Listening bar and restaurant opening in Portland
Bad Neighbors, a hi-fi listening bar and restaurant, is on track to open next month in the former Congress Street space of Soakology.
“It’s meant to be another third space on Congress Street,” said co-owner David Aceto. He and his partners, Nicole Costas and Dennis Gaines, also own Arcadia across the street. “We’re excited to have a place that has a different vibe, but still be someplace people want to hang out a couple times a week.”
The owners aim to launch Bad Neighbors by Aug. 15. Aceto said the concept of the bar is centered around “music exploration,” featuring music on vinyl from various genres and regions of the world.
“We’re going to have the music at a great volume to listen to, with speakers that have been set up by a sound designer (Gaines). We’ve got two Altec speakers built into the front of the bar and two theater-style speakers out back that are measured to give you a full audio experience wherever you are in the space.”
The venue has about 70 seats, with a pool table in the back. Aceto described their food menu as “fine diner.”
“It’s food you know, that brings an Americana feel, but executed really well,” he said. Dishes will include French dip, pancakes, cold noodles, disco fries and a fried chicken dinner. Head chef Erasmo Benavides previously worked at Bread & Friends and Terlingua. Evan Richardson, chef-owner of Costa Media in Camden and South Portland’s former Cafe Louis, consulted on the opening menu.
Aceto said the bar program is a kind of extension of Costas’s program at Arcadia. “Whether it’s a low-abv cocktail, a classic cocktail or a thoughtfully made mocktail, someone’s going to find the right drink to match the mood of the bar that evening,” he said.
Bad Neighbors, a 21+ space, will be open Wednesday through Sunday from either 4-11 p.m. or 5 p.m-midnight. Aceto said they aim to add weekend brunch service starting at 10 a.m. in September.
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Tim Cebula has been a food writer and editor for 23 years. A former correspondent for The Boston Globe food section, his work has appeared in Time, Health, Food & Wine, CNN.com, and Boston magazine,. More by Tim Cebula
