Farewell to Local 188

| Posted in Closings

Local 188 has closed. The landmark restaurant had been in business for 25 years and contributed to the development of Portland as a nationally acclaimed culinary destination. They will be missed.

Chef/owner Jay Villani share some brief parting words,

Just wow. What a ride. None of this would have been possible without you.

You have given me a backdrop I can proudly hang my apron on. Words can not express how incredibly lucky I feel. The depth of meaning you all have given my life is immeasurable. What a truly special gift.

Thank you…

All of you.

When the restaurant launched in 1999, it brought a new vitality to Longfellow Square joining Cafe Uffa in an intersection that had not yet become the restaurant hub it is today. Warm personal service, an innovative menu of Spanish-inspired dishes, a great atmosphere and space made Local 188 a popular destination at the start of the new century. The name of the restaurant is a reference to its original street address 188 State Street—where Pai Men Miyake is now. It moved to much larger quarters on Congress Street in 2007.

In a fitting coda for a long running establishment, the kitchen at Local 188 had passed on to the next generation with Villani’s son Jackson (aka Sonny) as the chef de cuisine. If you’ve dined at 188 during the last few month you’ve likely had some delightful new dishes he’s brought to the menu.

Local 188 may have closed but the impact the legions of staff have made on the lives of their customers and on the city’s culinary scene and will be remembered for a long time to come.

Maine Food Influencers

| Posted in People

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram profiles 5 Maine food instagram influencer accounts: Biddo Foodies run by Holly Norburg and Daniela Amieva, Eating Portland Alive run by  Rob Schatz, Eating Through The Seacoast run by Jake Cryan, The Maine Foodies run by Erik and Alexis Dirkmaat, and Portland Eats ME run by Lydia Belden. All excellent accounts well worth following.

Maine has a large and growing food social media community. Whether it’s a specific geography, a type of food or a particular type of food lifestyle you want to learn more about there’s likely an account out their publishing about that already. If there isn’t then maybe you’re the right person to step into those shoes and share your passion with the world!

Maine Flavor Ice Cream Shop Opens Today

| Posted in Openings

A new West End ice cream shop will open for business today. Maine Flavor (website, instagram) will be launching their new scoop shop and retail store on Spring Street at 3 pm. They’re located at 175 Spring Street/144 State Street.

They’ll be serving eight ice cream flavors on opening day: Lemon Shortbread, Maine Wild Blueberry Crisp, Maine Butternut Chai, Milk Chocolate and Vanilla Bean (all dairy-based, organic and gluten-free) as well as three vegan and gluten-free options Coffee Crunch, Cranberry Chocolate Chunk and Maine Strawberry (shown above).  The Maine Flavor kitchen is a certifiable gluten-free facility and their house-made dark chocolate and ginger bread ice cream bowls are vegan in addition to being gluten-free. Pints of their ice cream to take home and ice cream sandwiches and cookies will also be available.

Owners Susan Purcell and Andrew Applegate leased the space next to Chocolats Passion in the former Mercy Hospital building back in July and where they have built out a new ice cream production facility in addition to the retail shop.

Maine Flavor has been in business since 2016. Their ice cream is available at a number of Portland area retail locations like Montes, the Portland Co-op, Union Wharf Market, Lighthouse Bikes and Barber Brothers market in South Portland, and Lois’s in Scarborough in addition to being for sale at their new shop.

Maine Flavor will initially be open Friday through Sunday, 3 – 6 pm.

Also under construction the former Mercy Hospital building is a new Two Fat Cats bakery/cafe.

Benny’s on Congress Street

| Posted in Under Construction

Ramona’s owner Josh Sobel has leased the former Broken Arrow space at 545 Congress Street where he plans to open a second restaurant called Benny’s (instagram). Renovations will be taking place during the winter and Sobel hopes to open Benny’s in early spring.

Benny’s will be open for lunch and dinner operating as a Philly-inspired sandwich shop with counter service by day, and transitioning into a sit down restaurant serving pasta and salads for dinner. Benny’s will also have a small cocktail menu. Sobel shared,

I’m excited to be in a neighborhood with so many other great small businesses and restaurants.
I’ve wanted to make cheesesteaks and cutlets since we opened Ramona’s, but the limitations of the space always made it impossible.

