{"id":12306,"date":"2016-12-29T18:00:12","date_gmt":"2016-12-29T23:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=12306"},"modified":"2017-01-04T16:18:46","modified_gmt":"2017-01-04T21:18:46","slug":"a-gastronomes-guide-to-planet-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/a-gastronomes-guide-to-planet-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gastronome’s Guide to Planet Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2017 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

What\u2019s cooking in 2017? <\/strong>We take a glimpse at the events<\/strong>, eateries, <\/span>and exciting epicurean trends<\/strong> on Maine\u2019s horizon. <\/span><\/h3>\n

Stories by Sarah Moore, Bailey O\u2019Brien, <\/strong><\/span>Kate Odden & Willis Kuelthau<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"hungry-eye-wg17\"For a city where much of the action crystallizes on a peninsula, there\u2019s only so much space available to us. So when a new restaurant surfaces on the radar, it\u2019s often inhabiting the space of an earlier incarnation of the food scene. Rather like a game of musical chairs, Portland\u2019s eateries are shifting: chefs circulate, new owners acquire old favorites (see Caiola\u2019s in Restaurant Review, page 63), and stunning new concepts pop up in old spaces. It may take time before a shiny new spot shakes the ghost of its predecessor. \u201cThe Honey Paw\u2013you know, where the Pepperclub was.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The new year promises many fresh delights. Wunderkind chef Cara Stadler of Bao Bao and Tao Yuan in Brunswick has announced she will open Lio, a restaurant with an accompanying wine shop in 6 City Center (the home of soon-to-depart Styxx nightclub) with sommelier Chris Peterman. The former Borealis Bakery & Bistro on Ocean Avenue was recently transformed into the Neapolitan-themed Tipo, the brainchild of a power pairing between the Goulds of small-plate-mecca Central Provisions and former Scales chef Mike Smith. <\/span><\/p>\n

Old favorites have returned in the form of Brea Lu Cafe, now supplying Westbrook with its signature supersized pancakes stacks, while Portlanders were relieved to see the return of El Rayo to Free Street in the former site of Papier Gourmet. Other restaurants transforming retail spaces to food service include Sichuan Kitchen, which will bring Chinese cuisine to the Congress Street site occupied by Anna\u2019s Used Furniture & Collectibles for many years\u2013surely the most dramatic makeover of the year. On Fore Street, the Carla Bella Boutique has become Baristas and Bites, a high-end cafe and patisserie with a to-go lunch service. Lowell Designs on Exchange Street is currently under construction to become a speakeasy-style cocktail joint named Proper Charlie\u2019s. And over on the West End, Vespucci\u2019s variety shop will soon be supplanted by Little Giant, a combination bar and premium corner store from the owners of Hunt + Alpine Club.<\/span><\/p>\n

Arrested Development<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, we wait to discover the fate of David Levi\u2019s Rossobianco, open just four months before an indefinite closure halted our small-plate indulgence. According to the Facebook page, Rossobianco is \u201crestructuring and will reopen in the new year.\u201d Since bidding a sad farewell to Petite Jacqueline\u2019s reign on Longfellow Square (they\u2019re now at 46 Market Street), we\u2019ve been watching in anticipation for the forces behind <\/span>OTTO<\/span> to establish their long-awaited flagship burrito joint <\/span>Ocho<\/span> at this prize piece of Portland real estate, 190 State Street. Don\u2019t hold your breath\u2013Mike Keon and Anthony Allen confirm they have no plans to pursue the project in 2017. \u201cWe\u2019ve decided to stay focused on OTTO. There won\u2019t be any new openings this year.\u201d Ditto for the joint venture with Hero sandwiches, which folded in August after five months of business. \u201cIt didn\u2019t work out. We\u2019re walking away from the Hero brand.\u201d This leaves a question mark over the pair\u2019s three empty locations (Monument Square, Longfellow Square, and Congress Street). \u201cWe\u2019re paying rent on empty spaces right now. It\u2019s something we\u2019ll have to figure out. It may be that we rent these spaces out to someone else.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Big Plans for Big Tree <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It feels like we\u2019ve been waiting for ages to welcome Baharat\u2013the Middle-Eastern-style eatery from the owners of CN Shawarma food truck\u2013to Washington Avenue, but that could just be our hunger for its arrival. On the same street, Pho restaurant Cong Tu Bot promises to be a fixture of our new year. In Westbrook, Big Fin Pok\u00e9 is set to take over the space previously inhabited by the Dancing Elephant Indian Restaurant. The healthy counter service eatery will offer pok\u00e9 bowls\u2013the Hawaiian tuna dish much hyped in California. Think of it as the new sushi. <\/span><\/p>\n

