Moonday Coffee on Washington Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

David Kessel from Moonday (instagram) and his partner Rebecca Perea-Kane who is the founder of Thicket (instagram) have leased the former Ishi Ishi space on Washington Ave where they plan to jointly operate their coffee bar and jewelry businesses.

Kessel launched Moonday this past summer as a food cart serving espresso-based coffee drinks prepared with beans from Speckled Ax. Moonday will be expanding their menu with a selection of teas at the new shop.

Renovations are well underway and they expect to open within a few weeks. Hours for the business are still TBD.

Slide Street Co.

| Posted in Under Construction

A new food cart called Slide Street Co. (instagram) is under development and expected to launch in spring 2022.

Chef/owner Adam Heath is planning a menu of “Slider sized burgers and sandwiches with a colorful twist”. The flagship burger will be The Acadia which is a Maine beef burger prepared with bacon rillette, IPA jalapeño pickle, Pineland Farms cheddar, and a blueberry mustarda. Heath also expects to have a rotating list of specials. Other items on the menu will be the Lil’ Squeeler (confit Pork belly, rose harissa, miso pineapple relish, green jade matcha bun) and the Hibiscus Biscuit (Hot fried chicken patty, basil honey, pickled cabbage, hibiscus biscuit). As a special twist that makes Slide Street sandwiches colorful and distinctive Heath will be creating house-made buns that use natural food colors to create brightly colored sandwich buns.

Heath moved to Portland in 2008 and has worked for a number of local restaurants including as part of the kitchen team that initially launched Tiqa, summers working at The Inn on Peaks Island and at Union at The Press Hotel for the last 4-5 years. He’s excited to be launching his own business and the opportunity to “showcase my own dishes and flavor profiles that I know the all patrons will enjoy everyday”.

Heath is planning to launch a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter next week to raise funds to support this new business.

Tim Cebula Joins Press Herald

| Posted in People

The Press Herald has hired Tim Cebula (linkedin, instagram) as their new food and dining reporter. Cebula will be backfilling the position long held by Meredith Goad who retired late last year.

Cebula grew up in Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and a master’s in magazine journalism from Boston University. After college he worked as a reporter for the Berkshire Eagle, a food editor for Berkshire magazine and wrote freelance food and feature articles for The Boston Globe.

Cebula has also worked in the restaurant industry, and was the sous chef for The Old Inn on the Green in New Marlboro.

From the mid-2000s until 2018 he was on staff at Cooking Light as a writer and senior editor. He now lives in Old Orchard Beach where he’s pursued a consulting and freelance writing career while working on a novel.

Stonewall Kitchen Moving

| Posted in Under Construction

The Portland Stonewall Kitchen store on Middle Street is expected to close by the end of March. Stonewall is still searching for a new space in Portland to move to. Stay tuned for details on the location and timing as they become available.

The current store is located at 182 Middle Street across from Bard Coffee and Tommy’s Park. There’s no word yet on anyone moving into that spot.

Beer With(out) Beards

| Posted in Events

Mainebiz has a report on the Beer With(out) Beards festival taking place in Portland this April.

The craft beer industry is heavily hirsute, but a female-focused festival coming to Portland in April is looking to change that.

The Beer With(out) Beards Festival will celebrate the achievements of women in craft beer, and will showcase over 35 breweries nationwide that are owned or led by women and femme-identifying people, organizers recently announced.

Tickets are now on sale, for more information see this page on www.hopculture.com.

Upcoming Events: Dempsey Dinner, GF Tasting, Cooing Classes, Valentine’s Day

| Posted in Events

February – Visit Freeport is holding their annual Flavors of Freeport this month including their Freeport Foodie Lotto challenge.

Thursday – The Maker’s Galley is teaching a mushroom-focused cooking class, The Yard is hold a pre-Valentine’s Day Dueling Pianos event, Evo is holding a dinner in support of the Dempsey Center with seatings at 5:30 or 7:45, and there will be a gluten-free tasting event at Apres.

Sunday – Great Wave Sushi is teaching a sushi cooking class.

Valentine’s Day – this list continues to grow as restaurants announce their plans.

