{"id":12866,"date":"2017-04-27T17:54:42","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T21:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=12866"},"modified":"2017-05-04T10:04:26","modified_gmt":"2017-05-04T14:04:26","slug":"new-port","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/new-port\/","title":{"rendered":"New Port"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Dreamers<\/strong> upend downtown<\/strong>, the Old Port<\/strong>, and the waterfront<\/strong>.<\/span><\/h3>\n

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

\"May-17-New-Port\"Not the Usual Suspects <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Portland Public Market House<\/strong> is shuffling its roster dramatically. After 18 years, beloved cheesemonger Kris Horton has hung up her cheese knife. Stepping in to fill the void is Cafe Cr\u00eape<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe do one thing, and we do it really, really well: sweet and savory cr\u00eapes,\u201d says owner Lauren Brinkmann<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Bar seating excites with views of the open kitchen space, where the staff deftly smooths and flips the batter over large hotplates. Extra seating at the window faces Monument Square. Cr\u00eapes are hot right now. Brinkmann runs another Cafe Cr\u00eape location in Freeport and a food truck on Thompson\u2019s Point. But the Market House venture is her biggest yet. \u201cWe\u2019re so used to working in tight spaces. This feels huge.\u201d Here\u2019s a taste: The Roma features \u201cmozzarella, tomatoes, basil, olive spread, and pesto.\u201d Dare to feel sweet? The Cinnamon Bun startles with \u201ccinnamon, sugar, and butter.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

On the second floor, replacing Granny\u2019s Burrito, Sticky Sweet<\/strong> serves sweet rice treats that co-owner Ashley Dow<\/strong> learned to make while teaching in Thailand. The dish is simple\u2013sticky rice paired with fruit and drizzled with Maine maple syrup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another newcomer, Pho Co.<\/strong>, is owned by husband-wife team Hoang<\/strong> and Chau Du Nguyen<\/strong>. The stand sells steaming bowls of soup along with spring rolls, dumplings, and rice dishes. Hoang says pho ramen has become a recent favorite. \u201cWe were the first place in Portland to combine these two popular dishes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A block over from the market, Portsmouth-transplant BRGR Bar<\/strong> is serving up grass-fed beef and boozy shakes in the space once inhabited by Margaritas Mexican restaurant. But this is no Happy Days<\/em> diner. The lighting is subdued, and the space is industrial in style with a bright mural of a cheeseburger dominating the back wall. You could get a workout walking laps around the enormous bar. Burgers range from $13 to $18 while a spiked shake will set you back $11. <\/span><\/p>\n

Across Monument Square, sandwiched between Guitar Grave and the First Parish Church, catering company A Moveable Feast<\/strong> has opened a restaurant branch, Vieux Port Creole<\/strong>. Co-partner Susanne Cornelia<\/strong> says the fare is unique in Portland. \u201cThe Cajuns came through Maine on their way to Louisiana, and this is the kind of hearty food they ate,\u201d she says. Cornelia\u2019s grasp of Acadian history may be fractured, but the gumbo and jambalaya are tasty and surprisingly inexpensive: only $4.25 for a cup and a bread roll. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s affordable because we buy simple ingredients and don\u2019t pour anything out of a bag,\u201d Cornelia says. Her restaurant opened on Mardi Gras, but Cornelia and partner Kevin Guay<\/strong> are still putting the finishing touches on the place. The intimate dining area, checkered floor, paintings, and even the makeshift counter all make it inviting and unpretentious. When Cornelia isn\u2019t bustling around greeting and chatting with customers, she\u2019s working on her laptop out in the dining room. As customers pay their bills, they leave with stacks of lunch menus. \u201cI hand them out like candy,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chain Reaction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the rough square mile contained by India, High, Congress, and Commercial Streets lies the salty, beating heart of Portland\u2019s commerce. And despite the Old Port\u2019s nostalgic name, retail spaces in the area seem to ride a carousel of new ownership. <\/span><\/p>\n

This summer, Williams Sonoma-owned furniture chain West Elm<\/strong> will move onto the corner of Middle and Market Street, formerly home to White Cap Grille and before that Sebago Brew Pub. Before that, the Oyster Club. Before that<\/em>, Market Street Market, developed by Pritam Singh<\/strong>. It\u2019s a magic corner, as the turnover implies\u2013a telling starting point for change.<\/span><\/p>\n

