Update on Remake of OPT

| Posted in Under Construction

The Portland Phoenix has published an update on the plans to open a new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by the Old Port Tavern.

Wills Dowd, the owner of the Woodfords Corner restaurant Bird & Co., hopes to have the “totally new concept” in the Old Port space open by April 2024.

Dowd, 34, who grew up in the Rosemont neighborhood, said he’s just a few weeks away from finalizing the name and concept after taking over the lease at 11 Moulton Street, but is “99 percent” decided on what the new restaurant will have to offer.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

July 9-10 – Bar Futo and the House of Suntory distillery are collaborating on a menu of yakitori and highball cocktails.

July 15 – Cook, author, and immigrant rights activist Louisa Shafia will be the guest chef for a Persian dinner at Nina June in Rockport. Shafia will also be teaching a pair of cooking classes at Nina June on July 9th and 10th.

July 23 – Maine Open Farm Day is taking place, and Maine Bakers for a Cause are holding an event at Ugly Duckling.

July 24 – Cabana and La Gallera are collaborating on a Puerto Rican cocktail pop-up dinner.

July 26 – it’s the Frying Dutchman’s last day in business.

July 27 – Absolem Cider in Winthrop will be hosting chef Justin Smillie for a pizza pop-up called Slow Fires. Absolem will be serving a special line-up of cider, cocktail, and wine for the night and the crew from Table Bar is DJing the event.

July 27-29 – The Kneading Conference and Maine Artisan Bread Fair will be taking place in Skowhegan.

August 3-5 – the Wavy Dave’s beer festival and associated events are taking place. The beer festival itself will feature beers from 55 breweries and take place on Thompson’s Point.

August 23 – An Outstanding in the Field dinner is taking place at Dandelion Spring Farm with guest chef Neil Zabriskie from Regards.

August 25-27 – chefs Sam Hayward, Evan Mallett and others will be leading Take a Bite out of Appledore: An Eco-Culinary Island Retreat.

September 10 – the Maine Cheese Festival is taking place.

September 24 – The Saltyard is holding a cocktail brunch at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

September 30 – Tender Table is holding their 3rd annual food and art fair in Congress Square Park.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

Review of Bistro Leluco

| Posted in Reviews, People

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a review of Bistro Leluco, and

Cocktails are very good, but the star here is chef Will Durst’s menu that seamlessly brings together New England ingredients and European cooking. Unmissable dishes like puffy, ultra-cheesy Parisienne gnocchi and superb steak à poivre with house-smoked fingerling potatoes match up well with the restaurant’s eclectic, affordable wine list. Not sure what to order? Ask a server. They’re friendly and really know their stuff.

an interview with John Naylor and Mark Law about Rosemont Market.

We sat down in late June with Law and Rosemont co-founder John Naylor – who led the company for 18 years before stepping aside for Law, though he remains involved as president and chairman of the board – to talk about Rosemont’s role in the local community, where the company is headed, and what five items are their must-haves in a Rosemont shopping basket.

Four New Openings

| Posted in Openings

Four new Portland area food enterprises have recently launched:

George + Leon’s (instagram) opened for business on Saturday. Fans of the George’s North Shore food truck were in Westbrook in force to celebrate the launch of the new restaurant. The menu (see below) included the Super Beef and Jr Beef sandwiches the food truck built their reputation on as well as sides, additional sandwich options and a full bar program with beer, cocktails and natural wines by the glass.

A new business called Kim Boba Tea & Coffee is operating out of the bar at the Mellen Street Market. The menu includes Vietnamese coffee, tropical teas (flavored jasmine or black tea), Vietnamese smoothies, and a caramel flan dessert. There are 10+ styles of boba (tapioca, crystal, popping, jelly) that can be added to the drinks.

