Keg and Kraken on Congress St

| Posted in Under Construction

A new restaurant called Keg and Kraken (instagram) is under construction in the former Kushiya Benkay spot at 653 Congress Street. Owners Jiraphon and Steve Richards along with Nisachuan Young plan to do some light renovations and hope to open in July.

Keg and Kraken will continue to serve sushi and the menu will be augmented to include Thai dishes and tiki-style cocktails.

The Richards own a laudromat in Biddeford. Nisachuan Young has experience in the hospitality business in Thailand where she was the assistant director of food and beverage at the Four Seasons Hotel in Samui as well as the manager of Luca Cafe in Maine.

Kushiya Benkay quietly shut down operations in late May.

Riverton Station on Forest Ave

| Posted in Under Construction

A new 40-seat restaurant called Riverton Station (facebook) is in the final stage of construction at 1569 Forest Ave. As part of the cover letter for their liquor license application owners James and Peter Hoglund shared

The restaurant will bring a great open, safe and convenient atmosphere for all ages to enjoy…The menu revolves around pizza and grill type offerings. There will be a mealoption for everyone in the family to enjoy at a price point that they can enjoy often. We hope this will bring some of the history and life back into Riverton and help it evolve into the focal point or center of the community for years to come.

Here’s a look at the draft menu for Riverton Station.

Upcoming Events: GMRI, Fake Restaurant #2

| Posted in General

Wednesday – Gulf of Maine Research Institute CEO Don Perkins will be sitting for a live interview with the Press Herald.

Friday – it’s the opening day of Fake Restaurant #2 at the Washington Baths. The month long pop-up will be “slinging traditional ((and not-so-traditional)) versions of Greek cuisine” on Fridays and Saturdays during the month of July.

July 5 – Terlingua is hosting Leroy and Lewis from Austin, Texas for a BBQ dinner.

July 14 – KitNA is holding a tasting event at their West Bayside location.

July 15-17 – the Yarmouth Clam Festival is taking place.

July 21 – Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23 – Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will be participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham. The Wavy Days Beer Fest is taking place.

July 25 – 30 – the Kneading Conference is taking place.

August 13 – the 91st Annual Saint Peter’s Bazaar.

August 19 – 21 – the 2022 edition of the Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 3 – Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

September 19 – 25 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place in Skowhegan.

September 23 – 25 – the Common Ground Fair is taking place in Unity.

October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.

Best of 2022 Awards

| Posted in General News

Portland Old Port has kicked off their Best of 2022 readership awards program. The readership-driven voting program is a three-step process.

Step 1 – now through June 30th you can nominate your favorite businesses in the dozens of categories which range from Best Ambience and Best Bagel to categories like Best Wings and Friendliest Staff.

Step 2 – the first round of voting will take place on all nominations from July 1st to July 14th.

Step 3 – the top voted entries from step 2 will be on the ballot for a final election from July 15th to July 31st.

Beard Awards Impact

| Posted in General News

This week’s Portland Phoenix checked in with some of Maine’s nominees to ask what impact being a Beard Awards nominee has had on their business.

Now, as we move forward in a world where COVID-19 isn’t gone and chefs, cooks, servers, and bartenders have endured through it and most likely changed their models and practices, do awards matter? I spoke with three local finalists about what the nominations meant to them and their restaurants.

Parker’s and Buxton Common Closing

| Posted in Closings

The Buxton Common has announced plans to close as of this Friday,

This Friday we celebrate our 4th anniversary and it is with bittersweet emotions that we announce that this Friday will also be our last night of dinner service. Though, in the future, we will continue some limited catering, we have made the difficult decision to suspend our regular dinner and take away service.

We have much gratitude and appreciation for the people through the years who have helped to make The Buxton Common a special place for our workers and guests. And a deep thank you goes to all the people who run town hall, the transfer station and safety departments who have helped to welcome us to town.

