Winterguide 2019 | view this story as a .pdf

Maine’s culinary landscape keeps even the savviest foodies on their toes.

By Olivia Gunn Kotsishevskaya and Ashley Brindamour

Our chefs are America’s most innovative, turning Mr. Beard’s head ceaselessly (Maine touted 11 semifinalists in 2018), while staples and newcomers are highlighted by media giants almost weekly. (We’re still blushing a bit, Bon Appétit.)

But Maine’s got a good head on her shoulders. She knows where her lobster roll is buttered. Even now, donning the title “Restaurant City of the Year” in Portland, she’s just as proud of her clam chowders as she is of the vibrant, curious dishes coming out of chef Josh Berry’s Union kitchen—see the front cover of this issue of Portland Monthly.

Come take the cook’s tour. We’ll show you the newest spots in town, do a little sightseeing along the coast, and serve up some loving dishes of nostalgia.

Portland Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Every time we turn our heads, a new bar, restaurant or cafe sets up shop. Some turn out to be flashes in the pan, while others fit like a glove.

The Portland waterfront is looking at yet another shake-up come summer 2019. A 200-seat Luke’s Lobster is in the works at 60 Portland Pier. Luke Holden, originally from Cape Elizabeth, announced plans for the Portland edition of his chain restaurant in December. You know the parking’s going to be exciting. Off peninsula, an East Deering pizza joint changes hands and is in for a facelift. The now closed Angelone’s on Washington Avenue is being transformed by Steven Quattrucci and Neil Rouda. Quattrucci, known for his Back Bay Grill, plans to reopen the former Angelone’s location as Monte’s Fine Foods, a specialty food market.

Grace Restaurant will undergo a conversion in the new year. In November, owner Anne Verrill announced that she would be ending full dining service at the start of the new year. “We have decided it is time to concentrate on events exclusively, and to that end, we will continue booking seamlessly and under the same management,” Verrill writes on Facebook. With chef Adam Flood heading the kitchen, Grace opened in 2009 in the former Methodist church, built in 1856, on Chestnut Street.

Commercial Street might look a bit less rosy with Rosemont Market’s doors closed. Emily Smith, marketing manager and produce department head, says the decision didn’t come easily or quickly. “We remain grateful for the many close relationships we formed with our customers there, but rising rent led us to make the difficult choice to close.” But a Portland loss is a Falmouth gain here. “We’re very excited to bring Rosemont’s neighborhood-market spirit to Falmouth later this winter.”

Barbecue fans were disappointed to learn that Johnny St. Laurent’s return to Portland would be short-lived. The Uncle Billy’s pop-up opened in April at 539 Deering Avenue, and it was soon announced that a permanent location was in the works. But the pop-up restaurant closed abruptly, and plans for brick and mortar were pulled. As it goes in Portland, one restaurant closes a heartbeat before another swoops in to sign the lease. Bird & Co., a Mexican eatery, owned by Jared Dinsmore and William Dowd, will heat up the same spot this winter.

The Old Port is a little sweeter this new year with the opening of Gross Confection Bar. Pastry chef Brant Dadaleares raised over $35K to launch his dessert bar at 57 Exchange Street, where sugar fiends can revel in all their glory.

Bringing even more flavor and camaraderie to Portland is Eaux at 90 Exchange, with its “soul & provisions” by chef Evan Richardson from Shrimp & City Grits to Gumbo. “We have a community dinner every month which we schedule up to four months in advance,” Richardson says. “This includes a collaboration between two to four local businesses highlighting a themed dinner. Ideally, a brewery and fellow restaurant/food truck are included, but not always.” 

Independent Ice Company is inspired by the legendary ice harvesters of the Kennebec River. Now there’s some work to drive up a thirst! Nestled near Oasis and Pearl on Wharf Street, the bar offers a whiskey menu that stretches across continents.

Looking Good, Bayside

Last year, “Inner Washington” was Portland’s favored child. Now Bayside is seeing some promising new ventures. The Portland Zoo is the tiny gem on Fox Street started by Mark Miller and Chris Blake, with Josh Maner managing. The name pays homage to the Ol’ Dirty Bastard song “BrooklynZoo.” “Our vision all along was East Bayside or nothing,” Miller says. “It’s our favorite neighborhood in the city, and we hope to be able to bring more amazing community involvement in the near future to continue its growth. We also painted the building teal as a tribute to the old-school Sea Dogs colors. We believe this beer, wine, art section of Portland will continue to be a bright, positive personality within the city.” Miller says this is just the beginning and that the crew is preparing a new pop-up brewery called Illmadic.

And ‘Yeast’ Bayside welcomes Austin Street Brewery’s second location, at 115 Fox Street, next to Rising Tide. The tasting room opened December 22. According to Portland Food Map’s Anestes Fotiades, “Their new location is nearly 9,000 square feet in size overall, with a 2,000 square foot larger tasting room and outdoor area.”

