Dizzy Birds Rotisserie (website, facebook, instagram) is scheduled to officially open for business on Thursday, 11am – 8pm. They’re located in Biddeford at 65 Main Street.
The menu consists of rotisserie items like whole chicken, prime rib, turkey breasts and lamb, as well as soups, salads and sides (Brussels sprouts, herbed grains, mashed potatoes, etc). The menu includes a Prime Rib Shepherd’s Pie and daily vegan entree. Be sure to save room for dessert.
Highroller Lobster is expanding into the adjacent space on Exchange Street formerly occupied by Lucky Tattoo Company.
The new space will provide a back bar, more seating and bathrooms, and will be available to rent for events. Highroller has also been working on building out a patio in the space behind their building.
Canadian fast casual restaurant chain Copper Branch is in the process of leasing the new oval-shaped glass building at Canal Plaza with plans to open one of their plant-based food cafes there this Summer.
Wednesday – the Portland Hunt and Alpine Club is hosting a pop-up by bartenders from Blossom Bar, and there will be a wine tasting at the RSVP.
Thursday – Solo Italiano is holding their 3rd Annual Farmer Appreciation Dinner, the Great Lost Bear is showcasing beer from Liquid Riot, Austin Street will be at Bao Bao for a tap takeover and a la carte beer dinner.
Saturday – the Winter Farmers’ Market is taking place.
Sunday – it’s Maine Maple Sunday, Bow Street is holding a Chateau Musar wine seminar, and it’s the first of a 2-night restaurant takeover of Cong Tu Bot by Lil’ Deb’s Oasis. Both restaurants are semifinalists in the Best Chef Northeast category in this year’s James Beard Awards. The event is purely on a walk-in basis.
A Look Ahead – here are a couple events happening a little further out that you may want to check out.
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.
The Food & Dining section in today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes articles on the Strata cutlery shop on Washington Ave,
Strata, which opened Feb. 1, is located in one of the shipping containers that entrepreneurs are renting for retail space on Portland’s East End, a busy neighborhood of restaurants and bars. Knife shopping there is an education and an experience unlike anything you’ll get at Williams-Sonoma or other big stores that sell knives by the block. Atwell trades in artisanal Japanese and French knives, but also knives crafted here in Maine – beautiful handmade pieces that look as if they belong in a museum. “I try to stay away from machine-built stuff as much as possible,” he said.
and one on the availability of vegan cakes in Maine.
But vegan cakes aren’t just a Portland thing. They are coming out of the oven at bakeries across the state. It’s a trend fueled by two factors: more people eating vegan, and more people avoiding dairy products and eggs due to allergies and intolerances. This availability of vegan cakes is a marked change from even a few years ago.
Po’ Boys & Pickles on Forest Ave is opening a 2nd “on the peninsula” – owner Chris Bettera is keeping the exact address under wraps until he finalizes the lease.
Bettera tells me that the new space is smaller than the current Po’ Boys and as a result he’ll initially be dialing back the menu a bit and focusing on take-out. He plans to apply for a liquor license for the new location and will be adding beer to the menu.
Pending signing the lease and renovations proceeding on schedule, Bettera hopes to open in May.
The original was Po’ Boys & Pickles opened in February 2010 by Peter Zinn, and Chris Bettera bought the restaurant from Zinn in 2015. Bettera is a 3rd generation restaurateur. His grandfather owned 5 restaurants in the Hartford Connecticut area, and his parents ran La Trattoria Restaurant in Canton, CT for over 40 years.
The inaugural Seaweed Week (website, facebook, instagram) is taking place April 26 – May 4.
25+ restaurant cross the state will be participating by featuring seaweed dishes on their menu.
You can read more about Seaweed Week the full range of event being planned in this article from the Mainebiz.
Mr. Tuna owner Jordan Rubin has applied for a liquor license to serve beer and wine at the Mr. Tuna counter in the Public Market House.
A new Canopy by Hilton hotel slated to open in 2021 at the corner of Center and Commercial Streets will include an “indoor/outdoor rooftop bar” and a “street level restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.”
Sisters Gourmet Deli is opening a new location. The 2nd SGD will be located in the former Sandwich Shop at 45 Vine Street in Bath.