Dec. 4 -- Stacks Pancake Co. recently opened a new location on Route 1 in Scarborough.
The new Stacks, which is the Portland-based restaurant's second location, launched in late November at 183 Route 1. The 4,000-square-foot space had previously been home to Tequilera's Mexican Restaurant and also The Egg & I.
Owners Josie and George Papanikolaou have said they chose to expand into Scarborough because they felt the town was in need of breakfast restaurants. The Scarborough Stacks can seat 148 people, a little smaller than their Riverside Drive Stacks in Portland, which launched in 2021.
Stacks Pancake Co. is open seven days a week, serving breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
FROM MAPS TO MASH TUN
The owners of Maps bar on Market Street have bought Portland Mash Tun, with plans to maintain the status quo at the Wharf Street tavern.
Maps co-owner Connor Montello said he and his business partner, Henry Leddy, heard late last year that Mash Tun owner Rick Binet might be interested in selling. They finalized the sale in late November.
"We had been looking for a second location -- whether that be an existing business or opening a new one -- for a few years now," Montello said, noting that Binet also owns Hot Liquor Tank and Jefe Juan's.
"It's just a decision based on (spending) more time with my son and reducing the workload," said Binet. "I put my heart and soul into Mash Tun, and it was very, very good to me. Henry and Connor made me a great offer, and I felt they understood how great a place it is and that they don't want to change it, which is obviously important to all the amazing people who work there and make it what it is.
"It wasn't easy for me to sell it because Mash Tun is a total dynamo," Binet added, "but I'm looking forward to being able to do other stuff now."
Montello and Leddy bought Maps in 2019. The basement bar had launched in 2014, and Montello and Leddy renovated the property in early 2023, adding 200 square feet of floor space, a second bathroom and 10 more seats. Mash Tun takes up roughly 2,000 square feet -- about twice the size of Maps, according to Montello -- and can seat about 60 inside.
"Most people fear that new ownership means a lot of change," Montello said. "We just want to make sure people know that's not the plan or the intention. We're going to do our best to continue to let it operate as it has for years. We have no major changes planned, at least for the time being."
Montello added that while the transition should appear seamless to customers, "we'll make the staff's life easier with some changes to the back of house."
BRUNCH AT THE ABBEY
The Abbey in Brunswick has launched an all-day brunch menu on Sundays.
Brunch offerings include French Toast Bread Pudding, traditional Turkish egg dish Menemen, Cider Sausage Porridge and a Chorizo Egg & Cheese Hand Pie. From the bar, a Middle Eastern Bloody will be available featuring house harissa buffalo, ginger, za'atar, aleppo, lemon and sumac salt.
Bowdoin jazz/pop piano instructor Scott Martin will also be playing piano from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays.
Co-owners Lainey Catalino and Connor Scott launched The Abbey, a queer-owned business, in late 2023 at 87 Maine St., the space formerly occupied by Little Dog Coffee Shop. The lunch and dinner menus offer dishes with North African, Middle Eastern and Spanish influences.
BE THEIR GUEST
Regards chef-owner Neil Zabriskie will participate in the 2025 guest chef series at celebrity chef Kevin Gillespie's Atlanta restaurant, Gunshow.
Zabriskie is one of seven chefs participating next year in Gunshow's "Hired Guns" series, which launched in 2013. He'll be cooking on Oct. 26.
The other chefs are Jake Potashnick of Feld in Chicago; Brian Baxter, former executive chef of The Catbird Seat in Nashville; Kevin Chrisman of Golden Hour in Asheville, North Carolina; Jill Mathias and Juan Casselett of Chez Nous and Malagón Mercado y Tapería in Charleston, South Carolina; and Michael Goessman of Café Mamo in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
"We're excited to present some of the country's most talented chefs -- most from the Southeast -- who bring varying cuisines and different cooking styles to our kitchen," said Gunshow Chef de Cuisine Cody Chassar.
Zabriskie launched seafood-forward Regards at 547 Congress St. in 2022, aiming for the restaurant to reflect his experiences in Southern California, Mexico and New York City. Regards was named among Bon Appetit magazine's 50 Best New Restaurants in 2022, and in 2023 Zabriskie was named a StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Star.
MAINE CHEF IN D.C.
Penobscot Nation Chef Joe Robbins again will be among the featured chefs at the upcoming White House Tribal Nations Summit.
Robbins, who also cooked at the event last year, is one of five Indigenous chefs making lunchbox meals and signature passed appetizers for the summit reception. The summit is slated for Monday and Tuesday in Washington, D.C.
Robbins' dish for the opening reception is a twist on a nigiri roll featuring wild rice produced by Minnesota's Red Lakes Nation and smoked salmon made by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe in Washington State.
While the summit brings together U.S. government officials with Tribal Nations leaders to discuss policy priorities, the event is also an opportunity to spotlight and promote foods produced by Indigenous tribes. "We're highlighting them to show how big these companies can get and where they can reach if they're given a fair shot," Robbins said.
Robbins said he was chosen for the summit last year after starring in some food videos for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and developing a bond with officials there. Former executive chef at Bissell Brothers in Milo, Robbins was nominated this year as a semifinalist in the Emerging Chef category.
After Bissell closed in Milo in August, Robbins has since been a chef consultant and speaker. He will also be working with the South Portland school system to add some Indigenous food to their menu and help the staff work more efficiently and economically.
SO, THAT'S 14 FISHES?
Two upcoming southern Maine events celebrate the traditional Italian-American Feast of the Seven Fishes.
On Christmas Eve, Via Vecchia on Dana Street is hosting its fourth annual Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner at 4 p.m. The event features a six-course meal featuring local seafood for $95 with an optional additional wine pairing.
Via Vecchia is only accepting online reservations for the event. Visit the Via Vecchia website to reserve a table.
Sacred Profane Brewery and Tankpub in Biddeford is holding its annual Feast of the Seven Fishes on Wednesday, Dec. 18. Sacred Profane expects to release details on the food soon, but the seven-course meal is $100 per person, with some "extra special libations."
Sacred Profane says there is limited seating available and expects it to sell out. Call Sacred Profane at 207-298-3307 to make a reservation, or email info@sacredprofane.com.
LATIN LATKES
Bath's Chocolate Church Arts Center is hosting a Hannukah Mexicana event, inspired by a new Mexican-Jewish cookbook co-authored by a Bowdoin professor.
Set for Friday, Dec. 13, the event features latkes, food from the cookbook, "Sabor Judío," written by former PBS host Ilan Stavans and Bowdoin College Latin Studies professor Margaret Boyle. Boyle and Stavans will be on hand to deliver a talk. Starting at 7 p.m., the program turns to live music from the Casco Bay Tummlers and Boston-based Veronica Roblés All-Female Mariachi Band.
Tickets for the food, talk and concert are $40 each, $30 for children, veterans and seniors. Tickets for the concert only are $25 each, $18 for children, veterans and seniors.