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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 27 J U LY 2 2 , 2 0 1 9 F O C U S R E A L E S TAT E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / D E S I G N at's what Brady's Fathom Cos. aims to do with Canopy by Hilton and a planned indoor-outdoor restau- rant and rooftop bar. Interior designer Ealain Studio, the award-winning firm behind Boston's Whitney Hotel and Hotel E in Santa Rosa, Ca., got the job after relocating from Boston to Portland last year. "We were attracted to a city with a notable reputation for creativity with food and the arts," says Jacqueline McGee, the firm's principal and design director. Munjoy Hill's neighborhood appeal Downtown Portland isn't the city's only gastronomy hotspot. Good dining venues can be found in every neighborhood, including Munjoy Hill where husband-and-wife Guy and Stella Hernandez opened Lolita Vinoteca + Asador in 2014, in partner- ship with Neil Reiter. Guy runs the kitchen at the Mediterranean-themed eatery, while Stella is a licensed somme- lier and is in charge of wine. ough both are former architects, they enlisted Lauren Reiter (married to Neil) of Reiter Architecture & Design to design of the long, narrow space. "We tried to be the best clients we could be, and trusted Lauren to synthe- size what we wanted and turn it into a built reality," says Guy Hernandez. Reiter did that with a clever design that incorporates an open kitchen and wood-fired grill, a bar that seats 10 and tables that seat 20, and storage as part of the decor. "It was almost like designing a boat where every inch had to be really well- thought out and useable, so there really is no fluff in that project at all," Reiter says. She says she did that by "pars- ing everything down to the inch," and likens the project to a puzzle. Early in her career, she designed much bigger places in New York City, including one with a pizza oven in the middle of the dining area. Noting that projects of all sizes can be tricky, she says: "Larger doesn't necessarily mean better, and smaller doesn't necessarily mean easier." Lobsters, oysters and pearls Taking a cool-hand DIY approach to design, Luke's Lobster recently opened its first restaurant in Maine, on the Portland waterfront. As with all other locations, Luke's handled design in-house and produced furnishings at its Saco fabrication shop. "It gives us creative control, and also gives us flexibility as we go through a project," says chief development officer Bryan Holden, brother of co-founder Luke Holden. "at really helps us to keep things as cohesive as possible." Big Tree Hospitality, owner of Eventide Oyster Co., Hugo's and e Honey Paw, also handled design for those Portland spots, but for Eventide Boston it enlisted Kaplan ompson. It also turned to Might & Main, which had also done branding for the Portland Eventide and Hugo's. e Beantown expansion posed intriguing challenges like getting three big boulders inside the restau- rant to build on the rock motif of the smaller original venue. Big Tree's Arlin Smith is pleased with the result, saying the architects "took what we were going for and tweaked it in all the right ways." For Kaplan ompson and Might & Main, Portland has been a spring- board to other markets. e former has projects in Boston and Biddeford, while Might & Main has restaurant and hotel clients nationwide and increasing busi- ness from outside Maine. "Five years ago, if you told some- one, 'you should hire this branding company out of Portland,' they'd say, 'Portland, Oregon?'" says co-principal and creative director Sean Wilkinson. "Now there's a little bit more of 'you're opening a restaurant? Why don't you hire this branding firm in Portland, Maine.'" R e n e e C o r d e s , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t r c o r d e s @ m a i n e b i z . b i z a n d @ r s c o r d e s 866.782.0200 | www.connectivitypoint.com Call cabling vendor Call securi vendor Call AV vendor Call phone system vendor Call sound masking vendor 6. Call cell amplificaon vendor Call Connecvi Point! Bridge Loans Acquisition New Construction Operating Capital Renovation Loans Capital Improvement www.mainecapitalgroup.com 4 City Center, 3rd Floor, Portland, ME 04101 MCG is your solution. We see lending differently. Mike Lyden: 207.329.2177 / mlyden@mainecapitalgroup.com Russ Oakes: 207.352.5609 / roakes@mainecapitalgroup.com • Short term flexible loan structure • In-house underwriting and draw process • Exit strategy assistance Maine Capital Group has been providing short-term commercial loans since 2010. We understand that every real estate loan represents a unique opportunity for the borrower and the lender. • Asset based lending decisions Real Estate Lending with a SOLUTIONS APPROACH Sean Wilkinson, co-principal and creative director at Might & Main P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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