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.

Fish & Whistle Pop-up at Lorne

| Posted in Events

Fish and Whistle, the new restaurant under construction in Biddeford, will be working with Lorne Wine to hold a pop-up event on Valentine’s Day. The pop-up is taking place February 14th, 4 – 9 pm.

Here’s a look at the food menu for the event. Lorne will have wine and beer specials all night.

Fish Sandwich – $14
Battered and fried fish, milk bread bun, tartar, lettuce, pickles on side

Fish Chowder – $9
Cream, clam and fish stock, saltines

Fries – $5
Hand cut fries, salt, malt vinegar, mayo

Oysters – 6/$15 12/$30
Mignonette, lemon

Mango Tart – $5
Mango curd, whipped cream cheese, honey

The Sinful Kitchen Relocating

| Posted in Under Construction

The Sinful Kitchen has announced plans to relocate to 952 Brighton Ave when their current lease expires. The new restaurant is expected to open in April, and until then they’ll continue to operate from their current location just down the road at 906 Brighton Ave.

The AWESOME news is that it will be just 4 doors down at 952 Brighton Ave. (The old Subway Sandwich Shop)

Get ready for better parking, easy in and out access, bigger space, bigger menu, outdoor dining ( possibly year round) and the list goes on…..

We’re hoping to be open in the new location around April without too much of an interruption in business but that will depend on the various contractors that we need to coordinate as well as approval from the city council since this is considered a “new” business.

Until then keep visiting us at our current location.

Allagash x The Purple House/Bresca

| Posted in Events

Chef Krista Kern Desjarlais from The Purple House/Bresca & the Honey Bee and Allagash Brewing Company have joined forces to produce a special Valentine’s beer and ice cream event.

The collaboration features two Allagash beers and the frozen treats that Desjarlais has produced with them:

  • My One And Only paired a beer-infused custard ice cream made with wood roasted plums, raspberry and cherries.
  • Heart of Hearts paired with a vegan darkest chocolate ice cream made with beer-infused dark chocolate and raspberry truffles.

The event is taking place on Saturday February 12 (noon – 4) at the Allagash tasting room on Industrial Way.

First Look: Regards

| Posted in Reviews

The Blueberry Files has published a first look at Regards.

The menu was described to us during the Friday night preview as “L.A.-meets-Maine” and has a strong seafood focus with a big selection of tequila and mezcal. The menu definitely belies the cold temperatures we’ve had in Maine lately, but still felt hearty enough to enjoy on a January evening.

Regards is set to open Tuesday night at 5 pm.

Gather Changing Hands

| Posted in Under Construction

Krista Cole, the owner of Sur Lie in Portland, has bought Gather in Yarmouth from the restaurant’s founder, Matt Chappell.

Cole shared on instagram,

I met Matt at Gather many years ago for an industry event. When I learned that he was selling Gather, I reached out. I learned over the next several months about Matt and Gather’s steadfast commitment to buying local and to their community. I got to meet a team that cared equally as much about the relationships they had with their regulars and the impact that supporting local had on their community. The values were identical to that of Sur Lie. Having a sister restaurant was a dream that seemed far away, and here was an opportunity to take over and continue the important work that Gather has been doing.

I am so stoked to share the work that the Sur Lie and Gather teams have done over the last few weeks. We’ve done some minor touch ups to the space to make it our own, and the chefs have been hard at work collaborating on a menu that we kick off this week! We look forward to connecting with you and contributing to the Yarmouth community.

Chappell also shared thoughts on the transition.

Ten years ago, I started Gather Restaurant so Yarmouth could enjoy fresh Maine food in a friendly, neighborhood environment. This month, I’m proud to pass the reins to Gather’s new owner – Krista Cole. Through her success as owner of Sur Lie, Krista has demonstrated her commitment to Maine farms and shown that she can thrive in this challenging industry. She shares the values that have made Gather what it is today, and I can’t wait to see how she will make it her own.

I am forever grateful for my staff, and for all the supportive customers.

Gather opened on September 21, 2012 with Chad Conley as its original chef. At the start of the pandemic Chappell and his team have been active participants in Cooking for Community, a program that brought Maine restaurants and social service organizations together to fight hunger. Chappell announced his plan to sell Gather this past August.

Fish & Whistle to Open in Biddeford

| Posted in Under Construction

Kate Hamm and husband Jason Eckerson have leased the former Yeto’s space at 299 Maine Street in Biddeford where they plan to open a  New England-style fish and chips restaurant called Fish & Whistle (instagram). The restaurant is named for a song by John Prine.

The menu will include fish and chips as well as fish and chicken sandwiches, a calamari burger made with Maine squid, smoked tempeh sandwich served with sour kraut and mustard on rye, salad, chowder, a smoked mackerel fish dip, hand cut fries, seasonal vegetable slaw and a chip butty sandwich. Fish and chips will be available in half and full sized portions for $12 or $19. Additionally, the dessert menu will includes soft serve ice cream as well as Hamm’s excellent cakes and tarts by the slice.

Hamm is the pastry chef at Leeward and founder of Sweet Woodruff Provisions. Eckerson has worked for Big Tree Hospitality where he’s been the sous chef at Eventide and seafood buyer. The couple hope to open Fish & Whistle in April.

Yeto’s and its sister restaurant D&G went out of business in early December.

Upcoming Events: Three Openings, Panel Discussion, Women Winemakers, Valentine’s Day List

| Posted in Events

Tuesday – Dila’s Kitchen (instagram) is scheduled to open at 11 am at the Public Market House. The Grateful Cup (website, facebook, instagram)  is scheduled to open at 7 am on Veranda Street. Regards (website, instagram) is also opening on Tuesday at 5 pm…having shifted out their opening day due to Saturday’s storm.

Thursday – there will be a webinar on the Changing Foodservice Landscape in Maine with panelists Jack Barber, Maeve McInnis and Daron Goldstein. Emily Leighton from Rosemont will be leading a bread tasting and education event. Friends & Family is holding a free tasting (5 – 7 pm) featuring wines by women winemakers and cheeses made by Maine women cheesemakers.

February 10 – 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.

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 – with 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.
  • Butter and Kale – 4-course meals for 2; vegan ($185) and omnivore ($195) option both 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.
  • 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 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.

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

Dila’s Kitchen Opening Tuesday

| Posted in Openings

Dila’s Kitchen (instagram) is scheduled to open on Tuesday. The new Turkish eatery is located on the 2nd floor of the Public Market House adjacent to Pho Huong and the Frying Dutchman.

Owner Dila Maloney is tapping into her Turkish heritage and family recipes for the menu. For Tuesday’s opening day she’ll be serving Turkish meatballs, chicken skewers, green beans roasted with tomato and onion, and a savory fried dough.

Dila’s will be open Monday through Wednesday, 11 – 4, and Friday/Saturday noon – 5.