Pat’s, Skordo, Anania’s

| Posted in General News, Openings, Closings

Here are a few more updates on closings, expansion and ownership changes:

  • Anania’s Variety has announced they plan to close their store on Broadway in South Portland. According to their post on Instagram, Anania’s had sold that store to another owner a year ago and that individual has decided to move on.
    Historical Note: Anania’s was originally founded by Joseph Anania in 1956 as the Newbury Street Market and was located on Newbury Street.
  • The Press Herald reports that Pat’s Pizza on Market Street has changed hands. Pat’s will temporarily close as part of the transition.
  • Old Port kitchen store Skordo has announced plans to open an additional location at the Maine Mall

Changes in the Restaurant Landscape

| Posted in Closings

The Bangor Daily News has taken a look at the factors impacting recent changes in the restaurant landscape in Portland.

Locals assert that the wave of sudden closures smacks of gentrification — which is fair, and also related to the workforce shortage. Rising rents have displaced the city’s typically younger ( and indebted) service-industry workers into suburbs like South Portland and Westbrook, making it hard for restaurants to retain staff, whose wages often depend on tips that can dry up in the winter months when tourism dwindles.

Conde Nast Traveler Portland Guides

| Posted in Reviews

Conde Nast Traveler has published a set of articles about Portland that highlight their picks for the:

CN Traveler ha also published an article about Maine Food for Thought tours,

Sarah and Bryce Hack, the married couple behind the tour, are consummate professionals who know their Maine food—not to mention all the ways Maine’s complex food system, its agricultural policy, farm-to-table ethos, economic challenges, and historic dedication to high-quality foods yields the creative dishes Portland restaurants are known for. Their delivery is eloquent and fascinating, organized and well-rehearsed.

Bubble Tea Shop Coming to Longfellow Square

| Posted in Under Construction

A new bubble tea shop called Uncharted Tea (website, facebook, instagram) is under construction at 662 Congress Street in Longfellow Square. Owners Michael Bowser and Emma Vonderheide plan to serve a menu of “inspired bubble tea”.

Uncharted Tea specializes in handcrafted Bubble Tea that is brewed fresh every cup. We use local and premium sourced ingredients and strive to be environmentally friendly. Our shop will welcome customers into a warm, open space with comfortable seating to relax and gather.

Bowser and Vonderheide haven’t set an opening day yet for Uncharted Tea.

 

This Week’s Events: Mister T’s Night Market, Montenidoli Dinner, Full Plates Event

| Posted in Events

Monday – Mister Tuna will be serving a sold out omakase dinner with guest chef Sang Lee and dessert by Atsuko Fujimoto.

Tuesday – Giant is holding their monthly Hush Hush event.

Wednesday – the Monument Square Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Friday – Solo Italiano is holding a wine dinner with special guest winemaker Elizabetta Fagiuoli of Montenidoli, and it’s the first of a 2-day tap takeover of the Rooms restaurants by Mason Brewing.

Saturday – the Deering Oaks Farmers’ Market is taking place.

Sunday – A Full Plates Full Potential dinner is taking place at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth with chefs from Union, Evo, Sur Lie, David’s and Five Fifty-Five.

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Maine Meets Miami Pop-up Series

| Posted in Events

BlueFin restaurant in the Portland Harbor Hotel is launching a Maine Meets Miami pop-up series.

First up is chef Micheal Beltran from Ariete Coconut Grove. The dinner is taking place September 26th and tickets are now on sale, 5-course with wine pairings (tax and tip included) for $125.

BlueFin’s chef, Gil Plaster, was born and raised in Miami. Future dinners in the series will feature Bravo’s Top Chef Season 13 winner Jeremy Ford of Afishonado and Stubborn Seed, in addition to Daniel Roy, Executive Chef of Generator, a boutique hotel on Miami Beach.

Review of Bird & Co.

| Posted in Reviews

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Bird & Co..

Since it opened in early March, the casual neighborhood restaurant has been serving eclectic tacos and cocktails like the bittersweet, Mezcal-powered Oaxacan ($10) to exceptionally boisterous crowds of diners. Not all of chef Wills Dowd’s tortilla-swaddled experiments succeed, but among a dozen or so options, the menu has a few standouts: Tender carnitas, smoky grilled chicken, soft chunks of deep-fried avocado, and even sweet-savory poké are all very good options. And if you get the opportunity and the season is right, take one of the sidewalk tables overlooking Deering Avenue – the traffic at Woodfords Corner may be loud, but almost anything is quieter than Bird & Co.’s dining room.

Bird Dog Roadhouse Closing Temporarily

| Posted in General News

Bird Dog Roadhouse in Cape Elizabeth has announced plans to “hit the pause button” due to an ongoing staff shortage.

Due to an acute ongoing staffing shortage we’ve reluctantly hit the “pause button” here at BDR. We are not closing. We have a beautiful restaurant, a wonderful location and fantastic guests. Our business is sound. All of our employees and vendors are paid. We are simply pausing restaurant service operations until proper staffing levels can be achieved which we anticipate will occur sometime in the fall.

Brian Boru To Close August 26

| Posted in Closings

Owner Daniel Steele has announced plans to close Brian Boru Monday night at 1 am. They will be open the remainder of this weekend.

Founded in 1993, “The Pub,” as it is affectionately known by it’s regulars has been a landmark in Portland’s Old Port for more than a quarter century. Current owner, Daniel Steele, expresses his deep appreciation towards its loyal patrons, vendors, and the City of Portland, for their decades of support.