Benny’s feels like the natural evolution of our business. We hope to be a place that can service the neighborhood throughout the day. We want to start dinner service a bit earlier so that young families can join us. As a parent of young kids, it’s important to me that we are able to provide a great dining experience for kids as well as adults.

Carrie Dessertine from Mey & Co. has been hired to design the restaurant. Dessertine has designed a number of restaurants in Maine including Ramona’s, Bread & Friends, Elda in Biddeford, and the new Mr. Tuna.

Sobel and Chad Conley launched Ramona’s as a takeout service in April 2020 and opened with indoor seating in March 2022. Conley sold his interest in the company to Sobel in 2023.

Dry Dock 2.0 Under Development

| Posted in Under Construction

Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, Bryan Holden—co-owners of Luke’s Lobster— have leased 84 Commercial Street where they plan to relaunch the Dry Dock (instagram) as a seafood tavern with a full bar program. The team expects to renovate and restore the building this winter and open the new Dry Dock in time for the summer of 2025.

Jeff Holden, managing partner at Luke’s Lobster commented, “Our family has loved the Dry Dock location for decades. I was a regular when I had my business here on Commercial Street back in the 1980s and 90s. We feel truly grateful to work with Steve [Goodrich] on the opportunity to bring the legacy of Dry Dock restaurant back to life here – preserving it for the people of Portland and its visitors is as much sentimental to us as it is good business.”

The Dry Dock was a fixture on the Portland waterfront since it launched in 1983. It’s been closed since 2018 and while there have been some plans in the past to redesign and relaunch it, they have not come to fruition.

The Luke’s on Portland Pier will continue to operate where it is and the Dry Dock will open with a separate menu and concept.

Leisure Time Canning Line

| Posted in Under Construction

Leisure Time Cocktail Company (website, instagram) has launched a $45k crowdfunding campaign on NuMarket to raise funds for a cocktail canning line. Contributors will get $1.20 in credits at Leisure Time for every $1 they contribute to the campaign.

We did it! Our tasting room and cocktail laboratory is officially open, and it’s been an honor to serve great cocktails and good times to the Portland, Maine community. Now, we’re ready to expand our production facility so we can share our love for delicious cocktails far and wide — but we need your help…Your support will help us purchase a canning line, Brite tanks for carbonating our cocktails, and provide the runway we need to secure licensing for the new facility. Want to taste what’s going in the cans? Head down to the Lounge at Thompson’s Point, where we’ve already got these delicious beverages on tap!

Leisure Time owners Kai Parrott-Wolfe and Matt Noyes opened their 50-seat cocktail bar on Thompson’s Point in July. The menu features a range of draft and freezer cocktails as well as a selection of wine and beer, pierogis, salads, hot dogs and sausages.

 

Slab Closing Saturday

| Posted in Closings

Slab Sicilian Street Food is closing. The restaurant’s last day in business will be this Saturday October 12th. A statement from the owners reads in part,

For over a decade, we’ve had the privilege to bring Stephen Lanzalotta’s masterpiece to the masses, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive! We’re so grateful for the national recognition we’ve received and for our fans far and wide – we cannot thank you enough for your support and kind words through the years. ⁣
⁣
We also want to give huge props to our dedicated staff who have enthusiastically embraced the art & science behind creating the most luscious pizza in all the land.⁣

Slab was launched in June 2014 by Stephen Lanzalotta, Jason Loring, Matt Moran, Tobey Moulton and Emily Kingsbury. Lanzalotta had previously been the baker at Micucci’s where Portlanders were introduced to his version of a slab-based pizza. Lanzalotta passed away in 2022. While best known for their rectangular slices of pizza, the menu has also included salads, sandwiches, a great beer selection, desserts and thin-crust pizzas.

While the restaurant is closing the frozen pizza part of the business will continue on. You’ll be able to find the Slab rising crust pizzas at dozens of locations in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire—a full list is available on slabportland.com.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – a Goldie’s Gin release party is taking place at Blyth and Burrows. Goldie’s is produced by a new Portland distillery that launched earlier this year.

