Red Italian moon gets ready to rise in Old Port

I'm back from vacation and racing against the deadline for next week's Maine Switch Magazine, but I couldn't pass up the chance to share these snapshots I took during a visit to the soon-to-open Luna Rossa Italian restaurant yesterday afternoon. An exciting and elegant space, it's located in the former home of the Pavilion nightclub at 188 Middle St. The building was constructed after fire leveled much of the city in 1866, and it first served as the headquarters for Canal National Bank. Many of the original features remain.

Initially, the building's owners intended to create a retail mall, of which the restaurant Luna Rossa would be one tenant. However, those plans changed and now the restaurant is the sole business filling the space.

Executive Chef Antonio Bruno, an Italian native, says the plan is to offer seating for a whopping 220+, including a full bar and lounge space. The bar, located on the mezzanine, has Las Vegas-style dueling pianos, which should offer a high-energy Thur-Sat entertainment option.

The restaurant is ready to open, but it's stuck in a holding pattern as they wait for the state's liquor inspector to return from vacation and grant a liquor license. Chef Bruno says there's a possibility they could open next week, but it may not happen until the beginning of August.

In the meantime, the kitchen staff has been hired and the menus are ready to go. The menus include lunch, dinner, dessert, late night and kid's. Eventually Sunday brunch will be added. The bar menu, which includes things such as fried calamari ($10), sliders ($9), bruschetta caprese ($6) and fried ravioli ($9), will be on tap from 10 pm-midnight Thur-Sat.

Many of the items on the lunch and dinner menus are similar to popular dishes Chef Bruno cooked up at restaurants in London, New York and Bermuda. These include shrimp rossa ($12), involtino di pollo ($20), capepesanti all fuoco ($12) and puttanesca classico ($17).

Chef Bruno says the kitchen "will be as flexible as we can," and says with two days advance notice he can accommodate pretty much any special order. Wanting to test him, I asked about gluten-free requests. No problem, he said, and indicated that he can special order gluten-free pasta. Pretty impressive.

The food will be complemented by a wine list dominated by Italian wines, but which will include bottles from around the globe. This original bank vault at the back of the space may one day become a super-secure wine cellar.

I was really surprised to see this room that time forgot, located behind the space where the Pavilion's bar used to be. In the future it may become a special chef's table room.

Luna Rossa is located at 188 Middle St., Portland. Once it opens, reservations can be made by calling 899-1113.

Italian-inspired Corner Room opens

Chef Harding Lee Smith showed off his sleek prosciutto slicer when I stopped by to check out the new Corner Room Kitchen & Bar earlier today. The demonstration was a bit of indulgence since it's full speed ahead in the restaurant today as Chef Smith and his crew get ready to open for the first time at 5 pm tonight.

It's a busy night for restaurant openings in town, with Grace also set to begin serving dinner tonight.

This is Smith's third eatery in Portland and joins his Front Room on Munjoy Hill and his Grill Room just a couple doors down Exchange Street.

Located in the former home of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, the restaurant features a dining room with a warm, cozy feel and great views of the street life on Federal and Exchange streets.

The kitchen staff was hard at work in the open kitchen prepping for tonight's dinner. The menu includes a la carte antipasti choices of meat, seafood, vegetables and cheeses plus a robust selection of salads, pizzas, paninis and pasta. Everything is priced at $15 or under. Look for a list of Italian wines to round out your meal.

This photo doesn't do it justice, but there is a really sweet piece of signage art hanging above the door that depicts spaghetti dangling off a fork. Just looking at it makes me crave pasta.

The Corner Room is located at the corner of Exchange and Federal streets in the heart of the Old Port. It opens tonight at 5 pm. It will be open for dinner through the weekend, including July 4. On Monday it will open for lunch at 11 am and stay open until 10 pm. These will be the normal hours Monday-Saturday, and Sundays it will be open from 4-9 pm. Call 879-4747 for a reservation.

Grace restaurant opens Thursday

After more than a year of work, the much-anticipated Grace restaurant officially opens its doors to the public tomorrow night. It also will be open Friday, then close for the holiday weekend and reopen on Tuesday.

The baby of Anne and Peter Verrill, who own the popular Foreside Tavern in Falmouth, this casual fine dining eatery fills the historic Chestnut Street Church. You can find it on Chestnut Street between City Hall and the Chestnut Street Lofts.