Same Chef, New Digs

It didn’t take chef Nick Verdisco long to move on from Bolster, Snow & Co., which abruptly closed its doors in November. Fans of the chef’s dishes can now find his takes on Maine and European classics at the Falmouth Country Club, along with Erica Archer of Wine Wise, who was hired as the sommelier. “As a chef, you have to be able to walk away from a situation, even if it’s your heart and soul,” Verdisco says. He was hired as head chef at Bolster in late 2017 and brought a crew he calls his “kids” with him from New York. When the group, including Sarah Miller, Tyler Dederick, and Chris Papp, was informed Verdisco would be leaving, they followed suit and will be joining him in Falmouth. Plans for his own restaurant are in the works, and Verdisco hopes to be opening something this spring but hasn’t announced a name or space.

Welcome Back, Deweys

The July news that Three Dollar Deweys had closed sent many Portland pub urchins into a panic. But word that the staple will remain spread even faster in November when a sign appeared in the Commercial Street window reading “Returning Soon.” Joe Christopher will resurrect Deweys with “new aesthetics, a new menu, and superior service.” Christopher is a Maine entrepreneur who founded Three Rivers Whitewater Inc. in 1997. Now he’s taking on 36 taps and a lot of history with a bar that originally opened in 1980 on Fore and Union and has remained a favorite—free popcorn, bench seating, sticky floors, and all. Christopher will add a few notes of his own. “Maine and Portland have a great music scene and heritage. I play guitar and sing myself. We’re excited to have some of Maine’s best performing here,” he says. “We’ll also have a new menu that will embrace the Commercial Street waterfront with some great chowders including my grandmother’s recipe, Princes Point Seafood Chowder.”

A Maine Name Rolls On

When Momma Baldacci’s closed in 2008, an era that stretched four generations ended. Now, the family restaurant will take to the streets with Paul Baldacci at the wheel. Originally opened in 1975 on Alden Street in Bangor, the restaurant became a stop on the campaign trail for politicians, including Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, according to the Bangor Daily News. And the Baldaccis served up a few of their own public servants—a governor, mayor, and city council member—but the real attraction was the Italian-American dishes that kept politicians and Mainers alike coming back for more. “After my father [Paul Baldacci Sr.] passed away in 2006, I took the restaurant over until 2008,” Baldacci says. “It was always a dream of mine to have Momma Baldacci’s back in Bangor. Now with a food truck, I can be apart of both great communities in Westbrook and Bangor.” He says fans can expect a more “modern, fast-casual product.” You’ll soon find the truck at Mast Landing in Westbrook and Orono Brewing Company in Bangor.

Short Supply

In November, shortly after closing the café portion of Aurora Provisions on September 1, owners Melissa Carr and Art Durity announced an end to their catering business as well. The building at 64 Pine Street, now under the management of Kevin T. O’Donovan, faced auction as 2019 opened (Jan. 10). “Potential buyers have different ideas for the building,” John Hatcher of Keller Williams Realty-The Hatcher Group says, “Some plan to keep it what it is, while others talk about condos.”

Foodie Field Trip

These new points south are all within an hour of Portland and worth the drive. Start the trip with a morning joe at Biddeford’s Time and Tide Coffee, the new kid on Main Street. Husband and wife Jon Phillips and Briana Campbell opened the shop in November. Originally from New York, the couple “came to Maine…to build our business in a place we wanted to live—near the ocean, in an artistic and engaged community, close to cities but not in the center of one—and Biddeford fit the bill perfectly.”

Passing through the Kennebunks, take a short detour to Argentina with chef Germán Lucarelli as your Patagonian guide at The Lost Fire [see our Restaurant Review, page 57]. This Cape Porpoise Argentinian grill house is the smokin’ sister to Lucarelli’s Ports of Italy.

Dinner at Festina Lente in Kittery concludes this 60-mile tour. Before opening as an intimate Italian eatery, the building was occupied by Bill’s Original Kitchen. Though the space may be small, there’s nothing little about chef Sam Ostrow’s cooking. “I love every dish on the menu,” Ostrow says. “If I didn’t I wouldn’t put it on. We are locally sourced and seasonally focused, so there are [instances] when a dish I love can only be made certain times of the year.”

Lights Up On Westbrook

Rock Row could be Westbrook’s big moment. The plan for a 110-acre development on the Westbrook/Portland border is in the works and will encompass the area of the former Blue Rock quarry. The project could host as many as “750 residential dwelling units,” according to Jennie P. Franceschi, director of planning and code enforcement for the city of Westbrook. Plans are still in early development but include restaurants, retail shops, a concert venue with 8,200 seats, and a Market Basket, which is expected to open by fall 2019.