{"id":11515,"date":"2016-04-28T19:08:37","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T23:08:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=11515"},"modified":"2016-05-02T16:32:12","modified_gmt":"2016-05-02T20:32:12","slug":"whats-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/whats-new\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s New?"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 2016 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

It happens every year\u2013you look\u00a0 <\/span>up and discover Portland is full of exciting new shops and restaurants.<\/span><\/h3>\n

By Michael Schoch<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"New-in-Town-MAY16\"Everybody has a different way of saying it, but the sentiment remains the same\u2013Portland is restless and constantly shifting. So take a deep breath and let\u2019s see what\u2019s new in this old city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start Downtown<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tucked into the former home of Soakology at 30 City Center, Hero<\/strong> is a high-class sandwich shop built on big flavors. A collaboration between Congress Street stalwarts Otto and Empire, this is the new power lunch. \u201cYou have all these people who have to eat within a very small window of time, and we\u2019re at their doorstep,\u201d says general manager Max Brody.<\/span><\/p>\n

The interior is a study in contrasts. A white tile floor is offset by dark bricks and teal paint. A window counter looks out on the banking bustle and panhandling hustle of Monument Square. Vines drape from a suspended ledge above the open kitchen. Hardwood booths with gleaming steel frames complete the motif of paired opposites.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brody describes the fare as \u201crefined comfort food\u201d\u2013hearty dishes based around chicken, sirloin, and porchetta<\/em> cooked in a rotisserie oven. The shop\u2019s bread and butter are its sandwiches. The Chicken-and-Chip features rotisserie chicken with salt and vinegar chips, pickled red onion, pickles, buttermilk ranch dressing, and shaved iceberg lettuce. \u201cWe make the chips ourselves, and the bread is made for us at Tiqa\u2019s bakery,\u201d Brody says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Meatless options include an acorn squash or cauliflower sandwich with grilled rabe, portobello, fresh tomato, and mozzarella. Glancing at the cooks hunkered over their prep work, Brody says, \u201cYou can get a sandwich at a lot of different places, but it\u2019s elevated to another level here.\u201d Hero has take-home dinner options, including whole and half chickens. The shop will roll out a delivery service soon, and \u201cwhen the weather warms up a little bit we\u2019ll have outdoor seating and be doing pop-up dinners.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Around the corner underneath Arabica Coffee is one of Jason Loring\u2019s new projects, Rhum<\/strong>. The only tiki joint in town, Rhum will make you feel like a tourist as you search for its elusive entrance. General manager Rebecca Ambrosi advises new visitors to \u201cjust look for the octopus and the gas lamps.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Ambrosi says she and her husband and fellow manager, Frank Anderson, were going for the \u201ctiki escapism feel,\u201d which they\u2019ve achieved in an unusual setting. The space is dark\u2013nearly black, with the light coming from multi-colored lanterns and shaded fixtures up high. A bar of blonde wood bisects the space. Abstract paintings with black and blood-red color palettes decorate the perimeter, leaving no doubt that Rhum eschews the Jimmy Buffet vibe entirely in favor of Hawaiian film noir. <\/span><\/p>\n

There are tiki cocktails like Mai Tais and the Pain Killer\u2013a combo of white rum, pineapple, and coconut. According to Ambrosi, the drink menu \u201cis evolving all the time but will always keep the classics.\u201d She describes the food as \u201celevated bar snacks,\u201d but with beef tartare, celeriac apple salad, and a kimchi croque madame<\/em>, these \u201csnacks\u201d offer flavor and sustenance in equal measure. \u201cWe do these giant towers with oysters, raw scallops, mussels, king crab, and Maine lobsters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heading east into the beating heart of the Old Port\u2019s retail section, you\u2019ll find the first U.S. site of U.K.-based clothing franchise Fat Face<\/strong>. At 34 Exchange, among a slew of other boutiques, Fat Face claims a \u201cprice point that\u2019s lower than other stores in the Old Port,\u201d according to manager Tricia Kidwell. Even so, plan on $65 for jeans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Formerly occupied by J.L. Coombs, the store now sells what Kidwell categorizes as \u201ccasual women\u2019s, men\u2019s, and kids\u201d clothing\u2013colorful and diverse iterations of t-shirts and jeans. The store\u2019s bright interior is balanced by exposed brick walls. Shelves and counters made of what look like distressed clapboards cause the word \u201cquaint\u201d to flit through your subconscious.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re looking sleek in your new casual wear, you may want to to pop into Cara\u2019s Matchmaking <\/strong>at 53 Exchange. Yes, it\u2019s a brick-and-mortar<\/em> matchmaking service for those who\u2019ve been scorned, bored, or otherwise unimpressed with the world of online dating. Owner Noreen Tierney has years of experience playing Cupid from her successful Biddeford office, and now she\u2019s here in Portland with a full quiver of love-arrows and a dossier of glossy head shots, one of which may be the mug of your future soulmate. <\/span><\/p>\n