I stopped by today to chat with Anne (right) and general manager Kate Tozier (left). They're standing behind the circular bar that fills the center of the church. Above, the ceiling soars to the rafters and beautiful light from the original stained glass windows bathes the space.

Here's the view from the mezzanine, with the bar below, the open kitchen at the back and a part of the lounge area visible on the left. You can see some more photos and read about the historic renovation in this excellent Press Herald story from Meredith Goad.

The kitchen is headed up by Executive Chef Eric Simeon. His sample menus include offerings such as venison meatballs with red mole sauce and cheesy grits, smoked duck breast with hibiscus-ginger jelly and cracked wheat salad and potato gnocchi with wild mushrooms, pea shoots and parmesan broth. The menus will emphasize small plates and appetizers, but with plenty of entree-sized meals. The goal is to keep prices below $30, with the apps falling in the $8-$12 range.

The restaurant seats roughly 130. Here's the view to the right of the bar with seating on both the main floor and the mezzanine.

And here's the view to the left of the bar. I love how they turned the pulpit into the hostess stand. Similar creative touches can be found throughout the space.

Downstairs, there are two function rooms. The smaller is set up for business meetings and the larger space works for weddings. Events are already being booked into these rooms (the maximum capacity is about 150 people seated without a dance floor for the larger room). You can contact event coordinator Sabin Beckwith should you want to book a function here.

Below the gorgeous stained glass window facing the street, there's a service bar on the mezzanine. There won't be seats here, but it will be a convenient place to mix drinks for diners eating on the second floor. Using Kate's special infused liquors, the bartenders will be mixing up exotic signature cocktails, such as the jalapeno, pineapple and strawberry margarita, which is a favorite at the Foreside Tavern.

Grace is located at 15 Chestnut Street, Portland. It is open Tues-Sat for dinner and serves brunch on Sunday. The bar opens at 4 pm and dinner service begins at 5 pm. The plan is to serve the bar menu and desserts until midnight. Call 828-4422 for reservations.

Thin crust pizza & green furniture come to Congress

Portland is blessed with an abundance of pizza parlors, but the city's main drag has been woefully underserved when it comes to pies and slices. Not any more. Otto Pizza, at 576 Congress St. (near the Portland Museum of Art and across the street from Empire Dine & Dance), recently opened with thin crust pizzas. The counter service joint is owned by Anthony Allen (left) and managed by Mike Keon (right).

There's no set menu at this point, but you can buy slices ($3-$3.50) or whole pies ($12.99) and Anthony and Mike can accommodate most of the standard requests such as pepperoni, cheese or veggie. The cheese blend includes whole milk mozzarella, asiago and fontina. A selection of sandwiches, salads and scratch made cannolis will be added soon.

Anthony and Mike are using local ingredients whenever they can. Of course, you can't get more local than the potted herb garden they have growing in the front window. These fresh, savory seasonings are added to all the pies.

Next door, there's another cool new shop to check out. Good Earth Furniture opened roughly a week ago and is offering a unique line of furniture made from old shipping pallets and other reclaimed wood. Since shipping pallets are made from a wide variety of wood, including mahogany, oak and cherry, the furniture makers have plenty of choices. The business is owned by Dana Awtry and all the furniture is built in Portland.

When I stopped by, Annmarie Lunt was holding down the fort. She's a recent MECA grad with a BFA in woodworking and furniture design and says the job is a perfect fit for her. The company offers a wide-range of furniture pieces, from jelly cabinets to coffee tables. Annmarie says they always wait until a customer buys a piece before adding any shelving, as this allows the customer to specify what would work best.

For instance, this sweet-looking armoire (priced at $1,200) could be fitted with shelves to hold sweaters or configured to accommodate an entertainment system. Smaller cabinets generally range in price from $200-$400. The shop carries pottery by Leestice and has a few furniture pieces made by a local woman's grandfather who used wood reclaimed from a bar that operated in Portland in the 1700s.

Otto Pizza (at left) is open seven days a week. It stays open until 2 am Thur-Sat and is open until 9 pm the rest of the week. They will deliver pizzas within the immediate area. Call 773-7099 to order.

Good Earth Furniture is open from 9 am-5 pm, seven days a week. Custom orders are welcome. Call 603-738-7579 for more info.

Small plate meals at The Salt Exchange

Near Dewey's on Commercial Street, The Salt Exchange restaurant opened its door this past Friday. The new eatery is the work of the husband and wife team of Charles and Martha Bryon. I stopped in this morning before they opened for lunch to scope things out.