Thursday – Apres is holding their annual Apple Tasting, 4 – 7 pm.

Saturday – Waxwing Bakery is holding a pop-up at Bumbleroot Farm in Windham. Waxwing is building out a bakery Cafe on Route 302 in Windham. The Tate House in Portland is holding ColoniAle 2024, a 1-hour beer-centric house tour.

Saturday/Sunday – Cider Camp is taking place at Smithereen Farm in Pembroke in Washington County.

Sunday – The 16th Annual Open Creamery Day is taking place. Dandelion Spring Farm is holding a Harvest Dinner. Salt Wharf is holding the 2nd Annual Camden Oyster Festival.

October 15 – Master Sommelier Jonathan Eichholz and Butter + Kale are holding 5-course wine dinner at Magnus on Water.

October 17/18 – SMCC culinary and hospitality students are serving a 5-course Dining with the Departed dinner.

October 18 – Author Corrie Locke-Hardy will be at the Equality Community Center for a reading from their new cookbook The Revolution Will be Well Fed and herbal tea workshop.

October 19 – McDougal Orchards in Springvale is holding their 5th Annual Apple Tasting.

October 20 – Great Maine Apple Day is taking place in Unity.

October 23 – Mrs. Gee Free Living and Sur Lie are collaborating on a gluten-free dinner. GMRI is hosting a talk about sustainable seafood with guest Ben Conniff, co-owner of Luke’s Lobster.

October 24 – The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is holding the biennial Maine Food Producer Showcase & Golden Fork Awards at Brick South on Thompson’s Point. Farms for Food Equity is holding their Fall Harvest Gathering fundraiser with food from Big Tree Catering and Harbor Fish, wines from National Distributors and beer from Oxbow.

October 25 – Kasha’s Kitchen in Kittery is holding a Polish dinner.

October 24-26 – Harvest on the Harbor is taking place.

October 27 – Victoria Nam from Siblings Bakery is teaching a virtual class on Spiking Your Cakes With Whole Grains for the Maine Grains Alliance.

October 29 – The annual HospitalityMaine summit is taking place at Sugarloaf.

November 5 – Gross Confection Bar is holding a (sold out) pastry baking class.

November 20 – GMRI is holding an event to discuss Climate Resilience Potential in Gulf of Maine Fisheries.

November 30 – The deadline to submit recommendations for the 2025 Beard Awards.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.
25-packs of the Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now available on our online store.

Restaurant Real Estate: October 2024

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the October 2024 edition of the Portland Food Map restaurant real estate listings sponsored by The Boulos Company—a commercial real estate brokerage that has helped Maine’s restauranteurs buy and lease restaurant spaces since 1975.

This resource gathers in one convenient place the spaces available in Portland (and a few in the surrounding area) that could be potential sites for restaurants and food producers and retailers to locate their next business. Finding the right spot is one of the crucial early challenges in launching a new business and hopefully this resource will make that step just a little bit easier.

West End/Saint John/Valley

87 Brackett St – Ohno Cafe is closing the day before Thanksgiving and the owners are seeking someone who might want to take it over.

211 Valley St – a 1,260 sq ft former garage and the .13 acres it is on are for sale on Valley Street for $1,300,000.

235 Vaughan St – the former Vaughan Street Variety storefront in the West End has been completely renovated. The 620 sq ft space is available for $2500/month (MG). Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

Arts District

553 Congress St – the commercial kitchen in the former Five Fifty Five space (now leased by the Core Cannabis Museum) is available to a co-tenant for $2,000/month (MG).

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space for $17.04/sq ft (NNN).

594 Congress St – the 2,592 sq ft space in the Upper H. H. Hay Building formerly occupied by Starbucks is available for $28/sq ft (MG).

602 Congress St – The ~1,500 sq ft ground floor space at the corner of High and Congress is available to lease. The Schwartz Building has been under renovation for a decade. For more info contact Joe Atwood at (207) 899-7373.

