M AY 2 0 1 8 4 7 Downtown meaghan maurice What’s New? By Sarah Moore ust when you feel you’ve got the whole city memorized by heart, you turn a corner and dazzling new restaurants, bars, and shops waiting to be explored. Portland is as restless and shifting as the sea that surrounds it. So take a deep breath and dive into the new Old Port… and beyond. Exchange Street Evolution On the last night of 2017, we said goodbye to Son- ny’s cocktail bar and hello to Black Cow at 83 Exchange Street. Housed in the same gorgeous 19th-century former bank that provides the pic- turesque backdrop to Tommy’s Park, Black Cow is nonetheless a very different beast from its pre- decessor. Gone are the sultry red walls and heavy drapes, replaced by a vibrant teal paint and dove- gray banquettes. Chef de cuisine Nicholas Nappi describes the casual restaurant as “elevated clas- sic Americana”–think succulently greasy cheese- burgers made on dense, house-made buns and drizzled with caramelized tomato mayo and mus- tard, “cured and ground right here.” Heady nos- talgia is apparent in the playful menus (Slushburg- ers are Sloppy Joes for the Instagram world), new- ly installed soda fountain, and shake bar. Before you panic, the original Sonny’s bar remains, along with much of its original staff and a pared-down list of 10 fancy cocktails. “We started afresh with the bar program,” Nappi says. “The new menu fea- tures citrus-forward drinks and whiskeys that cut through the grease of the burgers.” The air of A fresh crop of entrepreneurial dreamers is ready to ignite your summer.