Here's Martha Bryon, Chef Jacob Jasinski and Bar Manager Erin Compton. They're standing in front of the awesome cherry bar that was crafted by Maine College of Art professor Jamie Johnston. I absolutely love the space's modern design scheme, particularly the unexpected lime green ceiling.

The restaurant features an open kitchen and a main dining room that seats 45, which can be used for private functions. In a month or so, bar seats will be pulled up to this counter and the diners who reserve them will be treated to special prix fixe menus and conversations with the chef.

Wanting to stand out from other fine dining establishments in town, the Bryons and Chef Jasinski are only serving appetizer-sized meals. Be sure to call them small plates, and not tapas.

"Tapas is not what we are, although we have some Spanish-inspired food," Martha explained.

She calls the cuisine New New England, with an emphasis on local and organic ingredients. Some of the current menu offerings include: spiced Maine coast cioppino with Casco Bay fish, shellfish & grilled sourdough crostini ($12); Pemaquid oysters with lemon celeriac cream & hazelnut ($7 or $12); local baby spinach with tempura Great Hill blue, grapes and saba dressing ($8); spice rubbed lamb with eggplant tart & garden beans ($15) and Wolfe's Neck Farm shoulder steak, sweet and sour cherries & crisp potatoes ($14).

Sharing is encouraged and the portion sizes are such that two or three items should be the equivalent of a traditional entree. Reservations are accepted, although not necessary, and anyone is welcome to belly up to the bar for a drink. Look for sidewalk seating in July.

The Salt Exchange is located at 245 Commercial St., Portland. It is open for lunch Mon-Sat from 11 am-2:30 pm. Dinner is served Mon-Thur from 5-9 and Fri-Sat from 5-10 pm. The bar stays open until 11 pm Mon-Thur and until midnight Fri-Sat. For reservations, call 347-5687.

El Rayo Taqueria opens with lines & Watermelon Refresco

The much anticipated El Rayo Taqueria opened Friday at the corner of York & High, and today Adam and I headed over for lunch. What did we find? A former gas station transformed into an instant foodie hotspot.

With all the buzz about this California-influenced Mexican joint, Adam and I waited until almost 2 pm to show up. It didn't matter. The place was slammed. As we stood in line, more people piled up behind us until the line stretched out the door. According to Erin of Type A Diversions, the queue was out the door yesterday as well.

The restaurant is the work of a group of local foodies, including Tod Dana. His wife, Lorie, was busy busing tables and chatting with customers, but indulged me in a quick photo. She says they plan to start serving dinner next week and will soon reseal and stripe the parking lot, which will force them to close for a couple days. Right now they are just doing lunch.

Adam and I enjoyed everything we ordered. This drink is the non-alcoholic Watermelon Refresco. It was crisp and tangy, and not at all cloying. The vegetarian rice and beans at left and the Verduras taco with roasted vegetables at right were both delicious. Adam ordered a Dos Equis and a Pollo burrito, which he said was one of the best chicken burritos he's eaten.

Frozen margaritas will come soon, and there's a decent selection of tequila and rum drinks, plus a series of tequila flights. We both were impressed with the delicate, warm tortillas, the bold sauces, the harbor view and the prompt service. It won't be long before we jump back in line at this exciting addition to Portland's fabulous food scene.

Portland gets new raw vegan cafe & new organic coffee shop

Portland likes to tout its foodie status, and as of tomorrow the city can claim its first raw vegan cafe. Called GRO (which stands for GrassRoots Organics), it opens at 8 am Tuesday. However, I stopped by this morning to get a sneak peek.

Chef Andrew Borne, pictured above, showed me around the place and gave me a few samples to nibble. Raw food is popular in Southern California and other health food hot spots, but this is the first raw food restaurant I've heard of in Maine. The menu includes juices, smoothies, sandwiches, soups and sweets, all priced under $10. Whenever possible, Andrew buys from local and organic suppliers.

I tried a bite of the raw meatballs, made with Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds and spices, and topped with a raw tomato sauce and a nut sprinkle. It was really delicious, and didn't taste at all healthy-foody or gritty. Look for this as a sandwich and served over raw zucchini noodles.

The shop offers raw flatbreads and crepes, plus non-raw breads (including gluten-free) and sprouted breads. Andrew plans to offer a couple cooked soup options each day.

He explained that raw food preparation uses three main tools: a dehydrator, a food processor and a Vita Mixer. To be considered raw, food shouldn't be heated above 115 degrees. I asked Andrew about the theory behind raw foods.

