Bread and Butter

Bread AND pastry? Yum. Looking forward to Zu Bakery opening soon at 81 Clark Street.

Eight Exchange

A festive dining habitat in front of "The Bar & Bites" on Exchange Street.

Take Out

Little Giant in the West End has become a popular takeout destination. Glad to see some parking spots being used for a different purpose around town as well.

Branching Out

A new Copper Branch location in Canal Plaza. Happy to see a tenant in this interesting structure.

Cobblestone Street & Company

Open air dining amongst the cobblestones of Wharf Street.

Spanish for the Heart Restaurant

A welcoming sidewalk in front of the newly opened Restaurante El Corazon restaurant in Longfellow Square. The company is still operating their popular food truck, El Corazon, as well.

Becky's

Steaming past Becky's Diner on Commercial Street, a local landmark on Commercial Street since 1991.

BRGR Bar

Passing by the newly opened BRGR BAR (Portland, ME) on Brown Street. Anyone been here yet? I do enjoy a good burger every now and then.

El Rayo Taqueria

The new location of El Rayo Taqueria is now open on Free Street. Here's an aerial view of the front entrance on a recent evening.

The Portland Patisserie

The Market Street side of the Portland Patisserie and Grand Café. Since opening earlier this year it has become a popular spot and a nice place to people-watch from the window seats.

Evo

A peek inside of Evo, a new restaurant and bar "serving a modern fusion of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines." It's located in the Hyatt Place hotel building on Fore Street.

The Pleasant End of Fore Street

An idyllic view down Pleasant Street. On the left is the fine dining restaurant named Artemisia. Their website has the tagline "The Pleasant End of Fore Street," a reference to their street address (Fore Street turns into Pleasant Street after it hits Center Street).

Central Provisions

A view of the Wharf Street entrance to Central Provisions. The restaurant and bar, which opened a little over a year ago, quickly established itself as a destination and was even nominated for "best new restaurant" by the James Beard Foundation. 

Otto / Enzo

From the January First Friday, a peek inside Otto Pizza's next door dining area, known as Enzo. The line of people sitting up against the window seemed like an interesting visual. 

Central Provisions

A look down at Central Provisions, a restaurant at 414 Fore Street that has collected some great reviews in their first year of businesses. 

Otto It's Your Birthday

Happy 5th Birthday to Portland's Otto Pizza! I remember when Otto was the new kid on the block, so it's great to see their success over the years as they expanded their original Portland location and branched out to other cities as well.  As a reminder to wish them a happy birthday, the Time & Temperature sign is currently flashing "EAT OTTO."

Slab

The new restaurant named Slab appears to now be open in the old Public Market Building, facing Preble Street. The restaurant's co-owner Stephen Lanzalotta is credited with creating Portland's original Sicilian Slab at Micucci's on India Street. The outdoor seating area at Slab certainly looks like a nice addition to this area during the warmer months. 

Patio Season

It's nice to see local cafes and restaurants putting out their patio seating again. Here is Shay's Grill Pub in Monument Square:

And Taco Escobarr at 548 Congress Street:

Street-Side Dining

People eating outside at Taco Escobarr, a busy Mexican restaurant on Congress Street:

The Empire is Back

The Empire restaurant re-opened earlier this month at 575 Congress Street. While keeping the same name and the music venue upstairs, the menu is now focused on Chinese food (which happens to be what the original Empire restaurant served at his location long ago).  I haven't been inside yet, but I'm a huge fan of their new signage. I really like these vertical marquee signs, and as you can see, it even lights up at night!