The Great Lost Bear

Last updated
The Great Lost Bear
The Great Lost Bear.jpg
Great Lost Bear 2023.jpg
Bar (2023)
The Great Lost Bear
Restaurant information
EstablishedJune 18, 1979(45 years ago) (1979-06-18)
Owner(s)Mike Dickson (2023–)
Mary Dickson (2023–)
Andrew Pillsbury (2023–)
Previous owner(s)Chip MacConnell (1979–2011)
Dave Evans (1979–2023)
Weslie Evans (1979–2023)
Street address540 Forest Avenue
City Portland, Maine
Postal/ZIP Code04101
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 43°40′05″N70°16′49″W / 43.6680271°N 70.28024°W / 43.6680271; -70.28024
Website greatlostbear.com

The Great Lost Bear is a bar and restaurant at 540 Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine, United States. Established in 1979 by Dave and Weslie Evans and Chip MacConnell, [1] it is noted for its selection of draft craft beers. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

Its location was formerly occupied by a rock club named Bottoms Up and, in the rear of the buildings, Nappi's Bakery. [5] [6] [7] The new venture, originally named The Grizzly Bear, [8] opened on June 18, 1979, and it received no customers. [5]

In 1981, the name of the business was changed to The Great Lost Bear after a cease-and-desist letter was received from Grizzly Bear Pizza in Oregon. The "Grizzly" sign now hangs in the restaurant's dining room. [8] [9]

The Evanses purchased MacConnell's share of the business in 2011, becoming sole owners. [8] The same year, the bar appeared in an episode of Drinking Made Easy. [10]

Notable past patrons include Jerry Seinfeld. [8] Mystery novelist John Connolly writes a series of novels about detective Charlie Parker and starting with the 2009 novel titled The Lovers the character Parker takes a job as a bartender at The Great Lost Bear. [11]

In May 2023, Mike and Mary "Bird" Dickson, along with Andrew Pillsbury, purchased the business from the Evans family. Each of the trio had worked at the establishment for over thirty years at that point. [12]

In September 2023, a celebration of life of D.L. Geary Brewing Company's founder David L. Geary took place during happy hour at the bar. [13]

Today, the bar has around seventy beer taps. [8] [14] In 2018 it was voted Best Beer Bar in Maine by CraftBeer.com. [15]

The food menu has burgers, wings, nachos and a vegetarian section called Carnivores Beware. [16] It participated in Maine Restaurant Week in 2010 and offered a vegetarian meal of spanakopita. [17]

A menu from The Great Lost Bear in 1982 is included in a collection of menus held at the Portland Public Library. In that year, according to this menu, a hamburger cost $3.65 and a vegetarian Reuben sandwich cost $3.35. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of New England</span> Northeastern US food culture

New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampanoag, and other native peoples. It also includes influences from Irish, French-Canadian, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine, among others. It is characterized by extensive use of potatoes, beans, dairy products and seafood, resulting from its historical reliance on its seaports and fishing industry. Corn, the major crop historically grown by Native American tribes in New England, continues to be grown in all New England states, primarily as sweet corn although flint corn is grown as well. It is traditionally used in hasty puddings, cornbreads and corn chowders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland, Maine</span> Largest city in Maine, United States

Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the New England area as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Southern Maine</span> Public university in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston, Maine, U.S.

The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universities, Gorham Normal School and Portland University. The two universities, later known as Gorham State College and the University of Maine at Portland, were combined in 1970 to help streamline the public university system in Maine and eventually expanded by adding the Lewiston campus in 1988.

Cranks was a chain of English wholefood vegetarian restaurants. It was founded and owned by David and Kay Canter and Daphne Swann, and its flagship restaurant was at Marshall Street in the West End of London.

Toni Fiore is an American TV host, cookbook author, and chef, focusing on vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Avery Yale Kamila is an American journalist and community organizer in the state of Maine. Kamila has written a food column for the Portland Press Herald /Maine Sunday Telegram and its affiliated newspapers since 2009.

A vegan school meal or vegan school lunch or vegan school dinner or vegan hot lunch is a vegan option provided as a school meal. A small number of schools around the world serve vegan food or are vegan schools, serving exclusively vegan food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro</span> Restaurant in Portland, Maine

The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro is a vegetarian restaurant serving Thai cuisine in Portland, Maine, that opened in 2007 in the city's Arts District. A second Green Elephant restaurant is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Both have received critical attention for their vegetarian dishes.