The South Portland outpost of New Hampshire-based brewery Modestman Brewing (instagram) opened last weekend. Modestman is located in the former Fore River Brewing tasting room on Huntress Ave. They’re serving a range of their New England-style IPAs, sours as well as some ciders from Oyster River Winegrowers. Later this summer they’ll be operating their own food truck and serving house-made pizza.

The Portland Free Pantry (website, instagram) launched their mobile pantry on Friday. This week it will be located in the parking lot of the Urban Farm Fermentory in East Bayside. It’s stocked with food, clothing, hygiene products, and dental products.

Maine Food & Dining News

| Posted in Under Construction, Maine

Here are some food and dining highlights from around the state:

  • The Lincoln County News reports that Jodie Roquemore, owner of Jodie’s Cafe and Bakery, has purchased the former Sarah’s Cafe in Wiscasset where she plans to open a new restaurant later this summer.
  • The Penbay Pilot includes an article about the Maine Produce Alliance (website, instagram) which is a network of ~50 Maine farmers that sells to restaurants accounts, natural food stores, farmer’s markets and other wholesale customers.
  • And a little further afield Boda co-owner Nattasak ‘Bob’ Wongsaichua is opening an Isaan Thai restaurant and bar in Portsmouth called Five 81 NE (website, instagram). Wongsaichua plans to open Five 81 NE later this month.

Sebago Brewing

| Posted in Beer

The Press Herald Tap Lines column has taken a look back at the 25-year history of Sebago Brewing.

The year is 1998. Bill Clinton is impeached by the House of Representatives. Viagra is approved by the FDA. Google is founded. “Titanic” wins 11 Academy Awards, and “The Big Lebowski” debuts. The Chicago Bulls win their sixth NBA title in eight years, as Michael Jordan plays his final game for the team, the same year that Celtics star Jayson Tatum is born. The historic Ice Storm slams Maine. And a new brewpub, Sebago Brewing Co., opens in the Maine Mall parking lot, in a building previously occupied by a Chinese restaurant called Hu Ke Lau.

Bayside Bowl Expanding to SoPo

| Posted in Under Construction

Bayside Bowl (website, facebook, instagram) is in the process of buying the former Sea Dog bowling alley in South Portland where they plan to open Broadway Bowl (instagram) this fall.

The new outpost will be modeled after the original Bayside Bowl with some overlap in food and drink menus and a similar experience at the smaller South Portland location. The back side of the building is adjacent to the cycling/pedestrian trail and features a 52-seat enclosed deck with a view of Casco Bay.

Broadway Bowl will be a 10-lane bowling alley. Owner Charlie Mitchell plans to take the same approach to equipment and maintenance and there will be opportunities for  tournament and league play.

Sea Dog Brewing closed their Broadway bowling alley in April of 2023. Bayside Bowl launched their operation on Alder Street in Portland on June 1, 2010.

To get caught up on all the new restaurants under development visit our Under Construction List.

Upcoming Events

| Posted in Events

July 4 – Portland’s 4th of July fireworks display will be taking place on the Eastern Prom.

July 6 – Author and cooking teacher Viola Buitoni will be the guest chef at a 5-course Italian dinner at Nina June in Rockport.

July 7 – The Portland Free Pantry is launching their mobile pantry. It will be located at the Urban Farm Fermentory for the following week.

July 8 – George + Leon’s will be opening in Westbrook, and Bev’s Cafe and Market (instagram) in Kennebunk will be opening with an open house party serving drinks and tastes from their menu.

July 9-10 – Bar Futo and the House of Suntory distillery are collaborating menu of yakitori and highball cocktails.

July 15 – Cook, author, and immigrant rights activist Louisa Shafia will be the guest chef for a Persian dinner at Nina June in Rockport. Shafia will also be teaching a pair of cooking classes at Nina June on July 9th and 10th.

July 23 – Maine Open Farm Day is taking place, and Maine Bakers for a Cause are holding an event at Ugly Duckling.

July 24 – Cabana and La Gallera are collaborating on a Puerto Rican cocktail pop-up dinner.