  • Apres – raw bar operated by the Lady Shuckers and live music.
  • Black Tie – a Valentine’s take-out menu for two; order by February 8th.
  • BlueFin – is serving a menu of “featured Valentine’s Day cocktails”.
  • Blue Spoon – will have some Valentine’s Day specials along with their regular menu.
  • Bravo Maine – is holding a French Bistro cooking class.
  • Brickyard Hollow – 4-couse menu with complimentary prosecco toast during dessert.
  • Broken Arrow – a 4-course tasting menu with optional pairings.
  • Butter and Kale – 4-course meals for 2; both vegan ($185) and omnivore ($195) options are available.
  • Cellardoor Winery – “Valentine’s Flight features six wines for $25 a person; every two flights purchased includes a sharable charcuterie board.”
  • Chaval – will be serving a special Valentine’s Day menu, details are still TBD.
  • Elda – Valentine’s Day tasting menu; $125 per person.
  • Evo Kitchen + Bar – a 6-course dinner for $120 per person, also available for takeout.
  • Fork Food Lab – a Valentine’s Day collaboration between Lady Shuckers and Galatic Hobo Sauce featuring Maine-grown oysters from two women-owned farms.
  • Gelato Fiasco – take-home sundae kits for Valentine’s Day which include two hand-packed pints, two brownies and the choice of Valentine-themed toppings and Valentine’s sprinkles.
  • Isa Bistro – 3-course dinner for $75 per person.
  • Knotted Apron – 4-course prix fixe dinner; $79 per person.
  • Lake & Co – “romantic ready to reheat dinner and dessert for pick up or delivery” on Saturday the 12th; order deadline on the 8th.
  • Maria’s – pre-order takeout dinner for pick-up on the 12th or 13th, and open on the 14th.
  • Rosemont – has a Valentine’s Day pre-order menu.
  • Ruby’s West End – 3-course dinner with vegan and non-vegan options, and optional wine pairings; available February 11 – 14.
  • Stroudwater Distilling – 3-course meal and “comedy line up features Mike Gray, with Ray Harrington headlining, and Ian MacDonald hosting”.
  • The Maker’s Galley – 4-course prix fixe dinner.
  • Tiny Feats Confections – Chocolate Raspberry Tortes available for pre-order.
  • Top of the East – a 3-course take-out dinner; order by February 11th.
  • Vena’s Fizz House – a Valentine’s Day mixology class.
  • Verbena’s – will be serving a Valentine’s weekend menu featuring the flavors of Southeast Asia.
  • Wine Wise – a Black Truffle Wine Dinner for two in collaboration with Chaval; $250, delivery included.
  • Yardie Ting – will be serving a surf and turf dinner for two at the Public Market House; $80 for a couple.
  • Other Restaurants – some restaurants may also be open serving their usual menu, check in with your favorite spots to find out if they are open Monday the 14th.
  • Chocolate shops and bakeries – check in with your favorite chocolate shops and bakeries to find what Valentine’s Day special candies and baked goods they may have available.

February 17 – The Porthole is holding a wine dinner.

February 24 – Judy Gibson is holding a Portuguese wine dinner.

March 1 – 12 – Maine Restaurant Week.

March 5 – the launch party for Absolem Cider from Winthrop Maine is taking place at Anoche on Washington Ave.

March 29 – Maine’s newest cidery the Absolem Cider Company and Oxbow Brewing will collaborating on a beer/cider dinner at the Oxbow Beer Garden in Oxford.

April 9 – the Beard With(out) Bears festival will be taking place.

June 13 – 19 – the 5th Annual Portland Wine Week will be taking place.

Indy’s Sandwich

| Posted in Under Construction

Indy’s Sandwich (website, facebook, instagram) is under construction at 744 Maine Street in South Portland.

The new business is a collaboration between Darit Chandpen and Aujima Pitafai from Mi Sen, Pattira Tedford from Mitr, Inorn Ongkeo from Lots of Eats in North Andover, Massachusetts, and Nattasak Wongsaichua and Danai Sriprasert from Boda and Green Elephant.

Indy’s will serve breakfast and lunch with an American-Asian fusion menu of sandwiches as well as some appetizers and hot soup and specialty entrees. Indy’s will have a beer and wine license. The restaurant will be set-up for quick take-out but will also have some indoor seating.

The owners are all friends who have long wanted to collaborate on a sandwich shop and are excited to bring this concept to South Portland.

Restaurant Real Estate: February 2022

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the February 2022 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company. This monthly column gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers/retailers to locate their next business.

Even during the pandemic many people are pursuing their dreams and opening new food businesses. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this new resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End

235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

101 York St – 2,179 – 5,212 sq ft of space in the new building on the corner of York and High Street is available for $15-20/sq ft (NNN). The space already has a hood vent and grease traps installed.

Arts District

554 Congress St – 1,397 – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $1,518-2,301/month (NNN).

642 Congress St – the former Ada’s space is available to sublet; 2,569 sq ft (MG).

Bayside

170 Anderson St – 2,000 – 3,500 sq ft in East Bayside available for $15/sq ft (NNN).

15 Chestnut St – the 14,000 sq ft building that was the former home of Grace is for sale for $3,730,000.

31 Diamond St – this 2,800 – 22,034 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

178 Kennebec St – 4 retail spaces (1,800 – 5,314 sq ft) on the first floor of a new building for $30/sq ft (NNN).

211 Marginal Way – the 4,052 sq ft space on the corner of Marginal Way and Franklin occupied by Bayside Bark is for lease for $40/sq ft (NNN).

Deering Oaks Castle – see this RFP for complete details and application process.

Old Port

1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is available. The 2,494 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).

