Matt Ginn, head chef of The Good Table. Contributed / The Good Table
The Good Table has reopened in Cape Elizabeth under head chef Matt Ginn.
Ginn, who grew up Cape Elizabeth, told the Sentry that the opening of the restaurant is “kind of a dream come true.”
“After 20 years of cooking professionally, this has really come full circle; to open up a restaurant in my hometown, which I moved back to five years ago, is really special,” he said.
Ginn works for Prentice Hospitality Group, which bought the popular 38-year-old restaurant on Ocean House Road last November.
In 2015, Ginn opened Evo Kitchen + Bar in Portland for Prentice. Opening a restaurant across the Casco Bay Bridge was important to him.
“Anyone who lives or spends a lot of time in South Portland, Scarborough and Cape Elizabeth knows that mental hurdle – more so than a physical hurdle – of the bridge,” Ginn said. “(People) don’t want to go into Portland every night, and it’s really nice to just provide options that are not in downtown Portland. I think it’s just really special.”
He said there will be an emphasis on keeping The Good Table as a family destination, as it was under its old owners.
“I have two little kids, an 8-year-old and a 5-year-old, and, out of all of our restaurants, I feel like this property is probably the most welcoming for kids,” Ginn said. “From that standpoint, I’m really excited to have a real family-friendly neighborhood spot.”
Lisa Kostopoulos opened the restaurant with her father, Tony Kostopoulos, in 1986. In an interview in October, she said she had no regrets about the decision to sell. She hopes to continue working with food, she said, and was contemplating a cookbook or opening a bakery as potential avenues.
The restaurant will be open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. for now, with brunch and lunch hours coming soon.
Menu items with high praise thus far are the half chicken, halibut and their various salads, Ginn said.
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