A short walk seaward to Commercial Street you\u2019ll find Scales,<\/strong> the new seafood venture owned by partners Dana Street and Victor Leon of Street & Company, and Sam Hayward of Fore Street. With high windows, plenty of light, and a wide-open layout, it\u2019s no wonder crowds flock here. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fun space to be in\u2013it gets rocking and very social.Often, guests know each other and mingle like they\u2019re at home,\u201d says general manager Michael Burke. <\/span><\/p>\n

Burke describes the menu at Scales as \u201cclassic New England seafood with a land section capturing meats and produce.\u201d The restaurant gets almost all of its seafood from small fishing boats and local purveyors. \u201cWe source everything we can locally,\u201d says Burke. This is a kitchen that \u201cmakes everything in-house except the Heinz ketchup.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

East Bayside<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Up the hill from the wharfs, Drifter\u2019s Wife Wine Bar<\/strong> gleams in a well-scrubbed brick-and-glass building on Washington Avenue. \u201cWhat initially drew us to Washington Ave. was just that it felt more cosmopolitan,\u201d says owner Peter Hale, who, with wife Orenda, opened their wine shop Maine & Loire last year and subsequently added the wine bar. Peter calls it \u201ca neighborhood quietly doing its own thing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside, you\u2019ll find smooth, spotless brick floors and high ceilings with gleaming duct work. Benches made of slatted wood and small, circular tables fill out the dining room. An array of deep green, broad-leafed plants add warmth to a space that is prettily lit by sunshine sifting in through the glass storefront. It\u2019s uncluttered and artfully curated. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Maine & Loire and Drifter\u2019s Wife offer all organic or biodynamically grown wine. Sitting at the bar feels like sitting at a friend\u2019s kitchen island. Chef Ben Jackson \u201cdoes everything every day, from buying the produce to cooking the food, to serving it,\u201d Peter says. \u201cThe food he puts out is nuanced\u2013it\u2019s full of soul and really clean and subtle at the same time.\u201d For $10 you might find kale served with creamy garlic vinaigrette, gruy\u00e8re, and shallots, or an appetizer like coppa with lentils vinaigrette and egg served with sourdough bread. Drifter\u2019s Wife doesn\u2019t have happy hours. Instead they pull \u201crare bottles that ordinarily wouldn\u2019t be poured by the glass,\u201d letting customers try unique vintages at a value.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearby on Congress, tucked between Otto\u2019s pizza and Suzukiya\u2019s ramen, is the new Sip of Europe<\/strong>. Yulia Stolkner moved to Maine from St. Petersburg, Russia; formerly, she ran a coffee cart in Old Orchard Beach. She loves her new-found community. \u201cHere in Portland, as soon as I opened, there were lots of people coming in and saying welcome to the neighborhood.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Patrons sit at the counter and bask in the natural light filtering in over the Eastern Cemetery. Yulia sees it as a source of vitality. \u201cI like that there\u2019s a cemetery right in front of me. When it\u2019s sunny, I have light from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone indulges in something to accompany their coffee, in particular Yulia\u2019s crepes, which include a ham & cheese and a honey & walnut variety\u2013\u201cEuropean-style crepes,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are decadent offerings like affogato<\/em>\u2013espresso poured over ice cream. There\u2019s drip coffee made from Seacoast Coffee Company\u2019s beans and a European brew made from the Italian Lavazza beans that are ubiquitous in Europe. \u201cIt\u2019s different from anything [in Maine before].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The new Frontier<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Northwest of the West End and parallel to I-295, a nubbin of land juts into the Fore River. Named after a 19th-century slaughterhouse, Thompson\u2019s Point<\/strong> was a prominent rail yard before being converted to a munitions factory during World War II. <\/span><\/p>\n