383 Commercial St – 1,639 – 3,487 of retail space on Commercial Street for $28/sq ft (NNN).

98 Cross St – 3,803 sq ft in the space formerly occupied by Rhum is available for $20/sq ft (MG). The entrance is on the backside of the Free Street building that Arabica is in and is a couple doors down from the Portland Yoga Collective.

446 Fore St – 1,600 – 3,400 sq ft in the former Pearl space with entrances on Wharf and Fore Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,358 to 3,067 sq ft for $30/sq ft (NNN).

5 India St – 1,250 – 2,500 sq ft for $35/sq ft (NNN) in a new building under construction near the intersection with Commercial St.

47 India St – 1,000 sq ft of the former Lois’ Market building is for lease, $40/sq ft (NNN).

38 Market St – a 1,200 subterranean space near the intersection with Milk Street for $1,175/month (MG).

55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $24/sq ft (NNN).

75 Market St – the 5,474 sq ft space on the corner of Market and Middle Streets occupied by Rambler’s Way is for lease for $37/sq ft (MG).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space for $3,125/month (MG).

25 Pearl St – 1,689 sq ft former Subway space available for $30/sq ft (MG).

66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

3 Portland Square – This new building will include 2,500 – 20,000 square feet of retail space for$28.50/sq ft.

41 Wharf St – the former Jager space is available; 1,107 sq ft for $43/sq ft (MG).

42 Wharf St – this 3,770 sq ft space in the Old Port includes a 2,000 sq ft patio, $45/sq ft (MG).

India/Washington Ave

251 Congress St – 1,036 sq ft of space is available as of March 1st; $3,250/month (NNN). This listing includes basement access and one parking spot (with option to rent additional parking spaces). Email for more information.

100 Fore St – 3,000 sq ft of space that the listing says is “ideally suited for a restaurant use” for $27-30/sq ft (NNN).

22 Hancock St – 978 sq ft for $2,300/month (MG).

Forest Ave

333 Forest Ave – a 2,468 retail space is available for $16/sq ft (MG).

651 Forest Ave – a 2,200 sq ft retail space in the Odd Fellows building in Woodford’s Corner for $2,500/month (MG).

945 Forest Ave – 500- 1,220 sq ft of space in the former Photo Market building for $12/sq ft (NNN).

1190 Forest Ave – located right in the center of Morrill’s Corner; 1,500 – 5,082 sq ft for $12/sq ft (NNN).

Other

170 Brighton Ave – a 2,173 sq ft free-standing building which most recently was home to D Ajan’s Market, includes parking; $22/sq ft.

873 Brighton Ave – the 1,334 sq ft building that formerly housed the Redemption Center is for sale for $465,000.

441 Congress St – The 2,400 sq ft former home of Guitar Grave across the street from 1 Monument Square is available for $20/sq ft.

1020 Congress St – a 3,375 service station that is going to be “redeveloped as part a planned mixed use development”. The finished space will be available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

88 Danforth St – a 1,231 sq ft free-standing building on Danforth Street is for sale for $269,000.

132 Marginal Way – 1,584 sq ft of retail space available for $25/sq ft (NNN).

155 Riverside St – the Season’s Bar & Grille and Banquet Center is for lease. The 23,750 sq ft facility includes parking and all furniture, fixtures and equipment.

240 Saint John St – 1,661 – 10,000 sq ft in Union Station Plaza for $12-14/sq ft (NNN)

Westgate Shopping Center – two spaces are for lease at $17-37/sq ft (NNN).

23 Lincoln St, Biddeford – a 12,600 sq ft space divided equally on two floors, each floor has a kitchen with hoods is available for $11/sq ft (NNN). Contact Tony Delois for more information at anthony@uncommongroups.com.

Biscuits & Co, Biddeford – Biscuits & Co closed on October 16th and the business and equipment is for sale. Contact Biscuitsandcompany@gmail.com for more information.

Other Spaces – some vacated restaurant spaces haven’t yet been formerly listed for by the owner. Check the closing announcements for the latest information.

Glossary

MG – Modified Gross which indicates that the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) for the property are included in the lease rate. The tenant would pay its own utilities, which sometimes includes heat.

NNN – Triple Net which indicates that operating expenses are not included in the lease rate, and the tenant will pay them separately. They are often referred to as CAM (Common Area Maintenance) charges and taxes, which are expressed as $/sf. The tenant is also responsible for utilities.

Gross – Gross indicates all expenses including utilities are included in the lease rate. The tenant would be responsible for phone and internet access, as well as interior janitorial.

Roll Call in Market House

| Posted in Under Construction

Roll Call (instagram) has leased the former Big Sky Bakery space on the first floor of the Public Market House. The new Roll Call will have an expanded menu serving breakfast and lunch and will have some limited indoor seating. Timing on the opening is TBD pending renovations.

Roll Call initially launched as a pop-up at Austin Street Brewing before opening their sandwich shop on Clark Street. The Clark Street location closed in early 2021 and that summer the Roll Call team launched a food truck. Owners Michael and Siobhan Sindoni have subsequently opened the Wayside Tavern in Parkside.