Conley and Mitchell at The Palace

| Posted in Under Construction, People

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Chad Conley, head chef at Gather, and business partner Greg Mitchell have leased the Palace Diner (website, facebook, twitter) on Franklin Street in Biddeford with plans to relaunch the business this Spring. The pair plan to maintain a traditional diner menu for breakfast and lunch. In the evening they’ll be launching a dinner service with more creative fare, and have submitted an application for liquor license. During warmer weather they’ll have outdoor seating.

Conley is a Portland native who in addition to Gather has cooked at Hugo’s and Jean-Georges in NYC. He worked for Eliot Coleman at Four Season Farm in Harborside and helped launch Miyake Farms in Freeport. He and Mitchell met when they were both working  Four Season Farm.

The Palace Diner was founded by Louis LaChance in 1927 and is being leased to Conley and Mitchell by the current owner, David Capotosto. It was built by the Pollard Company in Lowell, Massachusetts.

The new Palace Diner joins a growing community of food businesses in Biddeford. the former mill town is home to Rabelais which moved their in 2011, Elements coffee shop/bookstore, Royal Rose cocktail syrup (a Brooklyn transplant), Cobblestones (formerly located on Monument Square), newly launched Banded Horn Brewing and the production facilities for Vervacious. The low rent and steadily growing downtown community are making it an appealing place to launch a business. A number of other Portland chefs have recently considered opening in Biddeford. Conley and Mitchell’s may become an example for other chefs looking to launch their own restaurant.

These photos are from a friends and family breakfast Conly and Mitchell held yesterday to celebrate their new business.

Gather is now in the process of recruiting a new head chef.

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This Week’s Events: Winter Farmers Market, In’finiti Dinner, American Sommelier, 12 Beers of Xmas

| Posted in Events

Thursday — the annual Twelve Beers of Christmas is taking place at the Great Lost Bear, and there will be a wine tasting at the Public Market House.

Friday — there will be a wine tasting at the West End Deli. It’s First Friday Art Walk, restaurants will be extra busy so make reservations in advance.

Saturday — the Winter Farmers Market is starting up. This year it’s taking place at the Urban Farm Fermentory on Anderson Street.

Sunday — In’finiti is holding cocktail and beer dinner, the American Sommelier foundation series will be featuring wines from the United States

For more information on these and other upcoming food happenings in the area, visit the event calendar.

If you are holding a food event this week that’s not listed above, publicize it by adding it as a comment to this post.

Reviews: Nosh & Katahdin

| Posted in Reviews

Peter Peter Portland Eater has reviewed Nosh.

Our meal was delicious. I was certain I was going to have a heart attack on the way out, but I knew it was going to be the happiest heart attack ever. Myocardial infarction aside, Nosh really knows their burgers and fries…

The Maine Sunday Telegram has reviewed Katahdin.

This is Portland’s premier pre-theater restaurant, where wood-oven-grilled and roasted fare is featured. Standout preparations include house-baked focaccia, butternut squash tart, steak frites, salmon, pork tenderloin and pasta. Desserts change but include wonderful home-made ice cream and a rich bread pudding. It’s also a popular destination for post-theater cocktails, supper and dessert.

Review of Empire

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Magazine has reviewed Empire Chinese Kitchen.

Inspired, she brought us her ingenious Empire Eggrolls (“local beef pastrami, asparagus, cabbage, honey Dijon”), a wondrous solution for East Meets West. Who knew someone could invent a way to enjoy a fried pastrami sandwich without the guilt? (A sharp knife is provided so you can share…) The Honey Walnut Shrimp are mouth-watering, the Spinach Dumplings in steam baskets so fun and tasty we were already planning our next trip back.

The December issue also includes an article about holiday food traditions of Portland’s hyphenated American communities.

Jay Villani @ 188

| Posted in General News

Chef/owner Jay Villani is back running the kitchen at his first restaurant, Local 188.

With the return to Local 188’s kitchen, Jay’s introduced a new menu. It’s a great menu of hot and cold tapas, raciones, salads and entrees. For longtime customers, you’ll feel like you’re reading a menu from back in Local’s old space, across the street.

Under Construction: Bissell Brothers, Austin Street & Foundation Brewing

| Posted in Under Construction, Beer

Three Portland breweries under construction on Industrial Way are making good progress:

For some additional details on Austin Street and Bissell see the What Ales You column in today’s paper.

Review of Piccolo

| Posted in Reviews

Portland Phoenix has reviewed Piccolo.

Chef Samsionetti cooked French at Bar Boulud in New York, and with Piccolo returns to the cuisine of his childhood. The little child we all adore most is the inner child we never quite mastered. Piccolo comforts and indulges that child, but not too much. Thanks to a restrained approach, smallish portions, elegant wine, and subtleties of flavor, Piccolo asks us to grow up a bit.

25 Best: Eventide

| Posted in Reviews

Gear Patrol has included Eventide in their list of the 25 Best Restaurants in America.

New England oyster bar with picnic table seating and 1,200-pound slab of granite filled with ice and a few dozen oysters ranging from ultra briny Wild Belons to bright and creamy Blue Pools. You could be content (and perhaps a little fuzzed) throwing back a few dozen with a pair of dirty martinis, but it’d be a shame to miss out on a fried oyster bun and a bowl of porky New England clam chowder.