The Hollow Reed was a vegetarian restaurant in the Old Port district of Portland, Maine. It opened on February 7, 1974, and closed in 1981, and is cited for its influence on the city's notable restaurant culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin Shed Garden Cafe</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Tin Shed Garden Cafe, often abbreviated as Tin Shed, is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's King neighborhood. Co-owned by Christie Griffin and Janette Kaden, the dog-friendly cafe opened in 2002 and serves American cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ping (restaurant)</span> Defunct Asian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Ping was an Asian restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Chef Andy Ricker and restaurateur Kurt Huffman opened the original restaurant in Old Town Chinatown in 2009. In 2010, Ping was a semifinalist in the Best New Restaurant category at the James Beard Foundation Awards. It was also named a best new restaurant by GQ and earned a Rising Star award from The Oregonian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviv (restaurant)</span> Defunct Middle Eastern restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Aviv was a Middle Eastern vegan restaurant with several locations in Portland, Oregon. Guy Fieri visited the restaurant for a 2020 episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Although Aviv had been popular, it closed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Zefiro was an Italian and Mediterranean restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business operated from 1990 to 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Village Cafe</span> Restaurant in Maine, United States

The Village Cafe was a 550-seat family-owned Italian restaurant in Portland, Maine, United States. It was in business, at 112 Newbury Street, for 71 years (1936–2007) and was one of the few restaurants in the Old Port during the restaurant's existence. It stood across Hancock Street from the Shipyard Brewing Company, in a space now occupied by condominiums—The Village at Ocean Gate—which maintain The Village's name. The restaurant closed at 11:30 PM on weekdays and 12:30 AM on weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombay Cricket Club</span> Defunct Indian restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Bombay Cricket Club was an Indian and Middle Eastern restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Buckman neighborhood, in the United States. Karim and Sherri Ahmad owned and operated the business from 1995 to 2016. The popular restaurant screened cricket matches and garnered a positive reception. It was named the city's best Indian restaurant by Portland Monthly in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virtuous Pie</span> Canadian pizza restaurant chain

Virtuous Pie is a pizza chain based in Vancouver, Canada. The business has locations in Portland, Oregon, Toronto, and Victoria, British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlu</span> Vietnamese restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Berlu is a Vietnamese restaurant and bakery in Portland, Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazy Susan (restaurant)</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Lazy Susan was a New American restaurant in Portland, Oregon's Montavilla neighborhood, in the United States. Akkapong "Earl" Ninsom, as well as Andrew and Nora Mace, opened the restaurant in early 2020, just prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite garnering a positive reception, the restaurant closed permanently in July 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stretch the Noodle</span> Chinese food cart in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Stretch the Noodle is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

References

  1. ↑ "Dave Evans has owned the Great Lost Bear for 35 years". The Maine Mag. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  2. ↑ "Great Lost Bear". Food Network. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  3. ↑ Mooney, Jake (2007-09-28). "Down East in Maine, by the Pint or the Vat". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  4. ↑ D'Ambrosio, Daniel. "This Maine Beer Company Grew To $15 Million By Doing The Right Thing". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  5. 1 2 "Great Lost Bear". The Maine Mag. 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  6. ↑ Edmonds, Evan. "'Neighboring is a verb': Less of a drive-by, more of a community in Portland's Woodfords Corner | The Portland Phoenix" . Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  7. ↑ PFM (2023-05-23). "The Great Lost Bear". Portland Food Map. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Writer, Meredith GoadStaff (2019-06-16). "The Great Lost Bear roars into its 5th decade". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  9. ↑ "The Great Lost Bear, 1988". Businesses & Buildings - Portland Press Herald Still Film Negatives. 1988-12-11.
  10. ↑ Kamila, Avery Yale (2012-01-04). "Food & Dining Dispatches, Jan. 4, 2012". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  11. ↑ Voornas, Lori. "Iconic Portland Restaurant Still as Cool and Delicious as Ever". Q97.9. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  12. ↑ Writer, Tim CebulaStaff (2023-05-24). "The Wrap: The Great Lost Bear changes hands, Rose Foods reinstates indoor seating". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-05-25.
  13. ↑ "OBITUARY David L. Geary". Dignity Memorial. 2023.
  14. ↑ Bouthillette, Emma (2012-09-27). "Bar Guide: Beer drinkers will find Great Lost Bear to their liking". Press Herald. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  15. ↑ "34 things to see and do while driving up the New England coast". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  16. ↑ "Great Lost Bear". Old Port Magazine. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  17. ↑ Kamila, Avery Yale (2010-02-24). "Vegetarian options aplenty at restaurant week venues". Press Herald. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  18. ↑ Sedenka, Chris (2023-08-12). "9 Old School Menus Reveal Dining Out in Portland, Maine, in the 1980s Was Cheap". 102.9 WBLM. Retrieved 2023-12-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.