The Wrap: Angoor Wine Bar launches; Anjon's to reopen in Scarborough
Jun. 5—A self-pour wine bar offering dozens of wines from regions around the world opened recently on Fore Street.
Angoor Wine Bar launched on May 29 at 100 Fore St. The 2000-square-foot space seats about 50. Angoor will add 28 outdoor seats later this summer.
Angoor customers receive a "wine card" in the bar to digitally track their purchases, according to Sangeeta Dones, co-owner of the bar along with her husband, Rafael. They can choose 2-, 4- and 6-ounce pours from 32 wines. The bar also serves craft beers, as well as scotch, bourbon and whisky.
For food, Angoor offers a selection of snacky items ($5-$12) including a customizable charcuterie board, empanadas, samosas and several desserts from Sugarcane and Two Fat Cats Bakery.
Angoor is open Wednesday and Thursday from 3-9 p.m.; Friday from 3-10 p.m.; Saturday from 2-10 p.m.; and Sunday from 2-8 p.m.
ANJON'S REOPENING IN SCARBOROUGH
Anjon's, a Scarborough institution for decades, is set to relaunch in its old location on Route 1 later this month.
Owner John DiSanto said he plans to reopen the venue as "Anjon's Ristorante" in mid to late June. DiSanto closed the restaurant, at 521 U.S. 1 in September 2019, and sold the building. It has since hosted another Italian restaurant, Amore on the Marsh, which is closed now.
"To be honest, I'd missed it immensely," said DiSanto, whose grandparents opened Anjon's at the same location in 1954. "It was part of my family, part of what I did for 40 years. And it's home, my legacy, and I want to pass it on to my kids."
DiSanto is leasing the space with the option of buying back the building. He said he expects to purchase the building in about a year.
The latest iteration of Anjon's will have a streamlined menu. "The menu was too big before," DiSanto said. "You only have to be good at the things you're good at. We're not going to be a big seafood house anymore, just truly authentic Italian cuisine."
The revived Anjon's will serve old favorites like stuffed bread and chicken parmesan, along with desserts such as spumoni, tiramisu and cannoli. DiSanto said he wants to make the restaurant "affordable for everybody," and also plans to partner with delivery services for takeout orders.
DiSanto said in the months that he's been trying to reopen Anjon's, he collected almost $20,000 in donations to cover startup costs, and is hoping for about $10,00o more.
"I've had an outpouring of support from the town," DiSanto said. "Friends, family and people I don't even know have donated money to help me get the place up and running again. I'm overwhelmed, humbled and grateful."
DiSanto said the venue will also sell Anjon's jarred marinara sauce made from his grandmother's recipe, as well as pizza sauce.
Anjon's Ristorante will be open for dinner seven nights from 4-9 p.m. DiSanto said he expects to cut the schedule back to six days a week after Labor Day.
SALVAGE BBQ REOPENS
After a closure of about six months, Salvage BBQ reopened for business Tuesday with some new menu items and table service. The restaurant, at 919 Congress St. in Portland, had closed temporarily in December. At the time, owner Jay Villani cited financial pressures.
In the interim, Villani said he's replaced the restaurant's picnic tables with individual vintage tables, and has added table service — in the past, diners ordered food and drinks at a counter and a bar. The new service model may seem counterintuitive when so many restaurants in recent years, pressed for staff, have gone in the opposite direction. But Villani explained that while kitchen staff is hard to find, front-of-the-house staff is not.
He's also added a few new menu items, mostly in a nod to Maine Med, which is across the street. Salad bowls and rice and bean bowls will join classic barbecue menu items he's sold for years — Salvage opened in 2013 — such as sausage, brisket, ribs, hush puppies and mac & cheese.
"When you think of wellness, you don't necessarily think of smoked meats, per se," said Villani, who also owns Local 188 and Black Cow. "I'm trying to think of that audience, too. We just had to adapt, that's all."
Salvage BBQ is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday through Thursday; until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and Sundays until 8 p.m. Those are kitchen hours; the bar stays open an hour later all nights.
