Magissa Opening in May

| Posted in Openings

Magissa (instagram), the new Greek restaurant under construction in East Bayside, is making good progress towards an opening day. Owners Nancy Klosteridis and Emily Otero have completed a renovation of the former Baharat/Full Turn space at the corner of Anderson and Fox Streets and hope to open by the end of May.

Magissa will initially be open 11 am – 10 pm, Thursday through Monday serving a menu (see below) of contemporary renditions of traditional Greek dishes with mezze, small plates, entrees and flexible gyro and salad options. Across the board the menu taps into the Klosteridis’ family recipes and taste memories as a guide. The bar program will include Greek-inspired cocktails, draft wines by the glass/carafe,  a bottle list and draft beer.

The layout of Magissa is similar to Baharat with a central bar, dining room to the right. The bar itself has been moved further back freeing up room in the front of the restaurant, and a banquet seating area (see above) has been built into the back of the dining area. The kitchen has been expanded and reorganized for a more efficient workflow.

Follow the Magissa instagram account to stay up to date on the restaurant and their opening plans.

3 Good Food Award Winners from Maine

| Posted in Reviews

The Good Food Foundation announced the winners of their 2024 awards program last night. Of the 8 finalists from Maine, three were named as award winners:

  • Coffee by Design for their Costa Rica Danilo Salazar Finca San Cristobal Natural coffee
  • Maine Beer Co. for their Woods & Waters beer
  • Speckled Ax for two of their coffees – Costa Rica La Guaca Natural and Guatemala La Bonita

You can see the full list of award winners on the Good Food Foundation website.

Thames Landing

| Posted in Under Construction

Mark and Renae Roy have leased the former Helm space on Thames Street where they plan to open a new restaurant called Thames Landing. They shared part of their vision for the restaurant,

Thames Landing brings you solidly good food in an airy and beautiful modern atmosphere. The restaurant will offer classic New England fare—satisfying portions centered around seafood, local meat, and seasonal vegetables—served with contemporary flair and warm hospitality. We aim to be your new go-to, for after work drinks with a co-worker, a meltdown-free lunch with the kids, a spontaneous date night, or a leisurely weekend brunch with friends.

Their plans included an expanded outdoor seating area and they hope to have the restaurant open this summer.

The Roys are the owners of Navis Cafe which they opened on August 14, 2020. Helm launched in early 2021 and went out of business just last month.

CBD Signs Union Contract

| Posted in General News

Maine Public reports that Coffee by Design has signed an agreement with a union of their baristas.

The contract signed this week secures a wage increase and establishes a labor-management committee between Coffee By Design and its workers. The mutual agreement is for one year, which Sheldman said will allow both parties to continue crafting a long-term agreement.

Upcoming Food & Dining Events

| Posted in Events

Monday – The Good Food Awards winners will be announced. Eight Maine food producers are finalists in the 2024 Good Food awards program.

Saturday – Author Eric Kim will be at Tandem Coffee for “The Eric Kim & Briana Holt Happy Hour“. Chaval will be holding their annual May the Fourth Star Wars dinner. Rigby Yard is holding a Kentucky Derby viewing party.

May 8 – Magnus on Water will be hosting a Small Dough pizza x Lorne collaboration pop-up in Bideford.

May 11 – CiderFeast, an “all-inclusive tasting event celebrates craft ciders from some of the top cider makers in New England and beyond” is taking place. Oak & Ember is holding a pig roast at their restaurant in Buxton as a benefit for the New England Breast Cancer Alliance.

Mother’s Day – restaurants are just starting to announce their Mother’s Day plan. We’ll ad to this list as businesses share their plans.

  • Eighteen95 – will be serving a Mother’s Day brunch menu.
  • Harbor Bistro + Terrace – will be serving a Mother’s Day brunch buffet. $69 for adults, $34 for children 5-12, and children under 5 are free.
  • Inn by the Sea – is serving a 3-course prix fixe brunch ($76 for adults and $36 for children 4-12).
  • Luna – will be holding a brunch buffet at their rooftop bar in the Canopy Hotel.
  • Many other restaurants will also be open serving their regular Sunday morning menu.

