Portland Food items Map – The definitive guidebook to Portland’s foods scene

The beer bar and restaurant we know right now as The Wonderful Dropped Bear was founded in 1979 by Dave Evans, Weslie Evans and Chip MacConnell. Now immediately after a lot more than 4 many years in enterprise, ownership of The Bear is remaining handed off to the upcoming era. Longtime administrators Michael Dickson, Mary Dickson and Andrew Pillsbury signed paperwork Monday and turned the new proprietors of the iconic Forest Ave institution.

The Great Misplaced Bear released in the pre-craft beer period in Maine. Geary’s was Maine’s initial modern craft brewery and it marketed its to start with beer in 1986. Gritty’s opened in 1988, and Shipyard and Allagash did not launch until the center of the following decade. A incredibly early beer record at the Bear consisted of Heineken, Saint Pauli Lady, Molson, Bass, Ballantine, Michelob, Miller Lite, Guiness, Miller and Budwiser and number of draft beers. Now clocking in at ~70 faucets of craft beer, the first Wonderful Shed Bear draft line consisted of just 4 faucets.

As the regional brewing marketplace has designed, The Fantastic Lost Bear has been a witness and important supporter of the Maine craft beer field. Below are some thoughts from Allagash founder Rob Tod,

The people at the Terrific Misplaced Bear ended up the initial to get a chance and set my beer, Allagash White, on faucet. And due to the fact then, they’ve been institutional in supporting and expanding the popularity of the beer scene in this article in Maine. I’m glad to see that I’ll be ready to delight in a pint at the Bear for a lot of years to occur.

Weslie and Dave Evans moved to Portland from North Conway the place they labored in the restaurant industry—Dave as a prepare dinner and Weslie in the front of home. When they decided to start their very own company they moved to Portland and ultimately located a place on Forest Ave in what had been the Bottoms Up rock club. At the time the back again fifty percent of the constructing was dwelling to Nappi’s Bakery. The Evans’s and MacConnell leased their 50 % of the creating for $800/month.

Dave Evans was the 1st chef of the restaurant and in excess of the a long time the menu has developed from a 4 web page list to the behemoth it is today. While a ton has improved above the many years, there a couple dishes—and Weslie Evans’ wonderful illustrations and lettering—that have been constants which include the French Onion Gratinee, Spinach Salad, and the I have By no means Haddock Like This.  The vegetarian portion (Carnivore’s Beware!) built it’s visual appearance in 1981.

See beneath for a seem at the address artwork (cropped to healthy) of GLB menus from the very early times by way of the model in use today. You will discover the initial in the sequence utilizes the name The Grizzly Bear which was the first title of the business. It was altered, after a legal challenge from an pre-existing West coast operation referred to as Grizzly Bear Pizza in 1981 to the new (and much much better) moniker we use today.

Greatest of luck to the new homeowners as they steer The Fantastic Shed Bear forward in the years to appear.