February 12, 2015 — A blizzard watch fails to daunt restaurateurs, but city officials scramble to make room for another foot of snow.
Once again, Maine braced Thursday for a major snowstorm as the National Weather Service issued a blizzard watch for this weekend.
A watch, as opposed to a warning, means that forecasters are 50 percent certain that blizzard conditions will occur. Blizzard conditions are defined as visibility of a quarter-mile or less because of snow, and sustained winds or frequent wind gusts of 35 mph over a three-hour period.
Portland and other coastal communities are expected to get at least a foot of snow, forecasters said, and inland areas a little less. The snow is expected to start falling Saturday afternoon, continue through the evening and intensify Sunday morning. It should end by Sunday evening.
The timing of the storm, lasting through a good part of Valentine’s Day evening, couldn’t be worse for restaurants, but several in southern Maine have vowed not to close on one of their big nights of the year.
Piccolo, on Middle Street in Portland, was named one of the “Best New Romantic Restaurants in America” by Travel and Leisure magazine in 2014.
Husband and wife chefs Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez are planning a five-course tasting menu that will feature Wagyu beef, Basket Island
oysters and New England seafood, for $75 per person.
“Absolutely. We are going to stay open,” said Kelly Nelson, who handles reservations for Piccolo. “We live in Maine and this weather is what Maine is all about.”
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