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February 8, 2011 Portlandbiz

Mexican restaurant replaces pizza joint

Siano's Old Port Pizzeria's location at 505 Fore St. is closing nearly a year after it opened, making room for a new high-end Mexican restaurant.

Tom and Shannon Bard plan to open Zapoteca in the next two to three months. Zapoteca -- named after indigenous Mexicans who come from Oaxaca, in the southern part of the country -- will serve "cuisine you find in Mexico City," according to Tom Bard, and use as much local food as possible. The chilies, though, will likely be imported.

Shannon Bard trained at the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, Texas, which specializes in Latin American cooking, and will be the restaurant's head chef. Possible entrees include Red Snapper Veracruz with a tomato, green olive, cilantro and lemon sauce; carne asada with an anchovy-chili sauce; and stuffed, baked jalapenos. The restaurant's salsa and mole sauce will be homemade, and the bar will serve 70 to 80 tequilas and fresh-squeezed juices, Tom says.

Tom Bard says he has 30 years in the restaurant business but did not identify any of his other ventures; he was affiliated with Bard Coffee in its early stages but is not involved with the business any longer, one of the coffee shop's owners said. The new restaurant will be competing with upper-level Portland restaurants such as Havana South, Fore Street and Street and Co., Bard says. Valet parking will also be available behind the historic brick building that is also home to Mainebiz.

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