Friday Food Insider: With new event space, Big Tree Hospitality branches out into on-site catering

Big Tree Hospitality new event space interior in Portland.

PHOTO / COURTESY of BIG TREE HOSPITALITY Big Tree Hospitality has transformed a former Portland restaurant into a multipurpose event venue.

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By Alexis Wells

Big Tree Hospitality, owner of Portland restaurants Honey Paw and Eventide, is branching out into a new line of business by transforming a former eatery into a multipurpose event venue elsewhere downtown.

The 2,400-square-foot former home of Local 188, which closed last year, now serves as both a catering venue and a flexible hub for private dinners, business gatherings and community events — consolidating more of Big Tree’s hospitality under one roof. It's at 685 Congress St.

"We've averaged 30 to 40 weddings and roughly 90 to 100 total off-site events over the past three seasons," said Amy Caramante, a spokeswoman for Big Tree.

"We've never had a space of our own to just open the doors and host guests, so by adding this incredible space to our operation, our goal is to add events throughout the year right here in our home," she noted.

Big Tree Hospitality hosts events and uses the kitchen as a home base for catering.

Besides Honey Paw and Eventide on Middle Street, Big Tree owns Eventide Fenway in Boston and specialty food shops in Falmouth (Town Landing Market), South Freeport (Village Market) and Scarborough (Higgins Beach Market).

"We've updated the bar while keeping the same layout with all new bar tops and a 6 tap pouring system, which will feature local brews, Eventide and the Honey Paw signature cocktails and eventually chilled wine options as well," Caramante said.

The Big Tree team is led by Arlin Smith and James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Taylor. Adrian Arvizu Rico is the head events chef for the catering operation, Big Tree at Local 188.

The catering menu fuses favorites from across Big Tree’s portfolio, with recipes from Eventide and the Honey Paw, including a brown-butter lobster roll, tuna crudo and oysters from Eventide. Custom menus are also available.

The space is available to rent every day of the week and is staffed by five full-time employees, along with several per diem team members who assist with larger events.

New dining spots around the state

Miss Sweet Bubble Tea, located at 897 Brighton Ave in Portland, opened last month. The menu includes bubble tea drinks, sweets, snacks like pork buns, spring rolls, egg tarts and crab rangoon. Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea is a concoction of tea with chewy tapioca. For a classic boba experience, patrons can add traditional black tapioca pearls and fruit-flavored popping bobas.

Mainely Tacos Dos, at 62 Main St. in Bangor, offers a variety of Mexican dishes.

Downtown Spot opened at 73 Main St. in Bangor. It offers soft- and hard-serve ice cream, freeze-dried items for people & pets, a range of beverages, Maine-made local products, slush puppies and grab-and-go food.

Dreamer, an Armenian and Lebanese food truck in Bangor, plans to open its first brick-and-mortar location at 97 Allen St. An opening date hasn't been set yet.

Rasa Indian Cuisine, at 175 Exchange St. in Bangor, is set to open in December.

Catbird, a new restaurant in South Berwick, opened last month. It's located at 279 Main St. The menu includes fish and chips, steak frites, cavatelli, various salads, flan leche and sorbet.

Rambler Irish Bistro, at 365 Main St. in Yarmouth, opened in late September. Rambler is an Irish-inspired bistro featuring refined comfort food and craft cocktails.

Lotso Tacos, at 358 Main St. in Yarmouth, is in the space formerly occupied by the Little Bird gluten-free bakery. It opened in October. The menu includes tacos, burritos, salads, baked goods, agua fresca and coffee.

Reader Feedback

What other new dining spots or food trucks should we check out? The Mainebiz Food Insider wants to hear from you! Contact Alexis Wells at awells@mainebiz.biz.