"When you cook foods, 90% of the nutrients are cooked off," he explained. "We soak the nuts and seeds beforehand. (The soaking) gets rid of enzyme inhibitors, which helps digestion."

Some raw foodies eat raw meats, dairy and eggs, however the raw vegan approach is the most common. Andrew said the shop's owner, Igor Rakuz, wanted to carry raw milk and cheeses until he found out Maine law prohibits the sale of these items in restaurants.

I also sampled one of these amazing raw chocolates filled with coconut and cashews. What makes it raw, according to Andrew, is the uncooked filling and a chocolate coating never heated above 112 degrees.

Here's a close-up look at one of the shop's raw apple pies. The crust is made with Brazil nuts, cashews and dates. Apples are mixed with spices and drizzled with a mixture of pureed cashews and agave syrup.

Eventually, the back room will be converted to an indoor greenhouse of sorts to grow wheatgrass, shiitake mushrooms, micro greens and herbs. One day, more of the cafe's food may come from a real greenhouse on the owner's property in Windham.

GRO Cafe is located at 437 Congress St. (next to Guitar Grave). It's open Monday through Saturday from 8 am-6 pm. Call the cafe at 541-9119.

Portland also gained a new coffee house today. Bard Coffee Roasters opened its doors this morning at 183 Middle Street in the Old Port (kitty-corner from the Starbucks on the other side of the street). It was already packed when I showed up around noon. The shop is roasting its organic coffee in Brunswick, and offering a number of single origin brews. I tried the peaberry, which had a smooth, nutty flavor.

The shop also offers teas and hot chocolate, plus pastries from Standard Baking Company and the Good Eats Boutique. House blend coffees cost $1.60/$1.85/$2.05 and single origin coffees cost $1.85/$2.10/$2.30.

Sunday through Thursday the coffee shop is open from 7 am-9 pm, with doors staying open until midnight on Friday and Saturday. Art displays will change monthly, in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk.

Mahamud family opens Barava on Congress

For the current edition of Switch, I wrote about all the new bars, restaurants and clubs that have opened on Congress Street in the last few years. Now there's another one to add to the list. Just this week, Barava opened in the spot that used to house (most recently) Grandes Burritos/Granny's Burritos/Uncle Billy's (and a whole host of restaurants before that).

The restaurant is the work of the Mahamud family of Portland. Originally from Somalia, the family left when conflict broke out, initially moving to Zanzibar, Tanzania before coming to America more than 10 years ago. Barava is the name of the Somali city they hail from.

I met a number of the family members yesterday afternoon when I stopped by to check out the menu and scope out the scene. They include (from left to right) Amal, Abdulkdir and Osman Mahamud.

And here's Ahmed Mahamud, who hooked me up with a delicious cup of traditional Somali tea flavored with cardamom and cinnamon. It's served sweetened or unsweetened, depending on your preference. The restaurant also serves Middle Eastern style coffee, spiced with ginger, and a bunch of fresh squeezed juices, including mango, guava and avocado. Alcoholic beverages are not on the menu.

Along with the tea, Ahmed gave me a primer on Somali cuisine, which calls on a wide-range of influences. These include food traditions from India, other African nations and other Middle Eastern countries, which reflect Somalia's long history as a trading hub. Somali cuisine also contains elements of Italian cooking, picked up during the years of Italian colonization.

Here's an appetizer sampler basket, including sambussa, kachori and nafaquo, which are all bite-sized eats made from various combinations of potatoes, spices and other ingredients. Apps are priced between $.99 and $1.50. Other offerings include goat soup ($2.99), chicken soup ($2.99), falafel sandwiches ($6.99), vegetable biryani ($9.99), chicken pasta ($9.99), beef kabaab ($9.99) and chicken masala ($9.99).

Ahmed says the dish called sport ($15.99) is a popular Somali meal. This large platter feeds two to three people and includes rice, lettuce, pasta, vegetables, chicken and goat. Traditionally this meal is eaten with your hands instead of utensils.

Even though I stopped by before 3 pm (typically an off hour for dining), a steady stream of patrons continued to come through the door. This seems like a good indicator that this family-focused restaurant has a bright future.

Barava is located at 653 Congress St. The restaurant is open Sun.-Thur. noon-10 pm and Fri.-Sat. noon-11 pm. FMI and reservations call 899-0599.

