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Bar Futo

At the intersection of Japanese and Maine culinary traditions, you’ll find snazzy newcomer Bar Futo
Words By Alexandra Hall
Photos By Catherine Dzilenski & Nicole Wolf
Designer Mey & Co

We want people to be able to try a lot of different things,” announces Jordan Rubin, his long locks and quasi-Mephistophelian facial hair framing a wide grin. And though he’s talking about the plates of food he’s setting on our table—one bearing charred Hamachi with ponzu and puffedrice, another of skewers of duck breast, prune, and togarashi—he could just as easily be talking about the entire Portland restaurant landscape and the contributions he’s making to it.

Left to right: Ian Driscoll; Courtney O’Neill; Bryce Summers; Jordan Rubin; Marisa Lewiecki.

Jordan and his team have already added two novel layers to the area: Mr. Tuna, sprung from a creative sushi cart then evolved into both a food truck and a brick-and-mortar spot in Portland Public Market, followed by Crispy Gài, where chef Cyle Reynolds dishes out Thai street food to a near-cult following. And now along comes Bar Futo, an unapologetically cool watering-hole-meets-serious-eatery launched in partnership with, among others, co-owner Marisa Lewiecki; chef Ian Driscoll; and sake virtuoso Alyssa Mikiko DiPasquale.

The kitchen’s sharable small plates.
Binchotan grilled chicken shoulders and wings dipped in house-made tare, served with togarashi-dusted lemon.

Like the other two restaurants, Bar Futo is a snapshot of Asian dishes taken with a Maine lens. The menu spotlights his signature, elegant-but-playful raw fish dishes, but he’s also introduced a Japanese charcoal known as binchotan, used to fire up all manner of meat skewers. “Marisa and Iwent to Japan and ate a ton of yakitori [chicken skewers],” he explains. “It was an experience I was dying to bring home.” Why the fervor? “Binchotan has a very clean smoke,” he explains. “So it gives the food an unmatched, clean flavor compared to cooking over wood.”

Said flavor dances across cultural spectrums, as do the cooking methods. “There are times when we’re using a Japanese technique, but the flavors aren’t Japanese,” says Jordan. For example? “We do a special swordfish, the sauce is roasted poblano peppers and dashi. Or we’re making uniwith potato mochi. Those are Japanese flavors, yet the technique is sous vide.” Constant throughout is the overlap between the culinary philosophies of Japan and Maine, meaning a focus on ingredients and freshness. “We handle all the food here with absolute care,” he says. “As you would at a sushi restaurant.”

A plate of uni with potato mochi, soubise, and seaweed dukka.
Uni is a sea urchin roe that thrives in Maine waters.
Banana's Foster kakigori (a.k.a. Japanese shaved ice) with candied walnuts, rum syrup, and banana.

They design that way, too. The minimalist space conjured by Portland firm Mey + Co. puts the focus on details—the bar’s Umi Sumasshu porcelain tiles, for example, and the custom loveseats from Cape Elizabeth’s Thomas Mifflin, for another—while giving guests a range of dining experiences. Warm a stool at the chef’s counter if you’re up for a show; grab a booth to get cozy;or settle into a banquette to feel like a V.I.P. Wherever you sit, the place teems with a young, energetic crowd digging into dishes of kakigori (shaved ice) Bananas Foster—another Japanese specialty made with classic American flavors. “I’ve been wanting to bring kakigori to Portland for a long time,” says Jordan. “It’s something else new for people to try.”

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