Talk about on the move. John Myers, beverage director of starry Eventide Oyster Co., recently let slip that \u201cYou definitely busted me on my nonchalance regarding the Boston trip…I am so excited for the future of Eventide and the Boston project.\u201d Owners Mike Wiley, Andrew Taylor, and Arlin Smith of Big Tree Hospitality are taking their successful oyster-bar franchise down to Beantown, where they\u2019re opening Eventide Fenway on Boylston Street in 2017. The Press Herald quotes Wiley: \u201cIt\u2019s less seasonal down there.\u201d Ouch. Seems like this chic neighborhood can\u2019t resist adopting its own \u2018Maine\u2019 flavor. Hope it doesn\u2019t go the same way as the already-closed M.C. Spiedo, another brave attempt by legendary Maine restaurateurs to expand into Boston.<\/span><\/p>\n

Four’s the Charm<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

As recognizable on the restaurant scene as his signature dishes, Jason Loring shows no sign of slowing his foodie reign in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year was a big one for you. The Fifth Food Group opened two new spots (Rhum & Grog and Big J\u2019s Chicken), effectively doubling your restaurant real estate.<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

It was an extremely busy year. I was doing things at a pace I\u2019d never done before. Mike [Frazer of Bramhall Pub] and I had been working on Rhum for about a year, but Big J\u2019s was born out of necessity. Chris [Thompson] and Jeb [Troubh] saw the potential for a small food slot in the space below the Cryptozoology Museum next to Bissell Bros., so we decided to go for it. It could have been as simple as a coffee shop, but that\u2019s not really what I\u2019m into! <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s on the horizon for 2017?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Thompson and Troubh have big plans for Thompson\u2019s Point. We\u2019re going to be working together to develop the Brick South building into a big events space with a functioning kitchen and bar and even a wholesale bakery. I\u2019m consulting and helping to plan out the food side of things. The Point is even bigger than the Old Port in terms of square-footage\u2014and it has parking! <\/span><\/p>\n

We caught you filming Off the Menu. Are you a TV star now?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A friend from Nosh put me in contact with Off The Menu, [whose] CEO is friends with [actress] Shay Mitchell (Pretty Little Liars<\/em>), who was filming [Cadaver<\/em>] in Boston. They came up to shoot for their YouTube channel, so I took them for back-to-back meals at Slab, Big J\u2019s, and Rhum. She totally stuffed her face. I didn\u2019t even know who Shay was when we met. She\u2019s cool as s**t. People started following us around town as soon as they spotted her. It was surreal. <\/span><\/p>\n

Back on the Block<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Tho<\/span>se familiar with Figa, the Asian fusion attraction of the East End food scene which closed in 2013 after two years, will be stunned at the transformation of 249 Congress Street from cozy neighborhood eatery to a bright, modern bistro with a distinctly European aesthetic. Welcome to LB Kitchen. Vacant for three years, the original red brick walls are now painted a cool white, matching the extensive subway tiling along the counters and quirky accents on the wooden furniture. \u201cThe interior came to me in a dream back in 2007. I know, I know\u2013that sounds weird,\u201d says Lee Farrington, looking relaxed as she moves around the open-plan kitchen, its layout unchanged since the days of Figa. The chef isn\u2019t going it alone this time. LB stands for Lee and Bryna, life and business partners. Bryna Gootkind also works for an organic super food brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLB Kitchen is our shared vision,\u201d Goodkind says. \u201cIt\u2019s something we talked about for over a year,\u201d says Gootkind. \u201cThe menu concept is based around functional food\u2013it tastes good and each component does you good. I\u2019m the one who is full of ideas and weird food information. Lee is the magician who pulls it together.\u201d One such example of this dynamic is the bone broth ($7), served to-go in paper cups like coffee. The salty, tasty broth is packed with healthy fats and protein, although \u201cIt took Lee a while to get on board with the idea,\u201d admits Bryna. <\/span><\/p>\n