Farmer's Table opens for dinner

Tonight is opening night for The Farmer's Table restaurant, located in the old Mim's spot on Commercial Street. When I stopped by this morning, food was being delivered, lights were being hung and chef/owner Jeff Landry was still smiling. Landry, who is the former executive chef of Eve's at the Garden and has worked at Cinque Terre and the Harraseeket Inn, is partnering with his wife, Suzie Altemus-Landry, on this venture. He also told me that the two of them are looking into possibly purchasing the Old World Gourmet in Freeport, which would allow them to offer catering since there's no room for it at this spot.

The interior looks really great, with muted tones, white linens and an open kitchen. There are seats for 40 downstairs, 16 upstairs and, come summer, another 45 outside. I could hear the relief in Landry's voice when he told me the city approved his liquor license just this morning.

Here's tonight's menu, which will change daily. It emphasizes locally-grown, raised and caught food. The restaurant's not taking reservations this weekend, instead seating will be on a first come, first served basis. Doors open at 5 pm and the restaurant is located at 205 Commercial St.

Old Port restaurants "coming soon"

Despite the recession, we Portlanders love to go out to eat. So it's no surprise that a bunch of storefronts in the Old Port are sporting "Coming Soon" signs. Pictured above is the spot at 183 Middle St. where Bard Coffee Roasters plans to pour its organic brew. The building permit in the window indicates the owner is Tom Bard, but there's no indication of when "soon" might be.

Across the street in the spot where the Pavilion used to be, work is underway to transform the former nightclub into an indoor mall.

Here's the floor plan for the Shops at 188 Middle, which shows Italian eatery Luna Rosa occupying space on both the first floor and the mezzanine level. The restaurant is hiring (a friend recently scored a job) and the owners of the building tell me the place should open around the beginning of April.

Infamous Portland landlord Joe Soley is behind this Japanese restaurant at 7 Exchange St. The permit application filed with the City Clerk indicates that Soley's former Wharf Street restaurant Soffritto is now doing business as Wasabi. The sample menu (which City Hall's wonderful Nicole Clegg graciously read to me over the phone) lists a full sushi bar ($3-$10.95 per roll) and bento boxes ($9.50 for a lunch special).

Down on Commerical Street, the Farmer's Table is the new bistro-style eatery slated for the old Mim's spot. A posting on Craigslist says the restaurant is hiring. According to papers filed with the City Clerk ahead of tonight's City Council meeting, the restaurant is being run by Jeff Landry, the current chef at Eve's at the Garden, and his wife, Mary Sue. Their intent is to showcase locally-grown, raised and caught food.

A sample menu lists offerings such as fish soup of the day, grilled early spring vegetables ($7), steakhouse salad ($7), farmer's burger ($9) and pan seared Atlantic salmon ($14). Since farms tend to grow lots of veggies, I assumed the bistro would be a vegetarian's paradise when I heard the name, but the only non-meat entree on the sample menu is cheese tortellini. As a devoted plant-eater, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that more vegetable-based meals will join the menu when this place opens.

In the glass-filled spot formerly occupied by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, prolific Portland restaurateur Harding Lee Smith plans to open The Corner Room. He tells me it will be an Italian-inspired spot featuring house-made pasta.

"It will be a nice casual, affordable pasta place that's not heavily laden with cheese and tomato sauce," Chef Smith says.

Right now if you peek in through the paper in the windows, there's not much to see. But Smith says the tables and bar are being crafted off site, and he's hoping to open the doors by the end of April.

Italian couple serves lunch at new eatery in Old Port

Lovers of authentic Italian will want to check out the brand new Paciarino in the Old Port. Located in the spot where Akari used to be before it moved to Middle Street, the restaurant is serving lunch Monday through Saturday. The focus of the menu is the fresh pasta and sauce, made from scratch each day.

The restaurant is owned by husband and wife team Fabiana De Savino and Enrico Barbiero. Wanting to live in a smaller community than their hometown of Milan (where they owned two restaurants), they took a vacation to Maine and then moved here for good in August with their daughter. It seems Milan's loss is Portland's gain. But the love goes both ways, as Fabiana told me "we are here because we fell in love with Portland."

Painted with soft yellows and blues, the sunny, open space has a country Mediterranean feel. These lovely unfinished tables and chairs only add to the casual atmosphere. And all this comfort relates to the restaurant's name, which is an Italian slang that sums up the happy emotions of going to your grandmother's house and having her make your favorite meal.