77 Free St – the space previously occupied by the Free Street restaurant and bar is available. The 17,000 sq ft space is for lease for $5/sq ft (NNN). Call (207) 761-6500 for additional details.

Bayside/Inner Washington

170 Anderson St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft (NNN).

147 Cumberland Ave – the Union Bagel Co. space is available to lease for $1,750/month (MG). Over all the building has ~600 sq ft of space between the first floor and basement. It also features a fenced in back deck area that can seat 20+ people. Some equipment from the bagel bakery is also for sale. For more information contact unionbagelco@gmail.com. Union Bagel has moved their production facility to Falmouth.

52 Hanover St – On the first floor of the Armature is 1,500 – 3,000 sq ft of retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN). One spot in the building has earmarked for a coffee shop.

178 Kennebec St – 2,644 sq ft of space are available in a newly constructed Bayside building for $25/sq ft (NNN).

55 Washington Ave – this 7,815 sq ft space is in the Nissen Bakery building right in between Cong Tu Bot and Hardshore Distillery. It’s available for $13,708/month (NNN).

186 Washington Ave – the 7,620 sq ft Am Vets building is for sale for $1,600,000. See the listing for photos of the bar and seating area.

Old Port

0 Canal Plaza – the 1,350 sq ft oval-shaped build in Canal Plaza is for lease for $60/sq ft (NNN). Nosh Taco continues to operate in that space but the owners are open to speaking with people who may be interested in the space.

1 Canal Plaza – 4,284 – 14,412 sq ft of ground floor retail space will be available as part of upcoming renovations; $30/sq ft (NNN).

15 Chestnut St – the building that was home to Grace restaurant is for sale. It includes the property, business assets and all FF&E. The restaurant seats 175 and features a large circular bar on the first floor of the former church. The building has 14,358 sq ft of space. It’s for sale for $2,985,000.

185 Commercial St – a new building on Commercial Street has a 2,334 sq ft ground floor retail space that is available for $55/sq ft (NNN).

230 Commercial St – the 2,655 sq ft building that’s been the longtime home of Sapporo is for lease for $50/sq ft (NNN). Sapporo is moving to Falmouth.

266 Commercial St – a 6,689 sq ft retail space is available in this new construction building for $20-22/sq ft (NNN).

383 Commercial St – 1,193 – 4,805 square feet of space in a newly constructed building on Commercial Street is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

10 Cotton St – Thistle & Grouse closed in September. The business is now for sale for $975,000.

8 Exchange St – 1,800-3,600 sq ft of space formerly occupied by The Bar & Bites on lower Exchange Street is available for $34.99/sq ft (MG).

89 Exchange St – The space that had previously been the home of Dobra Tea is back on the market. The 1,350 sq ft space is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

201 Federal St – a 2,300 sq ft space in the new 18-story Casco building is available for $40/sq ft (MG). The building owners are looking for someone who wants to open a market in that space.

433 Fore St – a 930 sq ft space on the first floor of the Hyatt is for lease for $60/sq ft (MG).

477 Fore St – the 1,361 sq ft space formerly occupied by B + B Bakery is available for $30/sq ft (MG).

40 Free St – a 1,511 sq ft space in the new building constructed by JB Brown is available for $27.50/sq ft (NNN).

127 Marginal Way – the 3,040 sq ft former All Speed bicycle shop space across the parking lot from Trader Joes is available for $35/sq ft (NNN).

100 Middle St – a 350 sq ft cafe space on first floor of an Old Port office building is available for $850/month (MG).

111 Middle St – the 1,622 sq ft former Cabana building is for lease for $3,500/month (NNN). See this post on instagram for more information about the property and its history.

115 Middle St – the 2,065 sq ft space formerly occupied by Beach Boys Cannabis is for lease for $6,840/month (MG). Back in the 1970s it had been the home of Model Food Importers which retailed wine, cheese and other imported foods.

121 Middle St – a 2,482 sq ft retail spot is available for $45/sq ft (MG).

157 Middle St – 2,039 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27.95/sq ft (MG).

184 Middle St – this newly renovated space was formerly occupied by Blanche & Mimi. It includes 1,169 sq of first floor retail and 808 sq ft of basement storage space all for $48.43/sq ft (MG).

