of their brewery in Biddeford. With the launch of this new location they plan “to double our production through this space and create the country’s second tankpub on the tourist hub of Portland, Thompson’s Point.” The new location will also bring their Czech-style lager beer closer to their Portland customers and beer enthusiasts visiting the city.

In addition to their own lagers, Sacred Profane plans to also serve cider, wine, other local beers and cocktails like the Levitation Room currently on the menu in Biddeford. They plan to serve a food menu of oysters and Czech-style open-face sandwiches at their counter service Portland location.

The brewery specializes in producing light and dark Czech-style lagers. Their existing brewery and tankpub in Biddeford launched in September 2022.

Sacred Profane will be serving a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner next week on the 21st in Biddeford.

Bar Publica in Bayside

| Posted in Under Construction

A new bar and restaurant called Bar Publica (instagram) is under construction in Bayside. It will be located in the space in between Wilson County Barbeque and the upcoming lager brewery Argenta.

Bar Publica will serve classic and house specialty cocktails as well as beer and wine as well and Latin American-inspired small plates.

The dining room will seat ~65 inside with a bar and banquette/table seating. In warmer weather there will be space for ~60 on the rooftop and about another ~30 in the courtyard on the ground floor with a total occupancy capacity of 299 (see floor plans below). The overall design aesthetic they’re aiming for is a formica-forward mid-century feel with Latin American accents.

Wilson County co-owner Spencer Brantley is heading up the development of Bar Publica with business partners David Kelley and Ciaran Sheenhan who are the founders of Ri Ra.

Brantley hopes to open Bar Publica sometime this spring. That section of West Bayside is also home to Bayside Bowl, Coals, Leavitt & Sons, Wilson County, Batson River, When Pigs Fly, and the upcoming Argenta Brewing.

 

Upcoming Events & NYE

| Posted in Events

Wednesday – Experience Maine is holding a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner at Ballast.

Friday – Salt + Pepper Social is holding a vegan wine and cheese event.

Sunday – Helm is holding a Prime Rib dinner. Jackrabbit is serving a 3-course Scandinavian holiday supper.

December 19 – La Gallera will be popping-up at Cabana.

December 20 – it’s the opening day at Novel (website, facebook, instagram) located at 643 Congress Street.

December 21 – Sacred Profane is serving a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner. The Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta will be screening Cup of Salvation a film about restoration of the Armenian wine industry—the Damariscotta River Grill and Bred in the Bone are both holding Armenian wine dinners after the movie.

Christmas

New Year’s Eve – we’ll add special NYE dinners here as restaurants announce their plans.

  • Bao Bao – is serving an Around the World with Dumplings prix fixe dinner; $58.88 per person.
  • Bar Futo – will be serving an NYE enhanced menu including waygu, caviar, truffles and uni.
  • Central Provisions – will be serving a 5-course dinner; $300 per couple.
  • Crispy Gai – will be serving a 7-course dinner that’s billed as a “ballered up version of our convenience store faves”. $100 per person.
  • Evo – will be serving a 6-course dinner; $160 per person.
  • Helm – will be serving a 4-course dinner; $100 per person.
  • Isa – will be serving a 3-course dinner; $110 per person.
  • Knotted Apron – will be serving a 6-course dinner; $130 per person.
  • Regards – will be serving a multi-course dinner; $95 per person.
  • Salt Yard/Luna – the ground floor and rooftop venues at the Canopy are running a combination NYE program; $159 per person.
  • Tao Yuan (Brunswick) – is serving a prix fixe 10-course Peking Duck Dinner; $98.88 per person.
  • The Garrison (Yarmouth) – will be serving a 4-couse dinner; $130 per person.
  • Other restaurants may also be open serving their regular menu. Check with your favorite spots for hours on Sunday, December 31st, or take a look at reservation availability on Resy or OpenTable.
  • Mr. Tuna – has some sushi party boxes.
  • Zao Ze (Brunswick) – has  a ready-to-eat party kit that feeds 4; $88.88 per person.

January 5/6 – Roma Cafe is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the restaurant with a 5-course dinner with optional wine pairings.

January 8 – Marilou Ranta, the chef/owner of the Beard Award-winning restaurant The Quarry in Monson will be speaking at the Lincoln Theater in Damariscotta.

January 20 – Flanagan’s Farm in Buxton will be holding a Supper Club dinner featuring chef Adrian Arvizu from Big Tree Catering.

January 27 – Flanagan’s Farm in Buxton will be holding a Supper Club dinner featuring chef Christian Hayes from The Garrison.

