Tiqa, FOURFOURTYTHREECLUB Under Extensive Construction at new Old Port Hotels

The oddly-shaped space at the new Hyatt hotel on Fore Street has been leased by an oddly-named company. From CBRE's September transaction report: "The FOURFOURTYTHREECLUB, LLC leased the retail space at the corner of Fore and Union Streets in the Hyatt Place Hotel with landlord East Brown Cow. The tenant plans to open a lounge in the space after extensive renovations are completed." That seems to include pouring a floor, which indicates the location won't be ready until sometime in 2015.

From the same report, "Tropical Smoothie Cafe leased a retail unit at 740 Broadway" in South Portland. The chain already has a location at 45 Western Avenue in South Portland as well as one in Brunswick. The company first opened in Destin, FL in 1997 "serving real fruit smoothies," and now has over 300 cafes in over 30 states.

Construction on Mediterranean-style Tiqa is underway at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel at 321 Commercial Street, and a tipster sent pictures to prove it. As reported in August, the restaurant from Deen Haleem and Carol Mitchell isn't expected to open until 2015, as the space needs similarly extensive work as the one at the Hyatt.

Portland Food Map spotted Tiqa's liquor license application, and shared a note about the seating at the enormous, 7,000 square foot restaurant: "In total Tiqa will be able to seat 276 people: 57 in the lounge/bar, 35 on the patio, a 15 at the chef's bar, 58 in the dining room and 111 in the private dining room."

The application also includes a description of the menu on page 63, which reads like a geography lesson: "Offering Pan Mediterranean menu focusing on the cuisines of all the Mediterranean countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Albania, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algiers and Morocco) with kabobs/kefta as a centerpiece." Sounds like a crowd-pleaser.

Is Mediterranean the next big trend in Portland? Another Commercial Street venture, soon-to-open Ebb & Flow, will also feature the cuisine.