5 Milk St – this 2,199 sq ft former hair salon is available for $28/sq ft (NNN).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $25/sq ft (MG).

28 Monument Square – a number of spots on the first and second floors of the Public Market House are available.

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

66 Pearl St – the 5,796 sq ft space that was formerly the home of Bull Moose is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

3 Spring St – the space formerly occupied by Stage Cannabis is for lease; 2,000 sq ft for $15.50/sq ft (NNN).

54 York St – a 1,650 sq ft space is available for $30/sq ft (MG). It’s located in the same building as the new Weldon Hotel at the corner of York and Maple Streets.

Old Port Bar – an undisclosed 1,160/sq ft bar/restaurant in the Old Port is for sale for $195,000.

India Street Area

239 Congress St –the 780 sq ft space formerly occupied by Tiny Tims is available for $2,500/month (Absolute Gross). It’s nearby Cocktail Mary, The End of Portland, Quanto Basta and LB Kitchen.

144 Fore St – the former VA building is near the Portland Foreside development and adjacent to several new office buildings off Thames Street. It has 1,560 – 10,620 sq ft of space available for $22-29/sq ft (NNN).

Outer Forest Ave

503 – 509 Forest Ave – the exterior of this building is slated to be restored to its historic design. It has 1,268 – 6,313 sq ft of space available for $10-15/sq ft (NNN).

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flats is for sale. The 8,771 sq ft building is on 3.43 acres of property and is listed for $1,750,000.

Deering

164 Veranda St – the 1,000 sq ft former location of Other Side Deli is available for $2,500/month (Gross).

550 Washington Ave – 2,000 – 2,400 sq ft of the former Botto’s bakery is available to lease for $18/sq ft (NNN).

1339 Washington Ave – the 4,150 sq ft former Parker’s Restaurant building in North Deering is for sale for $1,750,000.

Elsewhere in Portland

Northgate Shopping Center – 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – three spaces are for lease 1,400, 3,800 and 5,000 sq ft. The lease rates are negotiable and the property owner has a strong interest in finding a restaurant tenant for the shopping plaza.

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

Outside of Portland

The Downs – A 2,019 sq ft restaurant space is for sale in The Downs mixed use development.

188 Lincoln St, Lewiston – this 2,371 – 5,554 sq ft former fire station has been renovated for use as a retail/restaurant space. It’s listed at $5-14/sq ft (NNN). See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

372 Cottage Rd, South Portland – the building that formerly was home to Omi’s Coffee Shop is for sale for $675,000. Contact Gail Bruzgo at 372maine@gmail.com for more information.

60 Mile Rd, Wells – the former Varano’s Restaurant building and a 2 bed room apartment are for sale for $2,095,000. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

449 Main St, South Portland – the former Rudy’s Diner and an adjacent home are for sale for $975,000.

Billy’s Chowder House – both the building and business of Billy’s Chowder House in Wells is for sale. The ~200 seat restaurant comes with a 62-car parking lot and sits on Mile Road which connects Route 1 with Wells Beach. See this instagram article for additional information on the building and the neighborhood.

Joshua’s in Brunswick – Joshua’s Tavern at 121 Maine Street is closing at the end of this month and the 4,500 sq ft restaurant is available to lease for $20-25/sq ft (NNN).

145 Ocean St, South Portland – the BenReuben’s building in South Portland will become available with the closure of the knishery in September. The ~1,000 sq ft space is for lease for $3,000/month (MG). Contact Josh at (207) 408-3879 for more information.

Trudy Birds, North Yarmouth – The business, land and both building are for sale for $1,450,000.

358 Main St, Yarmouth – the building that had housed a collection of gluten-free baking businesses is for sale for $475,000.

Bayley’s Seafood, Scarborough – this 3,018 sq ft turnkey seafood restaurant is available to lease for $24/sq ft.

1200 Portland Rd, Arundel – a turnkey 9,938 sq ft restaurant is for sale for $2,500,000.

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.