Portland Food Map

Mimi Weissenborn on Top Chef

January 28, 2025 | Posted in People

Mimi Weissenborn, the executive chef of Sur Lie, Gather in Yarmouth and Catface in Biddeford, will be a contestant in season 22 of the Bravo TV show Top Chef. The season will “highlight the local food scene of Canada, including Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, and Prince Edward Island.”

The winner of season 22 will receive $250,000, a feature in Food & Wine magazine, the chance to serve a dinner at the James Beard House in New York City, and other prizes.

Take a look at our 2023 interview with Weissenborn for more details on her background, career and thoughts on the restaurant industry.

Rooted Heart Cafe & Apothecary

January 28, 2025January 28, 2025 | Posted in Openings

Rooted Heart (website, instagram), a cafe and apothecary, opened earlier this month in Buxton.

They serve breakfast and lunch (menu) Wednesday through Sunday. Shown above are the mushroom and kale quiche with kale salad, and a cranberry and orange muffin. Rooted Heart has teas and lattes made with their own farm-grown herbs as well as bone broth and delicious house herbal broth made with nettle, parsley, cilantro, calendula, turmeric, ginger, anise, oyster & shiitake mushrooms, and Maine seaweed. Their coffee is sourced from Carpe Diem in North Berwick. The food menu includes plant-based and gluten-free dishes as well as gluten-free baked goods.

Rooted Heart is open Wednesday through Friday, 7am – 2pm, and weekends 8am – 3pm. They’re located at 259 Naragansett Trail/Route 202.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

January 27, 2025January 27, 2025 | Posted in Events

Monday – Electric Flowers Imports will be taking over the wine list at Friends & Family.

Thursday – Community Plate will be holding a potluck dinner at Maine Mechanics Hall.

Friday – Regards is holding a fundraising dinner to support victims of the Los Angeles fires.

Saturday – Portland on Tap is taking place. Good Medicine Collective is hosting a 6-course dinner in collaboration with chef Felicia Dumont. Roasty’s will be holding a pop-up at Orange Bike Brewing, 3-7 pm.

Sunday – Rafael Zimmerman from Magnus on Water⁠ will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

February 8 – Adrian Arvizu from Big Tree Hospitality⁠ will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

February 10 – Friends & Family is hosting an olive oil tasting with Tenuta di Spannocchia.

February 12 – The University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Falmouth is offering ServeSafe certification classes throughout the spring.

February 13 – Devin Finigan from Aragosta⁠ will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

Valentine’s Day – drop us a line if you know of a Valntine’s Day special menu that isn’t yet on the list below.

El Corazon – Steak and Lobster dinner for $59.95 per person.
Evo – 5-couse dinner, $150 per person.
Hartstone Inn (Camden) – 4-course dinner.
Isa Bistro – 3-course dinner for $95 per person.
Leeward – their regular menu augmented with some Valentine’s Day specials.
The Porthole – is holding a Valentine’s Day dinner. “we’re setting the scene with linen-draped tables and candlelight ambiance to accompany our special menu.”
Sacred Profane (Biddeford) – 4-course prix fixe dinner.
Salt Yard –4-course tasting menu for $65 per person.
Tiqa – a Valentine’s Day menu for $98 per couple.
Twelve – 5-course French bistro menu for $125 per person.
Whittle Bird (Guilford) – 5-course dinner for $150 per couple.
Wolf Cove Inn (Poland) – 4-course dinner.

February 28 – Kashas Kitchen is serving a Polish Dinner in Kittery.

March 1-12 – Maine Restaurant Week is taking place.

March 2 – Sara Jenkins, Dustin Martin, and Lauren Radel from Nina June will be the guest chefs at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.

March 11 – Barak Olins and Atsuko Fujimoto are the featured guests at a Maine Voices Live event at One Longfellow Square.

March 23 – The Casco Bay Chef’s Association is holding their annual dinner.

May 17 – The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

May 30 – June 1 – The Maine Fungi Fest is taking place.

September 14 – The Maine Cheese Festival is taking place in Pittsfield.

September 19-21 – The Common Ground Country Fair is taking place in Unity.

October 12 – The Maine Open Creamery Day is taking place.