Parker’s in North Deering has announced they are closing this Saturday after 33 years in business.

Please be advised that some menu items may not be available due to our closing on June 25.

We extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your patronage over these past 33 years.

It is difficult to call you customers and patrons when we truly consider you friends and, in many cases, family.

The decision to close was extremely difficult and bitter sweet. Again, thank you all so much for making us a part of your lives.

Two New Breweries: Newscapes and Idiomatic

| Posted in Under Construction, Openings, Beer

Maine beer fans will have two more breweries to choose from.

Newscapes Brewing (website, facebook, instagram) recently launched in Portland. The brewery was launched by Jeff Curran and is located at 163 Washington Ave. You can learn more about their line-up of beers on their website. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 8 pm.

A new brewery called Idiomatic Brewing (website, instagram) is under development. The founders have a decade of combined industry experience in Maine and elsewhere. Their first three beers will be Ninety in the Shade (4.6%, lager), Missed the Boat (6.2%, American IPA), Sliced Bread (6.3%, dubbel-style ale). Launch timing and location details are still TBD.

Upcoming Events: Disco Jalisco, Ales for Tails, GMRI, Sicilian Wine Dinner

| Posted in Events

Tuesday – a new food truck called  Disco Jalisco (instagram) is scheduled to launch at noon at Austin Street on Fox Street.

Thursday – Roma Cafe is holding a Sicilian wine dinner.

Sunday – the Animal Refuge League’s annual Ales for Tails fundraising event is taking place with 17 Maine breweries and 4 food trucks.

June 29 – Gulf of Maine Research Institute CEO Don Perkins will sitting for a live interview with the Press Herald.

July 1 – it’s the opening day of Fake Restaurant #2 at the Washington Baths. The month long pop-up will be “slinging traditional ((and not-so-traditional)) versions of Greek cuisine” on Fridays and Saturdays during the month of July.

July 14 – KitNA is holding a tasting event at their West Bayside location.

July 15-17 – the Yarmouth Clam Festival is taking place.

July 21 – Magnus on Water chef Ben Jackson will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Glidden Point Oyster Farm in Edgecomb.

July 23 – Chaval chefs Ilma Lopez and Damian Sansonetti will participating in the Outstanding in the Field series with a dinner at Dandelion Spring Farm in Bowdoinham. The Wavy Days Beer Fest is taking place.

July 25 – 30 – the Kneading Conference is taking place.

August 13 – the 91st Annual Saint Peter’s Bazaar.

August 19 – 21 – the 2022 edition of the Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 3 – Tender Table is holding their 2nd Annual Food & Art Fair in Congress Square Park.

September 19 – 25 – Maine Lobster Week is taking place in Skowhegan.

September 23 – 25 – the Common Ground Fair is taking place in Unity.

October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.

Reviews: Magnus on Water, Nom Cafe

| Posted in Reviews

Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes a 4 star review of Magnus on Water, and

The cocktails are pretty terrific, too. Start with a session-sipper like the fizzy Rubix Cube and progress to something a little stronger, like the balanced, dandelion-infused Strawberry Moon Negroni. And as for food, it doesn’t get much better than James Beard finalist Ben Jackson’s intuitive, nearly flawlessly executed dishes. Menus change with the seasons and availability of ingredients, but if you can snag a bowl of dill-seed, bay and coriander-marinated carrots, grab them. The same goes for confit rabbit served over farro and a dollop of fresh yogurt striated with lovage-leaf purée.

this month’s edition of Mainer includes a review of Nom Cafe.

My wife started with an order of parzhen ($9): crisp slices of breaded-and-fried eggplant served with Lutenitza, a savory-sweet spread of tomatoes and red peppers. For her main course she chose Belgian waffles ($14) with berries and maple syrup. The waffles themselves were pretty good, but the boneless fried chicken ($5) stole the show — it was tender and crispy, with a compelling blend of spices and herbs.