Portland has had an uneasy relationship with chains in the past few years, exemplified by a 2006 City Council zoning ordinance that limits the number and size of franchise businesses in the Old Port. Nevertheless, Urban Outfitters<\/strong> set up shop on this row in 2011. Anthropologie<\/strong> followed in 2015. The appearance of another corporate chain fuels anxiety about the homogenization of Portland\u2019s marquee retail district, the threat it poses to local business owners, and, less quantifiably, the dilution of local charm. (Though few suggest the Old Port wasn\u2019t a rough and a scary place to walk through at night before the retail renaissance.)<\/p>\n

West Elm spokesperson Dru Ortega<\/strong> insists, chain or not, the furniture store will make an effort to become more than just an outlet. \u201cIn 2013 we introduced West Elm LOCAL<\/strong>, empowering our shopkeepers to connect and engage with area artisans, nurturing a creative network that celebrates craftspeople,\u201d Ortega says. \u201cOur shopkeepers are empowered to become contributing members of the community by inviting artists, makers, and other local creative business owners into the store to host pop-up shops and community-driven workshops that are open to the public.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ortega adds that the store \u201cwill dedicate a small footprint to featuring a selection of products made by Maine-based artists.\u201d In fact, the design of the store will be, to an extent, Portland-specific. \u201cA handful of elements in West Elm\u2019s Portland store will honor the city\u2019s industrial and maritime history,\u201d he says, including sailing rope woven into a sculpture and a lattice of railroad ties. Local flavor, or just good PR? <\/span><\/p>\n

Sartorial scene<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Rough and Tumble<\/strong> on 127 Middle Street is a paean to what manager Jessica Shulte<\/strong> calls \u201cthe strong, rugged Maine woman.\u201d Founded by former restaurateur Natasha Durham<\/strong> of Natasha\u2019s and Mim\u2019s fame, the store sells mostly leather handbags\u2013each individually handmade at Durham\u2019s studio space in Norway. The flagship store is stylishly spare, with wide expanses of wood floorboards and industrial metal racks bedecked with bags.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe emphasis is on being functional, but our bags are proof that something well-made and functional can turn out beautiful,\u201d Shulte says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a few blocks away you\u2019ll find another handbag connoisseur, this time with an Italian heritage. O Bag<\/strong> on Middle Street is one of eleven U.S. locations representing the European brand. The concept here is often likened to adult Build-A-Bear, where customers create their own custom bags by choosing the components from rows of bags, handles, liners, watch faces, and other accessories in a dazzle of color schemes, all dripping and dangling from the walls. Assistant manager Bayley Hamilton<\/strong> says customers \u201cspend hours in here planning out their bags.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the way on Exchange Street, boutique Peyote Moon <\/strong>[pictured above] is a champion of high-end handmade style. Owner Bridget Lenahan<\/strong> threw open her doors last year, featuring wares that are \u201ctimeless and committed to slow fashion, not the stuff you buy and throw out season after season.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The shop has a Southwestern flavor, with turquoise rings, denim jackets, and dream catchers aplenty. A mix of vintage and contemporary clothes hangs from the walls. Most of the items are made in small batches from independent designers. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese are heirloom pieces that will last a lifetime,\u201d Lenahan says. And the prices do promote that expectation. A vintage Grateful Dead T-shirt will set you back $248. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lenahan was initially terrified that business would slump during the winter, but business has been steady. \u201cI\u2019ve put literally everything into this store,\u201d she says. \u201cEach step is exciting but a little nerve-wracking.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Bars & Baristas<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Two newcomers have moved in opposite each other on Wharf Street\u2013the epicenter of Portland\u2019s raucous summer nightlife. Mark Deane<\/strong>, owner of Rosie\u2019s<\/strong>, Mark\u2019s Place<\/strong>, and Old Port Slice Bar and Ice Bar<\/strong>, established Mark\u2019s Sports Bar<\/strong> [above right] on the former site of Buck\u2019s Naked BBQ.<\/span><\/p>\n

His philosophy couldn\u2019t be simpler. \u201cIt\u2019s about watching sports, so we went ahead and made that easy to do.\u201d Deane nods to the numerous flatscreen TVs wallpapering the establishment (there are more than 70.) The dim interior allows some light to enter, but not enough to distract from the screens, some of which are wall-sized projections. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can put on different games in each section, so customers can watch what they want,\u201d Deane says. <\/span><\/p>\n