May 17 – The Five of Clubs (instagram) cocktail bar and Twinflower Cafe (instagram) will be opening in concert with the launch of The Longfellow Hotel. They are located at 754 Congress Street, across from Wayside Diner and next to Tandem Coffee.

May 18 – The Maine Wild Wine Fest is taking place in Freeport.

May 19 – Fork Food Lab and Mayo Street Arts are collaborating to hold the Taste of Nations Food Festival.

June 10-16 – Portland Wine Week is taking place.

June 17 – The 3rd Annual ChopTails Competition will be taking place at Batson River.

June 22 – The Great Falls Brewfest is taking place in Lewiston.

June 26 – Secret Supper (instagram) is holding a dinner in the Portland area.

June 29 – The 3rd Annual Mast Landing Wavy Days Festival is taking place.

July 25/26 – The Kneading Conference is taking place in Skowhegan.

August 30 – September 1 – Maine Apple Camp is taking place.

September 20-22 – The Common Ground Fair will be taking place.

Thai Esaan Closing

| Posted in Closings

The owners of Thai Esaan, Ben Boonseng and Siwaporn Roberts, have announced they’re closing their Portland Street restaurant. Sunday will be their last day in business.

We want to thank all of our wonderful guests that have chosen us to be a part of their family through the years. We are extremely humbled that so many embraced our restaurant and that we were able to succeed as long as we had. Our goal was to serve good food and it showed through our recognition in various news outlets.

Thai Esaan was originally located on Forest Ave and reopened at 65 Portland Street in March of 2023.

Maine Food & Dining News: South Berwick, Wells, Damariscotta, Lewiston, Camden, Saco, Machias

| 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:

  • Sam Ostrow, the owner of Festina Lente in Kittery, has launched a second restaurant called Secundo (instagram, menu) in South Berwick. Secundo is located at 279 Main Street and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 – 9 pm.
  • Bake Maine (instagram) which operates the Pottery Cafe on Washington Ave in Portland, has opened is opening a second location at 2178 Post Road in Wells.
  • Roger and Prudence Kiessling have leased the space adjacent to their shop The Kingfisher & The Queen in Damariscotta where they plan to open a European-inspired cafe call Rue 77 (instagram). The cafe will serve Stumptown Coffee, baked goods from Solo Pane e Pasticceria in Bath and gelato from Gelato Fiasco. The design will draw “inspiration from the old-school glamour of the late 1960’s/early 1970’s Italy, Amalfi Coast, Slim Aarons, and luxury sports cars (with a bit of understated chic French elegance thrown in), RUE 77 will transport you to a time and place that lives on in your imagination.” Watch for Rue 77 to open in late spring.
  • AfroTaste is Lewiston will be closing down at their current location on April 28th. They hope to re-open this summer in a new location.
  • Buttermilk Kitchen at Mariner’s (instagram) opened for business in Camden earlier today. Their hours are Monday and Wednesday through Friday 7 am – 2 pm, and Saturday/Sunday 8 am – 3 pm. For additional reporting, see this article in the Penobscot Bay Pilot.
  • Swell Nitro Coffee (instagram) is opening for business on Saturday April 27th in Saco.  The shop is located at 200 Main Street.
  • Mason’s Brewing Company’s new location in Machias opened for business on Wednesday. It’s located in the former Bluebird Ranch Family Restaurant space at 78 Main St.

Waxwing Bakery in Windham

| Posted in Under Construction

Hannah Buoye and Billy Hager have announced their plans to launch a new bakery in Windham called Waxwing Bakery (instagram). Buoye is a former kitchen manager at Tandem Coffee and Hager had been the executive chef at Helm.

Buoye and Hager plan to offer a menu focused on laminated pastries and breads with a seasonal selection of sandwiches and salads. The counter service bakery will have some indoor seating and will serve Tandem coffee and have espresso-based beverages. Shown above is a zucchini cake with lemon icing that was on sale at their first pop-up back in August.

Waxwing will be located at 868 Roosevelt Trail (aka Route 302). An opening date is still TBD, but they hopes to launch the business later this year. In the meantime you can find them and their baked goods the second Saturday of every month at the Bumbleroot Farm Maker’s Market in Windham.

The name of the bakery is a reference to waxwing family of bird species. See the initial Waxwing instagram post for more info on these birds and their inspiration for the name of the bakery.