Island Creek Oysters Expands North to Portland

The ever-expanding Island Creek Oysters empire will grow a little larger this spring with the addition of a retail shop in Portland, Maine’s Munjoy Hill neighborhood (123 Washington Ave.), reports the Portland Press Herald. Aiming for a spring 2017 opening, the shop will sell oysters from Massachusetts as well as Maine — including from small Maine farms that wouldn’t otherwise be able to distribute their oysters, according to the Press Herald.

Per a rep for Island Creek, the retail shop will include a “fast-casual food service component” as well.

Based in Duxbury, Massachusetts, Island Creek Oysters is involved in numerous projects these days, including supplying oysters and clams to restaurants nationwide, selling to customers online, and putting on oyster festivals. And of course there are the ultra-popular Island Creek Oyster Bar restaurants in Boston and Burlington, plus sister restaurant Row 34 with locations in Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

The team is also working on a new restaurant in Cambridge’s Harvard Square, located in the old Conductor’s Building (2 Bennett St.) Minimal details have been announced on the project at this time, but licensing commission paperwork from late 2016 suggest that the restaurant may be called Les Sablons, reported Boston Restaurant Talk, and it may seat around 140 people over two floors.

Meanwhile, as the popular Massachusetts brand expands its footprint up to Portland, Portland is giving Boston some oysters as well. Eventide Oyster Co. has a Fenway location (1321 Boylston St.) in the works, as previously reported. Stay tuned for an oyster-filled 2017.

•Coming Soon: Another Place to Feed Your Oyster Habit in Portland [PPH]
•Island Creek Oyster Bar Team Will Swim Into Harvard Square Next [EBOS]
•Les Sablons to Open in Cambridge's Harvard Square; Island Creek Oyster Bar/Row 34 Team Behind It [BRT]