Hungry Eye

Foodie Newsflash…

Out Is In!

For restaurant style-setters, adversity is the mother of invention.

BY DIANE HUDSON

For those of usfascinated with trying to square the circle, is outside really the new ”in”? We’re witnessing terrific ingenuity across the restaurant industry in seizing opportunities afforded by necessary adaptations to a new norm.

“From COVID pivot to permanent crowd pleaser, anything outdoors, warm, and unusual is in,” says Kathleen Pierce of Hospitality Maine. “Igloos are multiplying, ice bars are returning, and fish shacks are now the hottest table to score in the state as hotels, resorts, and restaurants double down on their outdoor attractions. The Cliff House in Cape Neddick had a handful of igloos for dining last year—this year they’re adding a bunch more. And the Samoset in Rockland is bringing back their ice bar. In February, look for the outdoor seafood festival at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth.”

Eat Drink Lucky’s Gillian Britt reports that 90.1 percent of her viewers have been asking for more news of outdoor dining options. “So that market is not going away anytime soon.” Although Harvest on the Harbor was canceled in 2020, it “sold out in 2021. Being open to the fresh air, it was cold, but people loved it, embracing the chance to hear live music and share with others in lively, delicious events.” Maine Restaurant Week, along with Spirit Quest cocktail pairings, is a go for March 1-12 in 2022, Britt adds.

Breweries and distilleries are all in for the outdoors too. Britt notes that Oxbow on Washington Avenue has installed heated A-frames for outside seating, while Batson River Brewing in Kennebunk has brought back its popular fish shacks (reservations required).

Allagash on Industrial Way has expanded its outdoorsy space with heated lean-tos, fire pits, and an enclosed heated patio.

THANK GOD, MARSHMALLOWS NOT INCLUDED

The ubiquitous fire pits and propane heaters that grace Fore River Brewing Company in South Portland glow cheerfully at breweries all over Portland as the days grow dark at Banded, Belleflower, Lone Pine, Austin Street, Rising Tide, and more. Seems every street corner is filled with folks sipping by an open fire or propane tower warming patrons already warmed by robust spirits at Maine Craft Distilling, Hardshore, and Three of Strong in Portland.

Skate and sip at The Rink at Thomp-

son’s Point with fire pits and a bar serving Maine-made beers and snacks, or pop into nearby Bissell Brothers Brewing Company, where Peter Bissell promises a “buncha big beers” to come out this winter. Funky Bow Brewery in Lyman also offers skating, along with wood-fire pizza and huge fire pits, as well as a vast translucent tunnel tent for a more sheltered experience.

Coastal and inland brewery adventures await as well:

Marshall Wharf Brewing Company

in Belfast has a waterfront “beer atrium” warmed with wood stoves and chiminea; Freeport’s

Maine Beer Com-

pany complements its spacious indoors with a heated, covered patio; and Ox-

bow Beer Garden

in Oxford is a winter haven graced with a 200-year-old barn, free access to five miles of Nordic skiing trails, and warming huts with fire pits.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Emilitsa’s space on Congress Street was snapped up in a heartbeat after closing in September and is being transformed into Regards, described by owners as an “L. A.-inspired restaurant that melds the fresh, clean approach of Southern California cuisine which is intrinsically tied to the techniques and flavors of Mexico while highlighting seafood and vegetable dishes from Maine.” Expected opening, January 2022.

Also newly opened on Congress (at 229) is the Dirty Dove bar, where A&C Grocery owner Joe Fournier and Michael Gatlin of Owl & Whale feature unique cocktails and a food menu “brought to you by the letters A and C.”

NEW YEAR STARTS HERE

Other recent openings suggest an industry trend towards an interest in well-being in all ways, including our diets. Soon to debut on Veranda Street, The Grateful Cup will offer “high-quality fruit and vegetable beverages, light fare, and an emphasis on giving back to our community,” says co-owner Samantha Allen. “Our goal is to have a place to have healthy drinks near where we work” at Float Harder Relaxation Center, owned by two of the four partners in The Grateful Cup.

Add to this the recently opened Old Port Nutrition at 23 Temple Street and you’ll catch the drift. The beverages served up by Angela Drinkwater—the self-de-

scribed “only shake and tea guru in the Old Port”—feature probiotics, collagen, fiber, and protein. “Grab a shake after your workouts, or when you forget breakfast or lunch,” Angie says. “Or when you’re feeling run down, grab a tea to get you through your day!”

And for healthy Mediterranean-inspired fare, you’ll soon be able to head on over to Dila’s Kitchen at Portland’s Public Market House, where chef-owner Dila Maloney crafts family-style dishes and kebabs inspired by her Turkish heritage.

HOLY MIXOLOGY

Spring 2022 promises a new and expanded location for Vena’s Fizz House, a cocktail and mocktail bar and mixology shop founded in 2013. Co-owner Johanna Corman says Vena’s 2.0 will be housed in the former Port City Baptist Church at 867 Congress Street and “will hold all the nostalgic charm and passion for beverages and flavors that we are known for,” plus a few new surprises in this “unique space for specialty occasions and mixology classes.”

ROLL IT ON OUT

Soon Portlanders will no longer have to drive out to Fort Williams Park or Allagash Brewing for those ever-engaging lobster rolls from Bite into Maine’s food trucks. Come springtime, look for their new takeout location in a large space they’ve rented on Diamond Street in East Bayside!

We’ll also have the long-awaited Smalls, a West End neighborhood cafe and market at 28 Brackett Street, where Samantha Knopf—a veteran of the New York City hospitality industry and a former potter, birth doula, florist, set designer, and teacher—will be sourcing goods from smallscale local producers and makers. Next is the anticipation of huge growth in what is already an exploding East End/Munjoy Hill food destination. The Maker’s Gallery, recently opened by Rachel Sagiroglu of Experience Maine, offers a tasting lounge, cafe, and marketplace housed in the former space of Rosemont Market on Commercial Street. Sagiroglu says COVID-induced vacancies presented an opportune time for signing the lease as rents became more competitive for this sort of brick-andmortar venture. Described by Sagiroglu as “an experiential space showcasing products by Maine makers, artisans, and farmers,” the multi-purpose venue includes a gift shop, full-service chef’s kitchen, tasting tables, and casual seating for events where you can expect a “total immersion in all things Maine.”

UP, UP, AND AWAY

Too long confined, are we now attracted to getting our highs in higher places? Expect a proliferation of rooftop destinations in 2022 following the popular Luna’s 2021 lead with their wide-open space atop the

Canopy by Hilton Portland Waterfront

hotel. Plans are in the works at the Westin Portland Harborview hotel to top the Top of the East, and developers of the Time & Temperature Building on Congress also have a rooftop design in the works.

Bottom line: these are the times to go literally up and out to eat, drink, and be merry through 2022 in the East End, West End, and all around the town, while safe inland and coastal adventures await too. n