Planning a wedding, holding a business event, or hosting visitors from away? Our printed guides are a great resource to help your guests explore the Maine restaurant scene.
25-packs of the Portland and Midcoast pocket guides are now available on our online store.

Maine Food & Dining News: Northport, Yarmouth, Wiscasset, Waterville

January 25, 2025January 25, 2025 | Posted in Maine

New food and dining developments are taking place all across Maine. Here are some recent updates to keep you in the know:

Spark Bagel has launched a cafe and retail bagel shop at their bakery in Northport. Spark has been baking at the former Stone Brick Oven Kitchen building at 681 Atlantic Highway in Northport since last year. They’ll be open Saturday, 8 am to noon.
The former Muddy Rudder property in Yarmouth is up for auction. The auction will take place February 12th at 11 am with a preview scheduled for January 29th 10 am – noon.
A new cafe serving chowder, soup and comfort food called Panacea (instagram) is under construction in Wiscasset. It will be located at 100 Main Street in the space formerly occupied by Yonder. Owner Chauncey Erskine hopes to launch Panacea on February 1st. For additional reporting see this article from The Lincoln County News.
The Pen Bay Pilot has published an article about the Cushnoc Cantina in Waterville.
Mainebiz reports that Briana Warner is stepping back from her role as the CEO of Atlantic Sea Farms. She’ll be staying on as a strategic advisor.
Hospitality Maine, Visit Portland and several other organizations have launched the Winter Wednesdays program. The Winter Wednesday website gathers in one place information from participating businesses about the discount programs they’re offering on Wednesdays.

For a statewide guide to eating and drinking see the Maine Food Map—a growing list of coffee shops, bars, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, and other food and dining businesses in all of Maine’s 16 counties.

Matt Ginn to Lead at the Dry Dock

January 23, 2025January 23, 2025 | Posted in Under Construction, People

Matt Ginn has joined the team relaunching the Dry Dock (instagram) as the restaurant’s general manager.

In a statement released today Ginn shared, “I’ve worked in kitchens my entire career and for the last decade, opened, ran and helped several restaurants in Portland and Greater Portland reach their award-winning potential. The move to a more all-encompassing restaurant role for one establishment, and overseeing menu creation and kitchen staff hires for the re-opening of a restaurant that I grew up coming to, is the personal and professional change that I’ve been looking for.” Ginn continued, “I’ve known the Holden family for a long time and have a deep respect for what they do not only as the best Maine seafood company and B Corp, but as an employer and what they do to give back to our community. With Dry Dock, I’m excited to restore a legendary Portland restaurant and bring new life to it with this terrific team.”

The Dry Dock had been a fixture on the Portland waterfront since it launched in 1983. It’s been closed for a number of years. Luke Holden, Ben Conniff, Bryan Holden—co-owners of Luke’s Lobster— leased 84 Commercial Street in October with plans to relaunch the Dry Dock as a seafood tavern with a full bar program.

The Dry Dock is being thoroughly refurbished including a new kitchen and the construction of two large bars. When it re-opens this summer it will have an expanded deck, and is expected to seat up to 300 people.

Ginn is a Maine native and an experienced chef and leader. He comes to his position after 10 years with the Prentice Hospitality Group (Evo, Chebeague Island Inn, The Good Table, Twelve) where he was the group’s executive chef. Ginn was the Maine Lobster Chef of the Year in 2015. Earlier in his career he worked at L’Espalier in Boston and was the chef de cuisine at Five Fifty-Five.

2025 Beard Awards Semifinalists

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 | Posted in Reviews

The 2025 list of semifinalists for the James Beard Awards was just released. There are 10 semifinal nominees from Maine:

Outstanding Restaurant – Havana in Bar Harbor.
Emerging Chef – Jason Eckerson and Kate Hamm from Fish & Whistle in Biddeford.
Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker – Brant Dadaleares from Gross Confection Bar.
Outstanding Hospitality – Taj Indian Cuisine in South Portland.
Best New Bar – The Abbey in Brunswick.
Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service – Mary Allen Lindemann from Coffee By Design.
Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service – Nathaniel Meiklejohn from The Jewel Box.
Best Chef: Northeast – Lee Frank from Lee Frank’s in South Berwick and Wells, Jordan Rubin from Mr Tuna, and Jake Stevens from Leeward.

