January bar celebration. Warm up with an assortment of specialty drinks, hors d’oeuvres, outdoor grill- ing, and live entertain- ment each night from 5-10 p.m. thebrunswick- hotelandtavern.com 23 Babette’s Feast Opening Night Portland Stage presents the opening night of Ba- bette’s Feast, an adapta- tion of the story of how a refugee transforms a community by throwing a lavish dinner party. The production runs through February 18. portlandstage.org 25/27 Ice Bar at BlueFin The annual Portland Har- bor Hotel ice bar returns once again this January at the new BlueFin res- taurant. With a live DJ, ice sculptures, complimentary food and fire pits, this is a party not to be missed. portlandharborhotel.com 27 Allagash Wild Beer Roundup It’s the most exciting beer release of the year at Allagash! As well as of- fering a diverse array of rare releases, guests are invited to the brewery for games, prizes, and mu- sic. Prost! allagash.com 28 Pies on Parade Rockland, Dubbed “Pie Town USA” by Food Network, Rock- land hosts the 14th an- nual pie-centric parade just a few days after Na- tional Pie Day (January 23). Seize the opportunity to sample more than 50 pies, featuring old favor- Hungry Eye 44 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine from left: courtesy photos(2); corey templeton says. “It feels like there aren’t a lot of op- tions for nights out in Westbrook right now, so we plan to host acoustic nights and poetry readings.” ➽ Leavvitt & Sons Deli opened a second location on Kennebec Street a block down from 2017’s unlikely hero, Bayside Bowl. “We built for a neighborhood that hasn’t been built yet!” says owner Peter Leavitt. The deli is popular for its simple, hearty offerings and a strong selection of wine.”You don’t al- ways want a fancy, gourmet sandwich with avocado and such. That’s why my chicken pot pie is so popular.” ➽ Harding Lee Smith is adding more rooms to his culinary mansion with a ru- moured second Front Room in Falmouth and continued development to the Moun- tain Room at Sunday River Ski Resort. ➽ The Marriott Hotel chain AC Hotel will open in April 2018 on 158 Fore Street. Its bar, called the AC Lounge, will function as the “centerpiece and focus of the hotel,” says manager Jeff Lidinsky. “The whole phi- losophy is fun, trendy, vibrant, and Europe- an-inspired. It’s geared toward everything Portland stands for.” Lidinsky just moved to Portland from Chicago. Trending into Maine For months now, there’s been a great deal of talk about bringing back ‘the neighbor- hood,’ however local or global. A westward stroll down Congress Street will land you at the new incarnation of The Roma, delight- ing red-sauce pasta lovers and doubling- down on a shot of nostalgia. Venture deep- er into the West End, you’ll encounter Cha- val and Little Giant, the second child of Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez of Pic- colo, and Briana and Andrew Volk of Port- land Hunt + Alpine Club respectively. Looking eastward, impossibly buttery croissants popped up seemingly overnight on the counter at Belleville at One North Street on Munjoy Hill. Baharat brought the Middle East to East Bayside, plating up succulent shawarma and smoky bowls of baba ghanoush. Meanwhile, Washing- ton Avenue showed no sign of slowing its rapid development from industrial outlier to gastronomic destination. One of the ar- ea’s original occupants, The Portland Pot- tery Cafe, now has an alluring after-hours alter ego: Lena’s Italian. The menu is pure comfort food, with spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parm as headliners. Across the street, Boston’s Island Creek Oysters opened a Portland location in the former Creighton’s Flower Market, where they of- fer fresh, plump local oysters and Spanish- inspired tinned fish in a sleek setting. T here’s really no chance of going thirsty in this neck of the woods. Maine Craft Distilling relocat- ed into the space adjoining Island Creek, allowing for bigger production volumes and the space to host a Sunday Roast din- ner series. The Nissen Building, which once pumped out baked goods as the Nis- sen Baking Co. and now creates more adult concoctions with grain and yeast, hosts Maine & Loire wine shop, Maine Mead Works, Oxbow Brewing, and, most recent- ly, Hardshore Distilling (whose craft gin was named best in 2017 by USA Today). Found in Translation We spotted the emergence of a new breed of Asian restaurants back in October [“New Wave Asian”], and the momentum has yet to slow. Sichuan Kitchen kicked things off in style on New Year’s Day 2017 with fi- Which restaurants shuffled off the mortal coil of Portland’s dining scene in 2017? NewYear’s Day 2018 marked the end of Old Port watering hole Sonny’s.The popular bar and Latin-style restaurant,which has inhabited the 19th-cen- tury brick building that once housed Portland Savings Bank for nine years (and later F.Parker Reidy’s),announced its plans to reincarnate as Black Cow,“a casual hamburger-and-shake shop featuring a classic soda fountain,” accord- ing to new head chef Nicholas Nappi in an interview with the Press Herald.“Sonny’s is near BRGR bar,Elevation Burger,Five Guys,Nosh, Rosie’s,and b good.How are you going to break into that market? Every tier of burger is covered,” challenges one Facebook user. In a surprise turn, David’s KPT, the brain- child of chef David Turin, closed without warn-