The process of converting all the past blog posts into the new system will take some time. I will chip away at it as time allows. In the meantime you can read the posts from September 2007 here.
| September 30 PM A vegetarian restaurant called Green Elephant is opening in the Congress Street location formerly occupied by Portland Hunan. I got a glimpse inside and it looks nearly ready. I’ve heard that Green Elephant and Bangkok Thai are owned by the same people so we may be in for some Asian inspired vegetarian fare. Emilitsa, the Greek restaurant that was first reported on by Portland Psst! in April, is almost ready and they hope to open in late October. The Portland Forecaster had reported that Fat Baxster’s would open this weekend but it looks like they still have a little more left to do. Based on the state of construction I can see through the window, my guess is that they still have another week or two to go. |
| September 30 AM Two Portland businesses that cater to those of us with a sweet tooth have been added to the site. Katie Made is a bakery that sells made to order cakes and pies, and Dean’s Sweets is a chocolatier that makes 17 different flavors of truffles including Tequilla Lime and Cayenne Pepper. Maps have created for the Indian, Ice Cream, Candy, Gelato, Tea, Wings, and Pizza sections of the site. Now you can easily find the business that’s closest to you. |
| September 27 The Maine Switch called Morrison’s Maine Course “hot and hearty” in a review published today. Additionally, MaineToday.com reviewed Shokudo Teriyaki. It’s the first review of the new Japanese restaurant located on Saint John Street. The review of Shokudo takes one more place off the list of unreviewed venues, there’s now just 82 left to go. |
| September 26 Erik Desjarlais’ new restaurant is to be called Evangeline and will be located at 190 State St. If that address sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s the former location of Uffa. And as Uffa fans know, Uffa changed it’s name to The Frog & Turtle and moved to Westbrook into the former location of Chicky’s Fine Diner. The musical chairs of Portland restaurant locations. See the Under Construction page for more information on all new food related businesses starting up in Portland. |
| September 23 David’s 388 in South Portland has garnered another positive review. N.L. English from the MaineToday.com gives it 3½ stars. |
| September 21 The Portland Forecaster has published a mixed review of Bresca. It also has published an interview with the owner of Fat Baxster’s East End Market indicating that the new Munjoy Hill store plans to open next weekend. Also Siano’s, the brickoven pizzeria on Stevens Ave, is planning to open October 1. See the Under Construction page for a full list for new food business that are starting up in Portland. |
| September 20 The Bollard has published a review of Kathy and Dave’s Cafe. The Maine Switch has published new restarant reviews for The Frog & Turtle and King of the Roll. They also had some kind words to say about PortlandFoodMap.com in their Web of the Week column. Thank you TMS! |
| Category Maps A new feature is starting to take shape, and I’d like to get your feedback on it. You may have noticed that over the past few days, I’ve started creating maps that show the location of all the entries in a particular category. For example, there’s a map that shows the location of all the Italian restaurants. So far, I’ve created category maps for the bakeries, burrito shops, coffee houses, and the Italian, sushi, tapas, Thai, and vietnamese restaurants. To see them just click on one of the links listed above and then click on the “find the locations nearest you . . .” link. I’d like to know what you, as a visitor to the site, think of this idea. If you have any thoughts on it, just email me with your feedback. |
| September 16 The Frog & Turtle, the Westbrook-located new incarnation of Uffa has opened its doors. |
| September 15 There are new entries on the site for the Epicurean Auction Benefit and the Stephen Cooks blog. Also, the Press Herald has published the first review of Morrison’s Maine Course so Morrison’s is now off the Unreviewed list. A sign in the window of the old Portland Spice Co. location announcing that a new business called International Market is planning to set up shop there. |
| September 13 The Maine Switch has published a new restaurant review for Caiola’s, as well as an interview with Toni Fiore who is the host Delicious TV. Delicious TV is a vegetarian cooking show that airs on PBS and is produced here in Portland. |
| September 10 Viet Bangkok Cuisine was graced with it’s very first review and so has now been removed from the Never Been Reviewed list. MaineToday.com has launched two new food blogs, Enjoy Your Meal and Yankee Fare. These take the place of Food for Thought. I’ve also added several overlooked food businesses to the map: Portland Lobster Pound, Allagash Brewing Co., and D.L. Geary Brewing Co. |
| September 7 Several new additions have been made to the site: Shack’s Pub, Shokudo Teriyaki, Calder’s Clam Shack, Doughty’s Island Market, and Kaah Express. Two of them (Shack’s and Shokudo) are also on the never been reviewed list—which can now be found linked from the List View page. There are two new restaurant reviews, one for Espo’s Trattoria and one that discusses Black Tie and Micucci’s. |
| September 6 The Bollard is reporting that a liquor license for a new “restaurant and live music venue” at the corner of Congress St and Forest Ave has been approved. It’s going to be called Empire Dine & Dance. The Under Construction list has been updated to reflect the news. |
| September 4 Eric Dejarlais has taken the first step in re-opening Bandol by signing a lease. With new restaurants popping up all the time, you need a score card to keep track of them. With that in mind, I’ve created a list of new food businesses that are under construction that I’ll update as new information becomes available. |
| September 3 Thanks to Portland Psst!, Kim’s Sandwich Cafe has received its first review. Many Portland restaurants, coffee shops, bars, etc. have never been reviewed even once, while others get visited and written up repeatedly. Here’s a full list of all that are still waiting for their first review. My hope is that local food writers will take up the challenge and use this list to guide the editorial choices in the near future. Other updates: Marya Baron’s blog Accidental Vegetables has been added to the map, and my effort to make sure every entry lists good contact information and a link to their company website is nearly complete. |