Elsewhere in New England there were 8 semifinalists from Rhode Island, 4 from Vermont, 12 from Massachusetts, 3 from Connecticut and 2 from New Hampshire.

The final list of nominees (10 for Best New Restaurant and 5 for all other categories) will be released April 2nd, and the awards ceremony will take place on Monday, June 16th in Chicago. The America’s Classics award winners will be announced February 26th.

Related information:

Maine Award Winners, Nominees and Semifinalists – a complete list of Maine award winners, nominees and semifinalists from 2008 to 2025.
Award and Nomination Process – the award nominations process.
Award Categories – the 2025 list of categories and eligibility requirements.
James Beard in Portland – James Beard taught a set cooking classes in Portland in 1964.

Anthony’s Italian Kitchen Closing

January 21, 2025 | Posted in Closings

Anthony’s Italian Kitchen has announced they’ll be closing after 33 years in business. Their last day in operation will be February 7th.

Anthony is giving himself an 84th Birthday Present. After 33 years he is retiring. Our last day of business will be Friday February 7th. We would like to give our undying gratitude to you our faithful customers. It has been an honor to serve you all these years. We also must thank our faithful employees for all your hard work. So come on down for one last Boston Italian or homemade meatballs. Come on down and wish Anthony a Happy Birthday and a Happy Retirement. Again, thank you for 33 incredible years. From the entire Barrasso Family, Salute!!!

Anthony’s was founded by Anthony Barrasso in 1992. At one time there was also an outpost of the restaurant at the Public Market on Preble Street.

A Maine Gluten-Free Guide

January 21, 2025 | Posted in General News

Mrs. Gee Free Living (website, instagram) has published a guide to gluten-free food and drink in Maine and New Hampshire.

It includes 19 fully gluten-free establishments like Bam Bam Bakery and Lucky Pigeon Brewing, as well as dozens of other places that offer gluten-free options and resources like dedicated GF fryers.

Kaitlin Gee expects to update the guide on a quarterly basis.

Awards Voting

January 21, 2025January 21, 2025 | Posted in General News

Two Maine businesses are looking for your votes:

Allison Lakin from Lakin’s Gorges Cheeses is being considered as an Entrepreneur of Impact with the chance to win a $25,000 grant, mentorship with Daymond John of Shark Tank, and an appearance in Forbes magazine. You can vote up to once per day at the entrepreneurofimpact.org website.

The Canopy Hotel in Portland has been nominated in the Travel & Leisure World’s Best Awards 2025. You can cast a vote for them on wba.m-rr.com and be entered for a “chance to win a $15,000 cash prize or a Viking cruise for 2 people to Australia & New Zealand.”

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

January 20, 2025January 22, 2025 | Posted in Events

Monday – To celebrate their 60th anniversary Gerard’s Pizza in Gardiner is serving food in 2025 at 20th Century prices: a 10 inch cheese pizza for $1.50, a 10 inclh peperoni pizza for $2 and a large Italian sandwich for $2. Electric Flowers Imports will be taking over the wine list at Friends & Family.

Tuesday – Chef Ana Castro from Acamaya will be at Mr. Tuna for a collaboration dinner.

Thursday– Two Fat Cats is celebrating National Pie Day with a trio of tasting slices. Customers can choose from among 13 flavors: Salted Caramel Apple, Key Lime, Lemon Shaker, Coffee S’mores, Blackberry Mango, Ginger Pear, Ultimate Peanut Butter Cream Pie, Black & White, Orange Creamsicle, Maine Wild Blueberry, Apple and Sour Cherry. Twelve is holding a Bordeaux wine dinner.

Saturday – Union is hosting an event to support the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association.

January 27 – Electric Flowers Imports will be taking over the wine list at Friends & Family.

January 30 – Community Plate will be holding a potluck dinner at Maine Mechanics Hall.

January 31 – Regards is holding a fundraising dinner to support victims of the Los Angeles fires.

February 1 – Portland on Tap is taking place. Good Medicine Collective is hosting a 6-course dinner in collaboration with chef Felicia Dumont.

February 2 – Rafael Zimmerman from Magnus on Water⁠ will be the guest chef at a Flanagan Farm Supper Club dinner.