BELFAST— A trend in Portland, where food truck owners test the waters by going mobile with a small menu and then take it to the next level with restaurant space, has taken hold in Belfast, where two new restaurants are slated to open.

Neighborhood

Four years ago, Seth Whited and Sarah Waldron were co-owners and operators of the Good ‘N’ You food truck in the back parking lot of Rollie’s Bar and Grill. They served up healthy, locally sourced Mexican and Mediterranean fare before they chose to close in 2016.

On Jan. 20, Whited and Waldron will open their first restaurant, called Neighborhood, at 132 High St., formerly home to La Vida’s Mexican restaurant.

“We realized by our fourth year in the food truck, we’d just outgrown the space. And we took a break in order to figure out how to make that happen in a bigger space,” said Waldron.

The name Neighborhood conjures up a friendly locals watering hole, something Whited felt was representative of his experience growing up in Belfast and living there.

“I feel very strongly about our community here and really proud to be a part of it,” he said.

The restaurant has been repainted a cool grey, with artwork on the walls by Whited and Waldron, as well local artists like John Byrer. The split level bar was completely handmade by Whited in a small parquet design of Douglas fir.

“Our hope is that people will see this bar as an extension of the dining room and a place to come just for the drinks,” said Bar Manager John Poto, who has created a diverse cocktail list using house infused spirits such as a five pepper tequila and and ingredients such as balsam, lavender, ginger and cilantro.

“We’re trying to match some of the cocktails with flavors coming out of the kitchen. The beer is all local with a tap dedicated to Marshall Wharf, where Whited previously worked (and whom we covered in a “What’s In That Cocktail” story), as well as a small wine list with more of a focus on South America.

Fans of Good ‘N’ You’s food will see that Neighborhood’s lunch menu is nearly exactly the same.

“We wanted to make sure that people have their old favorites back,” said Whited, who said that like the lunch menu, the dinner menu will still be locally sourced. “I want people to know their food is coming from a place that they trust.”

He also said he imagines the menu to be simple, comfort food with offerings such as shrimp and grits and braised short ribs.

For more information and updates visit: Neighborhood

The Hoot

Anna Wagner, former food truck operator of Wags Wagon, which coincidentally took over the Good ‘N’ You food truck and location in Belfast, decided also to put the permanent brakes on the food truck and instead expand her menu to a new restaurant space. A resident of Northport, she saw the opportunity and bought the multi-colored, long-vacant former Dos Amigos building on Route 1, in Northport.

Taking a break from working with her father to renovate the older building, which had been sitting on the real estate market for a few years, Wagner took a few minutes to speak about her new restaurant venture, which she wants to call The Hoot.

“Basically I’m hoping to have a coffee shop with lounge, serving breakfast and lunch with occasional pop-up dinners,” Wagner said. “I’m mostly a morning person, so I’m building the coffee lounge around more of a daytime feel.

Wags Wagon featured sandwiches and salads with a menu heavy on locally sourced meats and cheeses, which Wagner said, might still end up on the menu.

“I’m still working on the menu, seeing what people want and build it around that,” she said.

As for the neon green and pink colors of the old Mexican eatery, Wagner said she’s going to tone it down and side it with cedar shingles. Wagner anticipates the work on the building structure and interior will be done in the spring, when she can start focusing on the kitchen and the menu.

Penobscot Bay Pilot will update this story when the new venture opens.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com