Deane, who lost his wife, Cindie, to cancer, says he spent three years grieving and not speaking to anyone. His most recent flurry of entrepreneurship has been his way of connecting to the world again. \u201cThis really started as a way to get out of the house.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Opposite you\u2019ll find Jager<\/strong>, a Bavarian pub whose brand fits in with the deep cobblestones and European mise-en-sc\u00e8ne<\/em> (sports bar notwithstanding) of Wharf Street. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe idea came to us following the overwhelmingly positive response we received from Oktoberfest specials at our sister pub, The King\u2019s Head<\/strong>,\u201d says co-owner and chef Paul Kirschbaum<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Light filters through a single window facing Wharf Street. Exposed brick, finished wood counters, and mounted antlers lend to the hunting-lodge feel. Jager, after all, is German for hunter. You could certainly imagine bearded, musket-slinging Teutons plopping down here to chow on bratwurst and Spaten lager. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kirschbaum is of German descent and says the menu is informed by his time spent working at his family\u2019s restaurant in D\u00fcsseldorf. Far from a novelty act, this place caters to Portland\u2019s substantial German community. \u201cWe\u2019ve only been open since February, and we\u2019re thrilled to find both local brewers and off-the-boat Germans as dedicated regulars,\u201d Kirschbaum says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Just a few blocks westward, yet far away in spirit from the hunting grounds of Deutschland, you\u2019ll find Baristas + Bites<\/strong>. The interior is small, industrial, and designed for customers to orbit around a rectangular steel service counter. Owned by financial advisor and founder of Love Kupcakes, Amy Alward<\/strong>, the cafe courted controversy earlier this year when Alward declared she would pay employees $15 an hour and introduce a no-tipping policy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Open for breakfast and lunch, the cafe\u2019s focus is, naturally, Love Kupcakes and, less conventionally, fresh, local rotisserie chicken to-go. <\/span><\/p>\n

While cupcakes and chicken may not seem like likely bedfellows\u2013or platefellows\u2013 manager Chris Hines<\/strong> says,\u201cThe most popular item on the menu, by far, has been the chicken.\u201d Which is lucky, as the installation of the large rotisserie oven caused headaches. \u201cWhen we got it up to Fore Street, we couldn\u2019t get it in the front door. [It] had to be shipped back to Boston. The shipping and reassembling costs were outrageous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Local bartender Joshua Miranda<\/strong> is making moves on Exchange Street. His new cocktail joint Blyth & Burrows <\/strong>will have a seductive nautical theme that pays homage to the bar\u2019s namesake, 19th century sea captains Samuel Blyth and William Burrows.<\/p>\n

Blyth & Burrows hopes to entice in a sophisticated crowd with the promise of molecular cocktails, smalls plates, and an oyster pit. \u201cOrder a drink at The Captain\u2019s Table and select a mixed dozen oysters from the Damariscotta River,\u201d advises Miranda. And there\u2019s more. \u201cOnce you\u2019ve eaten, tell your server if you\u2019re not ready to go home. They\u2019ll direct you down a secret passageway\u2026\u201d The daring will discover a secret basement bar\u2013the Broken Dram\u2013hidden to all but those in the know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Familiar Faces, New Spaces<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

An old friend returned to the Old Port this year in the shape of El Rayo Taqueria.<\/strong> Moving from its home in a former renovated gas station on York Street (slated to become a condo development), El Rayo has replicated its bright, kitschy style in the space formerly known as stationery shop Papier Gourmet on Free Street. The large rear deck promises to entice hungry burrito-eaters throughout the summer months.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, popular food truck Mami<\/strong> will soon be opening a permanent (and stationary) restaurant on Fore Street where Mainley Wraps once stood. Co-owner Hana Tamaki<\/strong> believes that fast-casual food, such as Mami\u2019s Kobayashi Hot Dog, is on the rise in Portland and anticipates a busy lunch rush. \u201cWe want to open a place where people feel comfortable bringing their kids,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re anxious but very excited [to go into bricks and mortar].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Longfellow Square locals can breathe easy with the confirmed revival of Joe\u2019s Super Variety<\/strong> in the brand-new Hiawatha Building<\/strong> at 667 Congress Street. The new location, situated on the first floor of the sleek, eight-story building, may seem a world away from the shop\u2019s origins, but owner Michael Discatio<\/strong> assures us that despite the change in appearance, Joe\u2019s is still planning on keeping it real.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t walk down Congress Street without people asking me when we\u2019re going to open. All they say is that there\u2019s no place to get a sandwich around here anymore.\u201d Customers can enjoy the extended food, beer, and wine selections, but other than that, Michael expects to maintain the shop\u2019s previous atmosphere. No big deal. \u201cTook an old building down. Put a new one up.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

When asked how his grandfather and store founder, Joe Discatio Sr., would have felt about their brief closure, Michael says, \u201cHe\u2019d be pissed. I closed for 17 months. He didn\u2019t want to close for a single day.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 2017
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