This open kitchen is visible from the dining area and right next to the freezer cases where you can pick up a package of sauce or pasta. Fresh pasta and sauce are available for purchase too, you just need to call a day in advance to order it.

You also can grab imported Italian treats, such as olives, olive oil and pates.

And should you want to try your hand at making pasta the true Italian way, check out the cooking classes held twice a month. The cost is $85 per person or $140 per couple, and each class is limited to six people. Right now the focus is on making pumpkin ravioli, and each class is capped off with a delicious meal of the food the class prepared.

Paciarino is located at 468 Fore Street. It serves lunch from 11:30 am-2:30 pm, Mon. - Sat. Take-out is available from 2:30-6 pm. FMI call 774-3500.

Coffee + compounds come to Marginal Way

In some ways, entering the new Apothecary by Design and attached PeRx-U-Up Specialty Coffee & Cafe shop on Marginal Way is like stepping back in time to an old-fashioned pharmacy. The locally-owned business is brimming with helpful staff members and the coffee bar is similar to an old-timey soda fountain. But in other ways this place is as modern as can be.

The shop does carry the mass market brands and items you usually see in a national pharmacy chain. But it also offers an extensive selection of natural remedies and personal care products. You can find everything from herbal tinctures to Traditional Medicinals teas and cruelty-free soaps to natural hair dyes.

Not only does it have a regular pharmacy, but the shop also has a specialized compounding pharmacy, which you can see here through the glass. Inside this sterilized zone, pharmacist Joe Lorello mixes up custom medicines. For patients and doctors who need prescriptions made in higher or lower dosages, prepared as a cream rather than a pill or formulated without an ingredient to which the patient is allergic, a compounding pharmacy is the solution.

Here are just some of the pharmacists and specialists available to help customers. Mark McAuliffe, far right in the photo, tells me that the shop has particular expertise in working with insurance companies to obtain coverage for medications and that the team has extensive experience formulating prescriptions for transplant patients and women undergoing fertility treatments.

And whether or not you have a prescription to fill, it's worth popping inside to pick up a Coffee By Design coffee, a soup or a sandwich.

The sandwiches are made fresh each day by City Deli and the soups and pastries come from Stones Cafe and Bakery in North Yarmouth. Regular offerings include chicken caesar wraps ($6.50), veggie wraps ($5.95), ham and cheese paninis ($6.95) and roast beef and cheese sandwiches ($6.25). There's a special wrap and panini each day, and today's are a honey curry chicken wrap and a steak bacon cheddar with horseradish panini. Today's soups ($3.25-$6.45) are carrot ginger, portabello primavera and beef sausage chili.

The pharmacy and coffee shop are located at 84 Marginal Way, in the new InterMed building. It is open Mon.-Fri. 7 am-6 pm and Sat. 8 am-1 pm. During the week, the pharmacy opens at 7:30 am. You can reach them by phone at 774-5220.

Borealis opens on Ocean Ave.

Yesterday the Back Cove neighborhood gained a new eatery. Borealis Breads Bakery & Bistro opened up at 182 Ocean Ave. I drove over there for lunch today and wasn't surprised to find all the parking spots filled and a line at the counter.

Borealis has been around for 15 years, baking up their signature breads that are frequently made with Maine-grown grains. The bakery began in Waldoboro and later had shops at the former Portland Public Market and the Forest Ave. Hannaford. This new spot gives the bakery a retail presence in the city once again.

The menu is fairly extensive, featuring sandwiches, panninis, salads, soups and pizza. Some sandwich highlights; chicken salad with tarragon & walnuts ($7), roast beef with horseradish and scallion spread ($7), roasted turkey with onion jam and cream cheese ($7) and Veggieville with garlic or red pepper hummus ($6). I ordered a hummus on multigrain and it was outstanding.

Today's pizzas, from the brick oven in the background, included three cheese (with whole milk mozzarella, provolone and ricotta) and pepperoni. The shop is open seven days a week from 7 am-8 pm (sandwiches served until 5 pm). To place an order, call 541-9600.

Homemade tortillas & tamales heat up Washington Ave.

In the space which used to house the Wicked Pulp juice bar, Corey Jones has opened an awesome tortilla joint called Loco Pollo. It's located on Washington Ave., near Silly's and Coffee By Design. Corey isn't advertising that he's open, but Adam and I spotted the lights on and people inside eating when we drove by Wednesday night on our way to a reception at the Portland Motor Club. All week I've been dying to try it out (after waiting a year and a half for it to open), but I didn't have a chance to get over there until yesterday.