VINA ANN'S TAKEOUT KIOSK
Baked goods wholesaler Vina Ann's is launching a "Maine-focused food hut" in an enclosed gazebo on the waterfront.
Located at 20 Commercial St., which had previously been an ice cream stand, Vina Ann's hut will serve sandwiches, salads, and snacks — along with soups and chowders in the fall — and Maine-centric baked goods like blueberry pies and Whoopie pies. Beverages will include Maine Root soda, Moxie and Poland Spring.
Vina Ann's has a commercial kitchen space on Forest Avenue where it produces sweet and savory pies and other baked goods. The business sells wholesale desserts to a number of restaurants in area, including The Grill Room, J's Oyster, and Dunstan Tap & Table in Scarborough.
Vina Ann co-owner Hannah Maltby said Portland city officials put out a call for applicants to launch a business in the hut earlier this year. "And I thought, what better way to get some exposure and move on to the next step," Maltby said. Ultimately, she and business partner Liz Tavares aim to open a brick-and-mortar retail location to sell prepared meals to go.
Maltby said Vina Ann's aims to launch by mid-June, and will keep the hut open through October. Vina Ann's will be open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to start.
LOCAL CHEF ON FOOD NETWORK
Chef Tara Cannaday of Pot + Pan cannabis edibles was a contestant on the current season of Food Network's "Summer Baking Championship."
Cannaday appears in the first two episodes, streaming now on HBO Max and Discovery. "I didn't make it as far as I'd hoped to, but it was my first show and very exciting to be a part of," she said.
A Food Network casting producer reached out to her via social media last September to see if she'd be interested in participating, Cannaday said. After a few rounds of interviews, Cannaday was told in January she'd be on the show.
Cannaday spent two weeks in Los Angeles in February while the first two episodes were filmed. In the first episode, she came in second place among the 10 contestants (she was the only New England contestant on the show).
For the first episode's main challenge, Cannaday recalled making a "showstopper" paloma tart with grapefruit panna cotta, grapefruit tequila gelée, and French macarons hand-painted to look like grapefruits.
"That was one of the highlights of my career," she said. "Carla Hall, one of the judges, gave me her signature 'hootie-hoo' call she does on some of these shows. I was like, 'Ok, mission accomplished.' "
The second episode, after which she was sent home, required contestants to make a cheesecake with a gelatin layer on top.
"That main challenge was arguably one of the hardest things I think all of us contestants have ever made," Cannaday said. "You're on a time constraint to make a cheesecake, make gelatin, have it set in two hours and have everything assembled and look beautiful. I made a couple of silly mistakes and because the caliber of the chefs that participate is so high, any little thing is going to potentially jeopardize your time there.
"It was a bummer to go home, but I'd gotten such great feedback from the judges all along and all of the contestants were so wonderful," Cannaday added.
HALIBUT EVENT AT LUKE'S LOBSTER
The Maine Coast Fishermen's Association is holding a "Just for the Halibut" celebration at Luke's Lobster Portland Pier on June 6.
The event runs from 5-7 p.m. and features a halibut cutting demo, samples of several halibut dishes and an opportunity to take a sample of fresh halibut home to prepare.
Maine Coast Fishermen's Association notes that halibut is one of Maine's most sustainably harvested fish. Event attendees will enjoy three halibut dishes prepared by Luke's Head Chef Brett McFarland: fried halibut bites with tartar sauce, halibut ceviche, and a Cajun-seasoned halibut topped with fresh fruit salsa on a crostini.
"Maine halibut is just incredible," said Ben Conniff, co-founder of Luke's Lobster. "We are excited to partner with Maine Coast Fishermen's Association to host this event honoring an amazing fish and the people who bring it to the world."
Tickets for the event are $60, available online. Proceeds will support the association's programs like Fishermen Feeding Mainers, the Working Waterfront, and Fishermen Wellness.
Food editor Peggy Grodinsky contributed to this column.
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