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Father’s Day is coming up soon. The reservation book is now open and we will be opening at 8:00am Sunday June 19th to welcome you and your Dad, grandad, uncle etc etc. We wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there and to all the men who have stepped up and been a father to someone. I’m pretty sure I won the big door prize when it comes to fathers. Let me share him with you. I’ve been ‘my father’s daughter’ since the day I was born when he arrived at the hospital with a nosegay of flowers for me. He is a man meant to father a daughter. Proudly so, I’ve been his ‘little girl’ for all of my 62 years. Growing up in my house was a bit like ‘wait till your father gets home’, not to say my mother wasn’t a perfectly capable task master or disciplinarian but there was something about disappointing my father that was different. I always wanted him to be proud of me and my actions. Because of this I rarely broke rules and to this day that pretty much holds true. Growing up my father always told my brother and me ‘blood is thicker than water’, meaning friends are fine, but we are family and family will always come first. Along with my mother, they have managed to instill that strong sense of familia in not just 1 but 3 generations of Kostopouli. My father would do anything for his family, both immediate and extended, and over the years I have been witness to this. And I am quite sure there is even more that I know nothing about. He has always led by example. When I was 26 and working retail in Portland’s Old Port my father felt I lacked direction. My major in Women’s Studies hadn’t panned out into a career. He asked if I wanted to open a restaurant with him. He said, “I’ll make you a star” and in a way he did, we did. We have been partners for some 36 odd years, it hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been rewarding. He taught me perseverance, bravery and loyalty. In a time where there were few female restauranteurs in Maine, he made me fearless and gave me the tools to succeed. Never once has he made me feel being a ‘girl’ could or would stop me from achieving anything. Over the years I have watched my father be a father figure to so many people. His ability to make someone feel loved, help solve life’s problems, make them feel safe and worthy seems boundless. My father thrives on being a father. I have happily shared him with the masses. A man of honor, that is Anthony Kostopoulos. He is truth and honor to the umpteenth degree. His word is gold. Anthony Kostopoulos is a husband, father, papou and great papou. Each and every role he does better than any other man I know. My father hung the moon. He has given me the stars, love, laughter, success, a good moral compass, passion, a childhood to brag about and bouquets and bouquets of flowers. This Father’s Day I am here to shout from the roof tops, thank you Dad. I adore you.  Mother’s day is the next big thing here at The Good Table, we love our Moms. Anyone who knows us knows our matriarch Sylvia, while she only has 2 biological children she has mothered many, many more. A lot of the crew here look to her for mother love. She’s really good at it. So Mother’s day has always been a favorite of ours. The reservation book is open, we have reserved only half of the dining room leaving the rest open for walk in business. I won’t lie, it’ll be busy, but our crew is top notch and we will be well prepared and things should run smooth as butter. If you need to wait for a table we’ll have coffee on the front porch for you. Per usual all Moms will get a beautiful rose and a big love.   Hello Spring.. Finally. It’s here. We took a nice end of winter break in mid March, we are rested and rejuvenated and excited to bring new flavors to the house. Spring dug parsnips arrive tomorrow, asparagus abounds, spring cocktails are here. Hello spring. Soon we’ll be at the market picking up plants and herbs for the gardens. Greens, ramps, rhubarb, radishes and fiddleheads will follow. Hello spring. We start dreaming of summer strawberries, corn, tomatoes, it is the start of a glorious time of year to cook in Maine. The war in Ukraine breaks our hearts. The need to help in some way inspired us to raise money through sales of goods from The Sweets Department, your personal donations, a 10% charity day and The GT’s matching funds we raised $2,390. I am never more proud to be a small business owner then I am at times like this, when we along with your giving can help. Thank you. The money will be split evenly between Save the Children, Unicef and World Central Kitchen. Easter is coming up hot. We will be open from 8:00 am until 2:00 pm. We will serve Breakfast and Brunch all day. We will forgo the lunch and diner menu and stick to brunchy foods. Sorry, no ham, no lamb, but we’ll have plenty of Cinnamon Buns, Creme Brûlée French Toast and Blood Orange Mimosas. The reservation book is open on April 1st, we are taking reservations for half the dining room with plenty of room for walk in guests. There will be coffee on the porch waiting for you. We’ve stopped offering Take and Bake Family Meals with the end of winter. The Sweets Department though is still offering all sorts of goodies to take and bake in your own oven. Check our weekly menus for offerings. Enjoy the beginnings of the green life. Come visit and taste the season in our menus. Happy Spring Maine. Lisa ‘the cure for anything is salt water..sweat, tears or the sea’ isak dinesen  Raising money for charities has always been important to us over the years.
Saturday, March 12th we'll be donating 10% 0f profits to various causes that feed, cloth, house and take care of Ukrainians fleeing war. |