Around 11:30, Adam and I ducked in for a quick lunch before heading out of town to a party. When we first walked in we had the place to ourselves, which gave us the chance to chat with Jones. A few minutes later another couple came in (who'd clearly eaten there before) and then Anestes Fotiades, the author of the must-read PortlandFoodMap.com, stopped by to check out the scene.

Something tells me Jones' plans for a soft launch might be revving up a little faster than he expected.

The decor bursts with Mexican warmth and good cheer. The food is simple, filling and affordable. Jones is serving up soups ($4-6), tamales (3 for $6) and tortilla plates ($8 for a medium chicken plate). An experienced baker comes in every morning to make the corn tortillas and tamales.

Adam ordered two green chile chicken goat cheese tamales, and I asked for a tortilla plate with beans and rice. Jones also whipped up two mango-banana-strawberry smoothies for us. When the food arrived at the counter, we took it and headed over to the sauce bar, so we could load up on the excellent salsas and hot sauces.

My meal was simple and satisfying. The rice was fluffy and sprinkled with delicate bits of cilantro and the fresh, warm tortillas had the heft and flavor you can only get with scratch made. Adam was equally pleased with his spicy tamales, filled with chunks of chicken and parcels of goat cheese. The salsas rounded out each dish perfectly.

Loco Pollo is located at 52 Washington Ave., at the base of Munjoy Hill. It's open Mon.-Sat. 11:30 am-8 pm. 899-4422.

Breakfast beauty back in business

It's been a long time coming, but finally the moved, renovated and expanded Miss Portland Diner is once again open for business. I haven't had a chance to sample the food yet, but a peek inside at 10:30 this morning revealed that the place was packed, mostly with retirees. (Not surprising, since those of us still among the working world tend to be, well, working at that time on a Monday morning.)

The menu is extensive and filled with diner standards. Breakfast, which is served from 6-11:30 am, includes a variety of omelettes, eggs bennys, pancakes and breakfast sandwiches. Prices range from, $2.79 for the basic egg and cheese breakfast sandwich to $13.99 for the lobster benedict. I love the fact that you can order a side of Portland's own B&M Baked Beans for $2.49.

Lunch includes offerings such as JP's Famous Dirt Wings ($9.99), chowders ($3.79/$5.79), Greek salads ($6.59), turkey cranberry wraps ($8.99), corned beef reubens ($8.49), BLTs ($5.99), Maine crab rolls ($9.99), Mexican veggie burgers ($6.49) and chopped sirloin ($10.99).

Owner Tom Manning tells me the place has been absolutely slammed since it opened on Friday. I'm not surprised. You see, the restuarant is located next to a college dorm, a new office tower and a highway off-ramp, and, even more importantly, it comes with a name fit for a beauty queen. How could she not be popular?

Thai Chef fills you up for under $10

Thai Chef Buffet opened a little over a week ago, and today I made the short trek up Congress Street to check it out. At 1:30 pm, the 100-seat restaurant was pretty packed with office workers grabbing a quick lunch. The attraction is obvious: fast, fresh, tasty food at an all-you-can-eat price of $8.50 (plus tax, of course).

The restaurant is owned by the very gracious Suwanna Sanguantonkallaya, who also owns Sengchai Thai Cuisine on Forest Avenue. She explained to me that the buffet is divided into

a vegetarian bar,

a meat-eaters bar

and a salad, sushi and fresh spring rolls bar.

When she showed me the dedicated veggie bar, I could tell Suwanna is a woman after my own herbivore heart (wait, make that stomach). And my affinity for her only increased when she told me: "I dream a lot of getting people to eat tofu."

Her passion for healthful eating springs from personal tragedy and the desire to not let it happen to others. If you were living in Portland in early 2001, you may recall the tragic fire at Suwanna's former restaurant on St. John Street. Shortly after that sad event, her husband passed away from a heart attack. Prompted by his dad's untimely death, one of Suwanna's sons is getting close to completing his doctorate in heart surgery at a med school in Thailand. This same son has been urging her to get Americans to eat less meat.

Achieving this goal shouldn't be tough, considering how delicious the meatless meals are here. I particularly recommend the fresh spring rolls, the curry puffs, the yellow curry and the hot & sour soup. And judging by the reactions of my meat eating colleagues to the non-vegetarian samples I brought back to the office, the meat based meals are mighty tasty too.