February 10 – Flanagan’s Farm in Buxton will be holding a Supper Club dinner featuring chef Krista Kern Desjarlais from Bresca and The Purple House.

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.

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

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.

George + Leon’s Review, Freeport Restaurants

| Posted in General News, Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of George + Leon’s.

But George & Leon’s (named for Abbey’s dog and his young son, respectively) has emerged from adversity with a renewed respect for its team and better, more consistent food served at appropriate temperatures. If you visit, order a glass of natural wine to go with your traditional Super Beef sandwich, a softball-sized monster of a sandwich packed with pink beef, James River BBQ sauce, and white American cheese. Get it as a “4-way,” if you enjoy crisp onion rings. If you’re not in the mood for beef, the homemade chicken finger sub and the umami-overloaded, brown-butter-and-mushroom sub are also top-notch options.

The paper also takes an in-depth look at the Freeport restaurant scene and the factors holding it back from further growth.

While restaurateurs seem drawn like moths these days to the bright heat of the Greater Portland food scene, many in the town of Freeport feel underserved by the comparatively lackluster dining choices, especially for a sit-down meal.

Maine Food & Dining News

| 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:

  • Downhill Bagel Company (instagram) has leased space at 446 Main Street (shown above) in Springvale where they plan to open a bakery cafe. Downhill will be serving bagels, brewed and espresso-based coffee drinks, lunch specials including pastrami on rye, daily soup specials, and pizza baciata. Owner Billy Nichols wants the shop to be a community space where art is displayed, events can take place and people can come and get to know each other. Nichols hopes to open the new shop by early February. He launched Downhill in October selling at the Sanford and Berwick farmers’ markets.
  • Brunswick’s Dog Bar Jim (instagram) coffee house has been running a dinner series that’s been gaining steam. Owner Ben Gatchell launched The Golden Demise in mid-October. He’s now serving 4 different menus each with its own night, Wednesday through Saturday which in order are Mexican, Korean, burgers, pan-Asian. For more information see this article from the Bowdoin Orient and this instagram post from DBJ.
  • The Pat’s Pizza in Presque Isle has re-opened under new ownership. The father of co-owner Michael Gallagher, Brian Gallagher, was a co-owner of the original Pat’s when it opened in 1989 according a report from the Bangor Daily News.
  • Good Wine Bar opened last Friday on Main Street in Saco.
  • A wine bar and retail shop called Pulling Corks is under construction in Belfast.

Sanabria’s Coquito

| Posted in People, Distilling & Cocktails

Punch has published an article about Papi beverage director LyAnna Sanabria’s recipe for the classic Puerto Rican drink Coquito.

While coquito is often shorthanded as Puerto Rico’s answer to eggnog, the comparison is not quite right, Sanabria notes. While the two drinks share some characteristics—boozy, creamy, spiced—coquito tends to be lighter-bodied than eggnog, meant for sipping in warmer weather. It also has a complicated heritage entwined with the island’s colonial past.

Review of The Garrison

| Posted in Reviews

The Bollard has published a review of The Garrison.

OK, now you can breathe. Just kidding! Enter the Squash Ravioli ($25), the surprise hit of the night. With cinnamon pasta dough, ras el hanout (North African spice mix) and Italian sausage broth, we wondered how Chef Christian could possibly pull these parts together. He did, of course, once again masterfully combining Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors. A perfect bite including every component then gave the dish a curry profile that left us happily bewildered, yet again. 

Pulling Corks in Belfast

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

A new wine bar and wine shop called Pulling Corks (instagram) is under construction in Belfast. It’s being launched by David Speer and Kristin Amundson-Speer. Their vision is a place where customers can “casually drop in and have a glass and a snack, or come and celebrate a really special occasion with an amazing bottle.”

They’ve purchased the 150 year old building that was the former of Bellabooks and are in the process renovating the first floor to be the home of Pulling Corks. The building is at 31 Pendleton Street located just a block away from the center of town. The bar will seat 24-30 people with outdoor seating in an adjacent garden during warmer months.

David Speer has been in the wine industry for over two decades. In 2013, he was named by Food & Wine to their list of the Best Sommeliers of the Year. Prior to moving to Maine, he was the founder and owner of a 20-seat champagne bar called Ambonnay in Portland, Oregon. Speer also operates the Red Slate Wine Company which offers private sommelier service specializing in wines from Champagne and Burgundy.

The couple hope to have Pulling Corks open in time for the start of the summer season.