July 27 – Absolem Cider in Winthrop will be hosting chef Justin Smillie for a pizza pop-up called Slow Fires. Absolem will be serving a special line-up of cider, cocktail, and wine for the night and the crew from Table Bar is DJing the event.

July 27-29 – The Kneading Conference and Maine Artisan Bread Fair will be taking place in Skowhegan.

August 3-5 – the Wavy Dave’s beer festival and associated events are taking place. The beer festival itself will feature beers from 55 breweries and take place on Thompson’s Point.

August 23 – An Outstanding in the Field dinner is taking place at Dandelion Spring Farm with guest chef Neil Zabriskie from Regards.

August 25-27 – chefs Sam Hayward, Evan Mallett and others will be leading Take a Bite out of Appledore: An Eco-Culinary Island Retreat.

September 10 – Maine Cheese Festival.

September 24 – The Saltyard is holding a cocktail brunch at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

September 30 – Tender Table is holding their 3rd annual food and art fair in Congress Square Park.

October 8 – Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

November 5 – Chaval is holding a late harvest dinner at Wolfe’s Neck Center in Freeport.

Restaurant Real Estate: July 2023

| Posted in Under Construction, Real Estate

Welcome to the July 2023 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

2 Pine St – Part of the former Treasure Chest space in Longfellow Square is for lease. Enterprise Records has moved into the right-hand portion with the remainder (adjacent to Weekend Vintage) still available. Call (207) 773-7100 for more details.

235 Vaughan St – the 700 sq ft space most recently occupied by Other Side Deli and which had been the longtime home of Vaughan Street Variety is for lease. Call (207) 650-0846 for more information.

Arts District

543 Congress St – the 1,276 sq ft space formerly occupied by Higher Concepts is for lease for $18/sq ft (MG). It’s located along the same stretch of road that’s home to Nosh, Regards, Broken Arrow and Mister Bagel.

549 Congress St – the 1,397 sq ft space formerly occupied by the Portland Downtown offices is available to lease for $2,500/month (NNN).

554 Congress St – 1,621 sq ft former Dunkin’ Donuts space with hood for $2,301/month (NNN).

44 Oak St – 4,347 sq ft of space in a beautiful historic building at the corner of Oak and Free Streets is available for $15.50/sq ft (NNN).

Bayside

73 Cove St – a 5,519 sq ft industrial space in East Bayside is listed for $35/sq ft; it’s expected to become available in 2024.

360 Cumberland Ave – an 1,100 sq ft space near Schulte & Herr is available for $22/sq ft (NNN).

46 Elm St – this 385 sq ft corner space in the parking garage at the corner of Elm Street and Cumberland Ave. It’s available for $500/month (MG).

52 Hanover St – On the first floor of a new building will be 1,500 – 4,500 sq ft retail space available for $30/sq ft (NNN).

65 Hanover St – 1,800 sq ft of space is available for $20/sq ft (NNN).

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

34 Portland St – the 3,400 sq ft building that was formerly occupied by Candy’s is for sale for $599,000.

Old Port

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).

1 Commercial St – the original location of Benkay at the corner of Commercial and India Streets is undergoing renovations. The 900-2,950 sq ft is for lease at $35/sq ft (NNN).

185 Commercial St – a new building under construction will include 2,229 sq ft of ground floor retail space that will be available in 2024; $55/sq ft (NNN).

215 Commercial St – 2,189 sq ft of retail space near the corner of Commercial and Dana Streets is available for $65/sq ft (MG).

327 Commercial St – the former Tiqa restaurant is for lease—7,981 sq ft @ $30/sq ft (NNN)—or for sale for $3,500,000.

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).

441 Congress St – the 2,400 sq ft former Guitar Grave retail space is available for $15/sq ft (MG).

201 Federal St – 2 retail spaces will be available in the new 18-story building under construction at the corner of Temple and Federal Streets. The 527 and 2,300 sq ft spaces are listed at $40/sq ft (MG).