The star of the menu is surely the LB Bowls (crafted by local ceramicist Amanda Cimino), heaped servings of grains and super foods galore. Figa evangelists will celebrate the reincarnation of Farrington\u2019s wild boar as an LB Bowl, along with coconut and red curry (\u201cI was getting emails about that dish when I closed Figa,\u201d says Farrington. \u201cIt had to be included.\u201d). The menu is a mixture of both virtuous and sinful. The healthful bowls, featuring the label \u201cNot Diet Food,\u201d are an enormous portion for $10. Farrington\u2019s fans who know her penchant for cake will not be disappointed. The Practically Famous Cake Slice ($4) is rich, chocolaty\u2026and vegan. \u201cI served it to Norah Jones before her show at State Theater,\u201d says Farrington. \u201cShe was like, \u2018there\u2019s no way this can be vegan!\u2019\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The bistro will focus on breakfast and lunch servings, closing at 2 p.m. in an attempt to secure that elusive work\/life balance for the couple, who have a young child. That being said, their excitement and ambition is palpable. \u201cWe\u2019re planning to do ticketed pop-up dinners a couple of times a month,\u201d says Gootkind. \u201cWe also see ourselves packaging and selling some of our ingredients, like the \u2018Cashew Crack\u2019 nut butter. And I\u2019d love to see a few more locations in the local area in the future.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

No Sign of Slowing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

J<\/span>ust in case you were worried the momentum behind the Maine craft brewing movement could not sustain itself any longer, fear not. The coming year looks set to welcome even more openings and expansions by local brewers. In Maine, craft beer remains king.<\/span><\/p>\n

East Bayside originals Bunker Brewing have made the journey south to a larger space in Libbytown. The 9,000-square-foot brewery and tasting room will be situated just a stone\u2019s throw from Bissell Brothers brewery\u2026and the Cumberland County Jail. In its four years on Anderson Street, owners Chresten Sorenson and Jay Villani (of Salvage BBQ, Local 188, and Sonny\u2019s fame) saw East Bayside transform from industrial wasteland to one of the city\u2019s hottest new spots. Perhaps the move to Libbytown is a signal of things to come? <\/span><\/p>\n

Joining the ranks of Foundation, Allagash, and Austin Street, Battery Steele will be the new kid on the block at One Industrial Way come February. Owners Shane Noble and Jake Condon cut their teeth working at Gritty McDuff\u2019s brew pubs over the years before deciding to go it alone. \u201cWe know we have to hit the pavement running,\u201d says Condon. \u201cThere are so many discerning palates around Portland. We grew up on farms in Aroostook County, so our goal is to use as many locally sourced and sustainably grown Maine-based products as possible. In the fall of 2017, our goal is to start using grains from a Maine farmer that were planted especially for us.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Over in Westbrook, joining the ranks of Mast Landing Brewing will be the affirmatively named Yes Brewing Co. on 609 Main Street, slated to open in April 2017. We quizzed owner John Bigelow on his decision to open outside of Portland. \u201cPortland is absolutely saturated. [Westbrook] is just far enough away from the city that we get that little bit more notoriety\u2026not to mention just that the town itself is phenomenal.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A casualty of the craft brewing boom, D.L. Geary Brewing Co., a.k.a. the one that started it all in 1983, has reportedly taken a cut in production due to decreased demand following stiff competition from its younger counterparts. According to statistics from the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages, Geary\u2019s production went down by 34.5 percent between 2011 and 2015. Meanwhile, craft breweries made 113.8% more beer in 2015 than in 2011. As more breweries establish themselves in the state (59 in total, according to figures from Brewers Association in 2015) brewers are having to fight to slake the thirst of an increasingly competitive market. Multiple requests for comment have been rebuffed.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winterguide 2017
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