Thai Chef Buffet is located at 511 Congress St. It is open Mon.-Thur., 11 am-9 pm and Fri.-Sat., 11 am-9:30 pm. The restaurant serves beer & wine and a full take-out menu is available. Delivery is available too. FMI call 699-5550.

Chestnut Street Church headed for Grace

This lovely old church is tucked behind City Hall on Chestnut Street. A former Methodist house of worship (not so creatively named Chestnut Street Church), it was recently purchased by Anne and Peter Verrill, who own the Foreside Tavern in Falmouth. When I spotted the dumpster outside and a building permit by the door, I had to investigate.

Kate Tozier, the GM of the Foreside Tavern, tells me the aim is to create a casual fine dining establishment named Grace.

"Anne and Pete have bought the church and are renovating it to become a restaurant and a bar with a function area downstairs," Tozier says.

They hope to open in Feb. or March of next year. (Of course, with the way restaurant openings go, we probably shouldn't get our hopes up until May.)

Toizer says the menu and concept are far from complete, but tells me there won't be white cloths on the tables or nachos and wings on the menu. Instead they want the atmosphere to mimic the comfortable, welcoming vibe that Foreside Tavern has been so successful in cultivating.

Gone Granny's Gone

It's official, Granny's Burritos is no more. After the unexpected padlocking of its Fore Street doors last December, fans were thrilled to see the cheap eats joint re-open in the spot of the former Uncle Billy's on Congress Street. But the collaboration between Granny's Chris Godin and Uncle Billy's John St. Laurent has come to an end.

But burrito freaks need not despair. The Congress Street spot is now home to Grandes Burritos Taqueria.

According to bartender Chris Wilson, the name change occurred when Godin left the partnership and St. Laurent stayed on to keep the burrito-loving masses fed. (No word on why Godin departed.)

"We've kept some of the old menu and improved on some of the recipes," Wilson says. "We wanted to keep the original style for the customers who wanted Granny's."

The additions include tacos, burrito bowls and an expanded offering of sauces. Wilson also says all the prices have been lowered by about $1.50. Currently, the restaurant is open daily from 11:30-10 pm and may soon expand its hours to midnight (and possibly later on the weekends). Each night there is live music, beginning around 8 pm.

Beer and wine remain on tap, but the service style has reverted back to the way it was on Fore Street. You order at the counter and your meal is delivered to your table. Take-out is available, and delivery may be offered in the future. Call 761-5930 for more info.

I walked up there for lunch on Tuesday, but the place wasn't open. So I can't tell you how the food measures up. If you've had a chance to check it, please chime in and let us know what you think.

Baking in Morrill's Corner

I had a chance to meet the great folks behind the new Dollaro's Bakery in Morrill's Corner yesterday. They're baking up an amazing assortment of Italian pastries and American classics. The place is super cute inside and owner Danielle Buck reports that business has been brisk. You can get the full scoop in next Thursday's edition of Switch magazine.

Thai takes over

According to the Portland Food Map, Portland is blessed with 13 Thai restaurants. You'd think this would be enough for a small city. But it's not. (Personally, I could eat Thai food morning, noon and night and never get sick of it.) It looks like we're soon to gain another one, Thai Chef Buffet. It's located on Congress Street in the spot previously occupied by a chain sandwich shop and near the Maine International Trade Center.

I'm notoriously afraid of buffets, but even I might be persuaded to give this one a try.

I spotted the "opening soon" sign while strolling through yesterday's Sidewalk Art Festival. The street was packed with 300 artists and hundreds of art lovers. And the weather couldn't have been better.

Breakfast all day at Mousse Cafe

There's a great new all-day breakfast/lunch spot in town, thanks to Keith and Yan, a 30-something chef/pastry chef couple who opened the Mousse Cafe & Bakeshop on Monday in Monument Sqaure. I talked to them earlier this week and will have a full report in this Thursday's edition of Switch Magazine.

This morning Adam and I enjoyed a delicious breakfast outdoors in the square. I had the coconut banana cranberry granola with soy milk and the homefries with peppers and onions. Adam ordered the breakfast burrito, which came with homefries, homemade salsa, guacamole and sour cream. Everything was tasty and the service was quick. We'll definitely be back.

In other food news, today marked the first day this season you could buy apples at the Portland Farmers' Market. Early Macs were for sale at a number of stands. I love their sweet tart goodness, but their appearance makes me feel misty eyed for our rapidly shrinking summer.