These days, partners Chris Thompson and Jed Troubh are developing a multi-use space. Thompson says the project is \u201cabout adding a neighborhood to Portland that can feel seamless\u201d with the rest of the city. At the moment, visitors will find two brick warehouses undergoing renovation and a whole lot of heavy machinery. Construction began in April of 2014, and the current wave of work should be finished by the end of May. <\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the point, a massive steel gazebo (which is actually a restored piece of the old Union Station) presides over the water. This past winter, it housed The Rink<\/strong>, an ice-skating venue complete with Zamboni and warming stations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>A\u00a0 <\/span>few businesses are already up and running. Last October, Circus Maine <\/strong>moved into the Brick North building, across the hall from Color Me Mine<\/strong>, the paint-your-own pottery and instructional studio. Circus Maine is a warehouse-style space with wall-to-wall gymnastic mats, trapeze swings hanging from the rafters, and gigantic Chinese balancing poles propped against the back wall. General manager Blain Tully says they train kids and adults at all levels, from rank amateurs to \u201cstudents looking to perform nationally and internationally. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEnrollment in our classes is ramping up, and attendance at cabarets has been great.\u201d Circus Maine is a performance center as well. \u201cWe can transform this room into a theater that houses 400 people. We do performances on a regular basis, both in-house and outside of the space.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As Tully speaks, a man in a black shirt and wind pants does effortless double backflips on a trampoline that Tully and recreational program manager Kerry Kaye built themselves a few feet away at the Open Bench Project. <\/strong>This is a \u201cmaker space\u201d that allows anybody to come in and work on original wood, welding, electronic, or screen-printing projects. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tully and Kaye also hope to team up with Cellar Door Winery <\/strong>as well as Jason Loring\u2019s new chicken-and-waffle joint, Big J\u2019s <\/strong>(which will not, after all, be called Yeti as previously rumored), for catered performances. As for the menu, Loring says, \u201cWe\u2019re concentrating on doing really, really banging fried chicken. We\u2019ll also make our own waffles.\u201d Big J\u2019s will offer Japanese egg waffles, a vegan version of fried chicken, and \u201ca lot of fried chicken sandwiches that speak to the way I do things at Nosh, with big, delicious flavors.\u201d Loring hopes to source his chicken from Maine farms. <\/span><\/p>\n

Loring is excited about forming new partnerships. \u201cWe\u2019re going to put a window from our space into Bissell Brothers<\/strong> so that you can walk up from the brewery and order from us. We\u2019ll be Bissell Brothers\u2019 built-in restaurant. They\u2019ll become our dining room, and we\u2019ll become their kitchen.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking of yetis, Big J\u2019s will also share space with the International Cryptozoology Museum<\/strong>, which is relocating from Avon Street. Owner Loren Coleman thinks the museum\u2019s new location, with its proximity to Big J\u2019s and Bissell Brothers, \u201cwill be a nice kind of partnership\u2013we\u2019ll help each other.\u201d Coleman says he\u2019s \u201cbeen looking at Thompson\u2019s Point for years.\u201d He anticipates extending the museum\u2019s hours to as late as 10 p.m. to coincide with the schedules of the surrounding food purveyors. <\/span><\/p>\n

A longtime fan of architecture as well as the supernatural, Coleman says the new building\u2019s design \u201chas that sleek kind of prairie style\u201d he appreciates. The new layout will allow the museum to unveil previously unseen exhibits such as taxidermic heads. \u201cWe\u2019re gonna go up as well as lengthwise in a way that we never really could do before,\u201d Coleman says, explaining his plans to suspend replicas of a pterodactyl and giant squid from the rafters.<\/p>\n

Coleman is also looking forward to showcasing some rare and \u201cabsolutely priceless\u201d pieces. The museum\u2019s most iconic items, like the life-sized replica of Bigfoot, \u201cwill be up on a mezzanine. It\u2019s become the photo-op everybody loves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Coleman, moving to Thompson\u2019s Point is more than business\u2013it\u2019s a chance to showcase his life\u2019s work in a new and innovative space. Sitting at a small table, amid a collection of cryptozoological artifacts 56 years in the gathering, Coleman muses, \u201cI know I\u2019m gonna die, everybody does. And this is going to become my legacy\u2013the only cryptozoology museum in the world, right here in little Portland, Maine.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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