Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes articles on Maine-grown organic grains, the worker shortage in the hospitality industry, and new vegan/vegetarian vendors.
The Danforth Opens Friday
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The highly anticipated cocktail bar and restaurant The Danforth (website, facebook, instagram) will be opening this Friday at 4 pm. It’s located at the corner of Danforth and Clark Streets in the West End.
The space has been completely redesigned:
Upon entering the space, guests will encounter a 12-seat bar, the vivid focal point of the room with cascading liquor steps, surrounded by deep-hued banquettes, tables, and nooks. By day, the space provides big, generous windows that allow Golden Hour to soak into every corner. At night, the shades are drawn tighter, and a layered design reveals itself – with soft, inviting furnishings and lived-in décor. The designers, AAmp Studio, seamlessly integrate rich colors, textures, and eased millwork throughout the space, resulting in a classic yet playful ambience that evokes a sense of discovery. For guests looking to dine al fresco, an intimate outdoor patio behind the 75-seat restaurant lounge will offer full service, as well, beginning in August.
The Danforth is the Portland outpost of Gin & Luck the parent company of Death & Co. which operates craft cocktail bars in New York, Los Angeles and Denver. Their most recent book Death & Co Welcome Home: A Cocktail Recipe Book was a 2022 Beard Award nominee.
In addition to the specialty cocktails (menu below) that Gin & Luck establishments are known for, the beverage program also includes draft/bottled cider and beer, and a mix of more traditional and contemporary wines by the glass and bottle. The head bartender is Carlo Caroscio. with the beer and wine selection put together by general manager Lucy Comaskey. Shown upper left is the Golden Slumbers cocktail which is prepared with apple and pear brandies, blanc vermouth, appertivo bianco and verjus.
The kitchen is led by Michael Boomhower who has put together a menu (see below) that “celebrates honest, nourishing food with a focus on regional product”. When you visit The Danforth do not miss out on the roasted chicken which is served with smoked butter pan sauce, corn, shishito peppers and chilis. Boomhower hales from Vermont. In Portland he has most recently worked at Central Provisions and Union.
The Danforth will be open 7 days a week, 4 pm – 1 am. They will begin taking reservations on Wednesday July 27th—until then all seats are available on a walk-in basis.
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1820 Brewing Company
A new non-alcoholic brewery called 1820 Brewing Company (website, facebook, instagram) is soon to launch.
The Portland-based brewery produces four beers, a raspberry sour, an American pale ale, an IPA, and a blond ale. All four are available in six-packs. The beers are being distributed by Nappi and Pine State, and are already on the shelves at the UFO Store in Naples. 1820 hopes to see their products on bottle shop shelves and on restaurant and bar menus across New England.
1820 is an independently operated business. It’s been founded by Alan Lapoint who also owns DL Gearys Brewing which he bought from David and Karen Geary in 2017. Lapoint shared that he is, “excited about the mission of this new company and its focus on the NA market, which is growing by triple digits nationally”.
Upcoming Events: Oga Suya, Yao Yao, Little Brother, Outstanding in the Field
Monday – Oga Suya is holding a Nigerian barbecue pop-up dinner at Fork Food Lab. Little Brother is throwing a party at Fork Food Lab, “[w]e invite you to eat, drink, watch the old Chinese movies we’ll be projecting on the wall outside our HQ, and dance to a special guest DJ set of Asian soul/funk/psychedelia curated by Dad’s Denim.” Onggi is hosting Yao Yao (Liu Bian Tan, Alana Dao, Matthew Im) for a midday pop-up.
Thursday – 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.
Saturday – 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.
July 31 – Onggi is holding a fermentation dinner with Sarah Owens.
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 8 – Oxbow is holding their annual Goods from the Woods event in Newcastle.
October 9 – the Maine Cheese Guild is holding Maine Open Creamery Day.
Twelve Now Open
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The highly anticipated restaurant Twelve (website, Instagram) launched this past Thursday. Twelve is located at 115 Thames Street in the Portland Foreside development along the Eastern Promenade walking trail.
Here’s a look at a few of the dishes from their 4-course tasting menu shown here are the monkfish with trout roe in whey broth (upper left), the Tomato Tonato appetizer (center right) topped with confit egg yolk, and the farro sabayon appetizer (bottom left) served with English peas.
