Ernie’s Pool & Darts has announced that they’ve permanently closed.
With a heavy heart I have decided to close Ernie’s. This is very difficult for me to do. I have worked/owned this great bar for over 25 years. All of us at Ernie’s would like to thank all of our loyal patrons for making Ernie’s what it was, a great place to hang and meet new friends. Our motto was “The fun never stops” but 2020 made the fun stop. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I will miss you all so very much!
The Bangor Daily News has published a report on the Sacred Bakery run by the Sacred Heart/St. Dominic Parish as a fundraising the “parish’s continuing efforts to make those arriving in Maine feel more comfortable”.
“We are so thankful for the support of our mission,” said Kimberly MacDonald, who oversees the ‘Sacred Bakery’ at Sacred Heart Church in Portland. “The proceeds go to supporting our mission of assisting refugees, asylums, immigrants, and those who are marginalized.”
Marcy’s Diner has filed the paperwork to apply for a beer and wine license (page 98).
Obtaining a beer and wine permit will enable the Diner to be comparable with other local restaurants with respect to level of service and menu offerings. The hours of operation for the diner are currently Thursday – Sunday, 8am – 1pm. We may add in Monday evening dinners beginning in the late fall.
Rob Caldwell interviewed Joe Ricchio about some of his favorite food shops.
Since the pandemic began Joe Ricchio has been cooking at home. “Almost constantly,” he says. “Which is nice at certain times. But you definitely miss eating out when you get tired of your own food.”
Dining out has been a big part of his life for years, as you’d expect of a food writer and host of the Food Coma podcast, but Ricchio is also a talented cook, so we listen when he talks about some of his favorite vendors in Maine.
WCSH has aired an interview with Randy and Alison Forester, the owners of Radici, about opening their restaurant during the pandemic.
“We would’ve loved to have had that grand opening and we know one day we will; we will have those ribbons outside, but for now it’s been a quiet ‘getting to know our neighborhood’ and making those connections, instead of in-person, mostly through social media,” says Ally.
Big Tree Hospitality unveiled their latest restaurant concept today. XO Burger and Wings (website, instagram) will be a takeout and delivery restaurant serving a “menu full of crushable Americana.” XO Burgers and Wings is set to launch in early December, and will be operating out of the Hugo’s space in Portland and Eventide Fenway in Boston.
The menu include options like the Good Morning Burger (see above) with egg, red onion jam, hash brown and hot sauce, the XO Burger with XO sauce, banana peppers, and smoked cheddar, Chili Crisp Wings with house chili crisp and scallion, and a Grilled Caesar with grilled romaine, house mackerel caesar, mackerel “anchovies” and parmesan.
At a glance, XO Burger and Wings will offer a menu of delicious burgers, wings, salads and sides. Good food to fill your belly. But take a closer look and you’ll find we’ve applied the best of Big Tree Hospitality – high-end culinary technique, high-caliber creative chefs, and top of the line and house made ingredients – to our idea of the perfect neighborhood burger joint. Sure, you’ll find the familiar bacon and blue cheese burger, buffalo(ish) style wings, and fries, but you’ll also find creative takes on nearly every menu item. Our buffalo sauce is fermented with koji, made with fresh chilis and house-made yogurt. Our bacon is braised and made from humanely raised Winter Hill pork. We haven’t left Frank’s hot sauce off the menu, instead, we’ve dropped it into the fryer to create Red Hot Puffs…
Big Tree Hospitality is led by Andrew Taylor, Mike Wiley and Arlin Smith. In 2012 they bought Hugo’s from then owner Rob Evans and Nancy Pugh and in the same year launched Eventide. They went on to create The Honey Paw in 2015 and open Eventide Fenway in 2017.
Photo credit: Zack Bowen Photography
Conde Nast Traveller (UK edition) has included Rose Foods on their list of the Cheapest, Nicest Restaurants in the World.
‘The place for a dose of some of the best bagels and schmear outside of New York. The design is of another time – Formica tables in aquamarine and dusty pink, bright wallpaper and a black-and-white hexagonal-tiled counter backed with nostalgic deli items (Martinelli’s apple juice, Dr Brown’s soda, Raye’s mustard) for to-go orders. It’s easy to stock up on provisions for the day, but come for the bagels and latkes with a side of matzo-ball soup and make sure to buy some merch on your way out.’
Congratulations to the nine Maine food producers that are finalists in the 2021 Good Food Awards in these six categories:
This year’s finalists were “[s]elected from 1,928 entries to the 11th annual Good Food Awards, these 475 products represent 45 states plus D.C. and Guam and have passed vetting for category-specific sustainability standards.”
The winners will be announced at a virtual event on January 22nd.
Blue Lobster Urban Winery has released Tight Lines Cider. Described as a British-style 6.4% abv cider that is light, and bone-dry, the limited 2020 release was pressed last fall with Macintosh and Macoun apples sourced from Maine. A secondary col fondo fermentation in the bottle results in a sparkling cider.
The release of Tight Lines brings the number of Maine cider producers up to 21—with at least six more in various stages of development. See our Guide to Maine Cider Makers for more information.
Quiero Cafe owners Carlos Guzman and Alejandra Herrera are launching a new Latin American restaurant in Saco called Pacifico (website, facebook, instagram).
Located in a former mill building at 120 Main Street on Saco Island, Pacifico will “be offering Latin American cuisine in a casual fine-dining environment” that takes its “inspiration and flavor profiles from all over Central and South America”.
Chefs Geoff Briggs and Shane Walsh will be leading the kitchen staff, and Pacifico has hired LyAnna Sanabria to develop their cocktail program.
Pacifico is slated to open later this month for indoor dining.
Guzman and Herrera launched the Saco Quiero Cafe in 2017 and opened a second location in Portland in May 2019.