So if you’re cruising down Bridge Street, look for the sign that reads The Original Frog & Turtle A Gastro Pub, in the spot that formerly housed Chicky’s Fine Diner.
“Gastro pub is kind of a buzz word right now,” says Tranchemontagne, 33. “I think it will catch on as connoting food from America.”
Cooking up decidedly American cuisine is something Tranchemontagne knows well. He most recently ran the popular Uffa! in Portland’s West End, which he bought from the last in a series of three owners. When the lease expired this summer, he knew he was ready for something new. So he closed Uffa! and headed to Westbrook.
“Portland is over-saturated with restaurants,” says Tranchemontagne, who lives in Westbrook with his wife and 20-month-old son. “Why be one of many when you can be one of the few? This is a very clean start for us.”
This clean start means an interior that is much more spacious — 73 seats vs. 43 seats — and offers a full bar and a lounge area. The decor, courtesy of Tranchemontagne’s wife, Heidi, has an inviting, upscale feel. Despite these physical changes, Tranchemontagne says the spirit of the food will remain, except with a lower price.
The restaurant opened last week with a half menu and plans to expand to a full menu by the beginning of October. You’ll find standard offerings like the hormone-free hamburger ($8) and a 10-inch, build-your-own pizza ($9). The menu will change at least four times a season and offer daily specials, so there will be plenty of variety.
Tranchemontagne says diners can look forward to dishes like duck breast with blackberry merlot sauce, wild mushroom tart and center-cut pork loin. He aims to create a menu split into thirds among meat, seafood and vegetarian entrees and looks forward to adding game meat later this fall.
This November, Tranchemontagne and his crew plan to start offering dinners to-go. These will include things like chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes and a loaf of bread. Inside the restaurant, there will be live music on the weekends and sports fans can keep an eye on the game courtesy of the flat screen TVs above the bar.
“The style of food, the preparation, the ingredients, none of that will change” from what was served at Uffa!, Tranchemontagne says. “We’re here to say we have good wine, good beer and really good food.”
Plus a fun name for Westbrook’s first (and so far only) gastro pub.