The kitchen at Twelve is headlined by Colin Wyatt (formerly with Eleven Madison Park) along with pastry chef Georgia Macon, chef de cuisine Hannah Ryder, and sous chefs John Alden Glover and Cameron Gokey. The general manager is Daniel Gorlas (formerly with Per Se) and the bar program is managed by Portland native Sylvi Roy. You can find bios on many of the key staff on the Twelve instagram account.
While reservations at Twelve are nearly all booked up for the next month or so, walk-in space is available at the bar and outdoor seating area. Twelve is currently open Tuesday through Saturday, 5 pm to 10 pm.
Brea Lu Cafe Moving
Brea Lu Cafe (website, facebook, instagram) has announced they’ve leased a new space at 100 Larrabee Road in Westbrook. The new location will seat 170 people—up from 45 at their current location—and will include an in-house bakery as well.
Thank you for being soooooo patient. Here is your payoff. Our new space is located at 100 Larrebee Rd Westbrook. We finally signed a lease. We’re extremely excited. We are going from 45 seats to 170. Hopefully you’ll never wait again. Also we will be having a bakery inside the restaurant. We will also be welcoming Heather Norton back to our restaurant. She will be our full time baker. So looks like the gang is getting back together. I’m so excited. Dear Westbrook We Love You. We Could Never Leave You.
Brea Lu was originally located at 428 Forest Ave. After a fire in their building they relocated in 2016 to their current spot at 9 Cumberland Street in Westbrook.
Update: the Larrabee Road move fell through, according to a report from the Press Herald the owners are now in talks to move to a different spot in Westbrook.
Upcoming Events: KitNA, Twelve Opening, Clam Festival
Thursday – KitNA is holding a tasting event at their West Bayside location. Twelve (reservations) is opening to the public.
Friday-Sunday – the Yarmouth Clam Festival is taking place.
July 18 – Little Brother is throwing a party at Fork Food Lab, “[w]e invite you to eat, drink, watch the old Chinese movies we’ll be projecting on the wall outside our HQ, and dance to a special guest DJ set of Asian soul/funk/psychedelia curated by Dad’s Denim.”
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.
Lost Fire & Dennett’s Wharf
Today’s Maine Sunday Telegram includes articles about The Lost Fire in Kennebunkport,
As the restaurant’s asador, or grill master, Lucarelli started the fires an hour earlier, at 4 p.m., so they’d be ready in time for 5 p.m. service. His Argentinian grill has crank wheels that let Lucarelli raise or lower the grill grate, away or toward the flames, but nothing needs adjustment. After four years of open-fire cooking in this kitchen – which doesn’t even have a propane hookup – he can tell when the heat is right practically by instinct.
and about Dennett’s Wharf in Castine.
First built as a sail loft to manufacture big canvases and at one time home to nine-pin bowling lanes, Dennett’s Wharf has been a restaurant and lounge for at least two generations now. Among the handful of spots in town to get a cocktail and a bite to eat, for residents, it’s most like an extension of home.
Yankee’s Best Ice Cream List
Yankee magazine has published their list of the 36 best ice cream shops in New England. The Maine section of the list includes Bresca & the Honey Bee, Fielder’s Choice, Gorgeous Gelato, MDI Ice Cream, Rococo Ice Cream, Sweetcream Dairy and Toots.
New Englanders love their ice cream. Home to Ben & Jerry’s, birthplace of Howard Johnson’s 28 flavors, our region tends to float to the top of most polls measuring ice cream consumption per capita. So we set out to answer an essential question: Who makes the best ice cream in New England? After looking at “Best Of” awards, talking to locals, and scouring Instagram, we hit the road to taste and compare, focusing on ice cream made by hand at brick-and-mortar scoop shops. The result is this ode to New England ice cream, including 36 winning shops in all six states.
Interview with Martin Beavers
Mainebiz has published an interview with Martin Beavers, the chef/owner of Soul Food Paradise at the Maine Mall in South Portland.
Martin Beavers is a self-taught cook who started a food business out of his home before joining Portland’s Fork Food Lab. Later when a space opened up at the Maine Mall Food Court in South Portland, he jumped at the chance to stake a claim. The New York City native shares the story of Soul Food Paradise’s early success and his unexpected route to Maine’s biggest shopping mall.