Petite Jacqueline, the French bistro formerly located in Longfellow Square, quietly re-opened over the weekend at its new, expanded location at 46 Market St. in Portland’s Old Port.
The restaurant, which now features a large bar as well as a raw seafood bar, has merged with Portland Patisserie; both are owned by Michelle and Steven Corry, also the proprietors of Five Fifty-Five in Portland. The patisserie is still serving lunch, pastries and coffees but in a smaller space, with an entrance on Milk Street.
Fans of the first incarnation of Petite Jacqueline will be happy to see lots of old favorites on the menu, including steak frites, boeuf bourguignon, the “French Attitude” burger, and the chocolate pot de creme.
The head chef at Petite Jacqueline is Alex Morgan, who comes from North Carolina but most recently worked at Eventide Oyster Co. in Portland.
For now, the restaurant will be open five nights a week, Wednesday through Sunday, and will be closed on Monday and Tuesday. Hours will expand sometime next week to seven days, with breakfast being served from 9 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The bistro, named after co-owner Michelle Corry’s French grandmother, had been closed since New Year’s. It opened at 190 State St. in 2011 and was a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award in 2012. The Corrys say they moved the restaurant because of increasing rent, scant parking, and their desire to expand the bistro.
The former Petite Jacqueline space will eventually be home to an expanded (sit-down) Ocho Burrito, which is part of the Otto Pizza group. That restaurant does not yet have an opening date, according to Eric Shepherd, spokesman for Otto Pizza.
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