Wharf Street hits refresh button
Havana South plans to move here next spring
Call it a Wharf Street revival.
There's rejuvenation happening in one of the Old Port's most popular two blocks, where the focus is on dining and relaxation.
On a well-traveled stretch of cobblestone street that includes The Merry Table Crêperie on one end and Beal's Ice Cream on the other, the owners at the 51 Wharf restaurant and lounge are reinvesting in their business, while across the street a Latin American-inspired casual fine dining restaurant is coming in to replace a defunct furniture store.
"With some of the new businesses coming in, we want to keep up with it," said Brad Herget, general manager at 51 Wharf, explaining their club's decision to update. Operators of the club recently spent about $30,000 over a six-month period to renovate, owner Tanner Herget and GM Brad Herget estimated.
A horseshoe bar began to show its age and was replaced. The new bar, a 20-by-12-foot bar with recess bar lighting and stone facing, features cobalt-blue stained glass from Portland's own Phoenix Studio. The Herget brothers also installed a light-responsive LED backlit corner bar, which is sound activated.
Besides the two new bars, 51 Wharf installed a new VIP booth, which will be offered for the club's New Year's Eve 2010 party. The VIP booth seats 12.
"We want to keep ourselves fresh and updated," explained Tanner Herget.
The recession has affected everyone, the Hergets acknowledged, but 51 Wharf wanted to keep up with a rejuvenation in the works along their street. Also, in their four and a half years running the seasonal restaurant and year-round lounge, Tanner Herget said, they received a clear directive from their landlord: keep improving.
"We're getting nicer restaurants coming in," Brad Herget said. "The town is really updating itself."
"Some of the best restaurants in the city are on this street," Tanner Herget said. "Portland Harbor Hotel is one of the best hotels. It's really a small community within a community."
The impending arrival of Havanna South across the street is eagerly anticipated. An old furniture store, Thai'd In Knots, was at the site for Havana South, but it closed. The new restaurant should open next April, according to owner Michael Boland.
"Yes, Havana South is related to Havana Restaurant in Bar Harbor," Boland wrote on his website, http://havanasouth.wordpress.com. "No, it won’t be exactly the same. Yes, it will have the same great mojitos and the same great menu."
In an email interview, Boland elaborated that Wharf Street seemed ideal for the new restaurant based on location and ambience.
"Many other neighborhoods are really happening in Portland but the Old Port still has the historical charm and a large number of lodging facilities. That said, we certainly aren't looking to open a restaurant just for visitors from Away. We hope to become another favorite of locals, who already have an abundance of great places to choose from. That particular building has a great vibe, partially due to its Wharf Street location and partially due to the size and layout of the interior."
April is a tentative opening date, although Boland cautioned that there's no effort to push it.
"It will be ready when it's ready," he wrote.
What will make this restaurant unique or different, he explained, stems partly from personal research.
"Certainly our focus on Latin American flavors will be something new for a fine dining restaurant in the area. Our Bar Harbor restaurant has the tagline, 'American Fine Dining with a Latin Flair' and we will use that as well. Most main courses will be familiar to guests but the Latin Flair comes in with sauces, spices, seasonings, etc. My partner and I have just returned from Argentina and have brought back some great steak/empanada/sauce ideas. My wife and I have spent many months in Brazil, Mexico, and many other Latin American countries and feel a kinship with the cuisine, hence the name of the restaurant."
Jan Beitzer, executive director of the Portland Downtown District, said Wharf Street tends to favor food and drink, although places like Cool As A Moose, Rogues Gallery and Port Boutique remain vibrant.
"In general that is an entertainment district and that's what works well," Beitzer said.
"It cycles in and out. Some new bars and restaurants are going in to places that were evacuated by retail, retail just didn't take hold on Wharf Street," she said.
The Mind Gift Store moved up to Fore Street; 2 Note Perfumery moved around the corner onto Moulton Street, a location, the owners say, with better foot traffic.
The restaurants of Wharf Street stand on their own. Wharf Street is home to Passage to India, Street and Company (a 20-year-old seafood restaurant), The Wine Bar, Cinque Terre Italian, Gritty's Pub and on the ends, Vignola Italian restaurant and Amigo's Mexican restaurant.
Some innovations may have to wait, based on media reports. Rob Evans, chef/owner of Hugo's and Duck Fat in Portland, was quoted by the Chow Maine guide book recently saying that in 2011 there are plans to open up another Duckfat restaurant in town. But Arlin Smith, general manager at Hugo's and Duckfat, said right now there is no plan to start a second Duckfat.
"We're not trying to get ahead of ourselves and waiting for the right situation to come along. We know we're going to expand in the future, but the Duckfat that's there right now is going strong," Smith said on Friday, Dec. 4.
Wharf Street was considered, he said — "We were looking at a site about six months ago down there," he said.
"There's no site in mind yet," Smith said.