416 Fore St – the former Mark’s Place is available; 1,100 sq ft for $5,500 (NNN).

446 Fore St – a 1,600 sq ft space on the corner of Fore and Union Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).

470 Fore St – the longtime home of Paciarino is now available. The 2,000 sq ft storefront on the corner of Fore and Cross Streets is for lease at $32.50/sq ft (NNN).

40 Free St – the new building constructed by JB Brown has four storefronts ranging in size from 1,473 to 3,024 sq ft for $27.50/sq ft (NNN).

55 Market St – this 3,700 sq ft space on Market Street was formerly occupied by the Big Easy. It’s available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

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

157 Middle St – 1,091 – 5,155 sq ft of retail space is available for $27 – 29.95/sq ft (MG).

1 Monument Square – 1,500 sq ft of first floor space adjacent to Cera is available for $3,125/month (MG).

28 Monument Square – two spaces on the 2nd floor (143 sq ft with a base rent of $1,185 + utilities and CAM charges—call  413-636-9688 for details), and a spot with it’s own 8 foot hood for $850/month + utilities and CAM charges.

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

66 Pearl St – 5,796 sq ft of space—the former Bull Moose retail shop—is available for $15.75/sq ft (MG).

144 State St – 2 retail spaces will be available in the development in the former Mercy Hospital building on State Street. The 1100 and 2,566 spaces are available for $26/sq ft (MG).

15 Temple St – the 2,086 sq ft space formerly occupied by Bubble Maineia is available for $26/sq ft (MG).

110 Thames St – two spots (2,700 and 3,200 sq ft) are now available in the newly constructed building in the Portland Foreside development. Both are listed at $35/sq ft (NNN).

53 Wharf St –a 1,600 sq ft space on the corner of Wharf and Union Streets is available for $30-40/sq ft (MG).

India Street

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 $24-29/sq ft (NNN).

Forest Ave

369 Forest Ave – a 5,040 sq ft building on Forest Ave is available for $14.50/sq ft (MG).

503 – 509 Forest Ave – the exterior of this building is slated to be restored to its historic design. It has 4,500 – 9,500 sq ft of space available for $10/sq ft (NNN).

701 Forest Ave – 3,147 – 6,405 with parking available for $18/sq ft (NNN).

1871 Forest Ave – the former Tortilla Flat building is for sale for $3,100,000.

Deering Center

476 Stevens Ave – the Elsmere BBQ building in Deering Center is for sale for $1,450,000; the sale includes all FF&E inventory. It is also available to lease, 3,000 – 4,091 sq ft for $25 – 30/sq ft (NNN).

Elsewhere in Portland

1091 Congress St – the former Denny’s building and parking lot are available to lease; 4,901 sq ft at $25.50/sq ft (NNN).

43 York St – this 1,800 sq ft space is tucked around the corner from Yosaku on York Street. It’s available for $3,000/month (MG).

Northgate Shopping Center – 2,200 to 5,700 sq ft of space is available.

Westgate Shopping Center – three spaces are for lease at $18-40/sq ft (NNN).

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

Bath – the former  home of Salt Pine Social is available. The 3,535 sq ft building is available for $16/sq ft (NNN).

18 Ocean St, South Portland – the 4,351 sq ft former Snow Squall is for lease for $12/sq ft (NNN).

372 Cottage Rd, South Portland – the former Omi’s Coffee Shop is available for lease. Call Jennifer Davies at (207) 650-9944 for more information.

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.

Harmon’s Lunch in Falmouth

| Posted in Profiles

The Bangor Daily News has published an article about Harmon’s Lunch the venerable burger spot in Falmouth.

Each burger at Harmon’s starts with one or two two-ounce locally sourced beef patties, cooked on a flat top and served on a steamed bun with or without cheese. Wormell said he can fit 22 burgers on the restaurant’s flattop at one time, and can work through about 85 burgers in an hour.