A chef who has been in the restaurant industry his whole life — from dishwasher to executive chef — is setting up his own restaurant in a leased space at 24 Preble St. in downtown Portland.
“Things are progressing a little bit more quickly than I was thinking, which I’m very thankful for,” said Matthew Burns, who said he expects to open the Velvet Dog this summer.
Last-minute tour
The ground-floor space was previously occupied by Arcadia National Bar, a combination arcade and bar that opened in 2014 and later moved to 504 Congress St. in Portland.
Burns leased the unit from Preble Street Acquisitions LLC. Sasha Phillips represented Burns and Joe Italiaander and Chris Gallagher represented the landlord; all are with the Boulos Co.
The unit hadn’t been listed yet when the property tour was planned, said Phillips.
“My colleagues were preparing the listing for both the restaurant space and the upstairs offices, and we decided to include it in the tour as a last-minute add-on,” she said. “After our initial walkthrough, it quickly became clear to all of us how seamlessly it aligned with Matt’s vision, both in layout and overall atmosphere.”
The surrounding area is experiencing a wave of development, including the Maine Public office and studio across the street plus new housing and hospitality developments around the corner on Congress Street, she said.
“He was eager to be part of that momentum,” she added.
‘Okay, it’s time’
Burns credited Phillips for her help.
“She was so patient and really helped me, especially through the lease process,” he said.
Burns was 19 when he got his first restaurant job as dishwasher. After high school, he went to Kansas City for a decade, returned to Maine and enrolled in Southern Maine Community College’s culinary arts program, receiving his degree in the late 2000s. Throughout that time, he had various culinary roles, including sous chef, chef de cuisine and executive chef.
“I thought, ‘One day I’m going to have my own restaurant,’” he said.
Several years in corporate management gave him a foundation for how to run a business.
From there, he became sous chef at Nonesuch River Brewing in Scarborough. Most recently, he held executive roles at Legends Rest Taproom and Paper City Barbecue, both in Westbrook, running both restaurants at the same time.
He left the restaurants in December to start his own.
“I said, ‘Okay, it’s time. I’m almost 50. If I’m going to take a shot, I need to take a shot.’”
‘Elevated dive’
Burns and his wife Katie are developing a vibe for the Velvet Dog that he calls “elevated dive.”
“We want to be a little higher-end but not pretentious,” he said. “Velvet ropes and dogs — we thought, ‘Okay, that’s cool.’ We’re kind of mixing that together. We’re not going to be taking ourselves too seriously.”
The vibe will be “almost a love letter to the 1990s” with “killer music, neon lights to put on the walls, and couches and restaurant seating.”
The cuisine will vary and will likely include seasonal fare.
“Our big focus will be on small plates,” he said.
Some dishes he enjoys cooking are braised beef cheeks in the French style with a red wine reduction, chicken and smoked sausage empanadas and seafood dishes such as a spin on a seafood bake but with mussels and shrimp with Cajun sauce.
Suitable layout
Burns found 24 Preble St. after looking for a spot for a while.
“I was keeping an eye out, looking here and there,” he said.
The layout already included suitable bar infrastructure. Table seating will accommodate about 65 diners. Couches and the bar will each accommodate another 10 or so. The Burnses are doing most of the fit-up themselves. They recently spent a week or two just painting. The dark green walls and black ceiling with a lot of exposed pipes lend an industrial style. Equipment and furnishings throughout are being purchased and installed.
Much of the project is financed by cash, plus a loan from Florida finance broker FS Foodservice Solutions, which specializes in equipment financing for foodservice operators, according to its website.
“One thing I was able to do all these years was make good connections with food and alcohol providers,” Burns said. “When I said, ‘Hey, I’m doing my own place,’ they all said, ‘Okay, what do you need?’ So it’s going pretty quick.”
