March 20, 2002
Portland Press Herald
Local & State - page 1B

THE GOOD TABLE COOKING AGAIN

Seven and a half months after fire ruined the popular restaurant, its owners reopen in a new building.

SELENA RICKS
Staff Writer

After her restaurant was ravaged by fire last summer, Lisa Kostopoulos said she learned just how much The Good Table means to residents here. Kostopoulos, who has owned the restaurant for 15 years with her father, Tony, said her family's long history in the restaurant business motivated her to rebuild. That, and her customers' begging her to bring back their favorite place to dine.

"This place is like a community center," said Tony Kostopoulos. "Everybody who eats here knows each other."

So, seven and a half months after the fire, The Good Table opens today for lunch and dinner in a new, cottage-style building. Most staffers have returned, and the menu - a mix of Greek, seafood and vegetarian dishes - is the same.

In the early hours of Aug. 2, at the height of the tourist season, the Kostopouloses rushed to their restaurant on Ocean House Road as firefighters worked to bring heavy flames under control. The fire destroyed the kitchen, so it was difficult for investigators to determine the cause, but it was not considered suspicious.

The family said the fire started in the kitchen before spreading quickly to the roof. The only part of the restaurant that survived unscathed was the screened-in back porch.

Firefighters were able to salvage some family antiques and old photos, and Kostopoulos said she received 1950s women's hats from friends and customers to replace those that had been a distinctive part of the restaurant's decor.

The fire caused more than $200,000 worth of damage to the restaurant, which was insured. Kostopoulos would not say how much she has spent to rebuild.

Shortly after the fire, Kostopoulos took a walk along Pine Point Beach in Scarborough. Rows of beach houses caught her eye, and she decided to redesign The Good Table in a similar fashion.

She contacted a grade-school friend and home designer, Peter Palanza of Cape Elizabeth, to draw plans for the new building.

Kostopoulos credits a local carpenter, Chris Bernier, for giving the interior a "campy" feel with white birch accents.

The eatery's layout is close to that of the old one, but it now includes small bar and a large wrap-around porch..

Kostopoulos is especially proud of the restaurant's new streamlined kitchen, which she spent two months designing. "It looks like a centerfold for a kitchen magazine," she said.

She said the town of Cape Elizabeth was "phenomenal" in helping her through the planning process last fall.

Construction began in January. "As soon as we had lights on, people started pulling in" to see if the restaurant was open yet, said Kostopoulos.

On Sunday, the restaurant had a pre-opening party to celebrate with long-time customers and those who helped in the reconstruction. Kostopoulos said that several of the 400 or so people who came told her that the new restaurant is as welcoming as the original.

"It's cosmopolitan but also perfect for a place in Maine," said Jane Mack, a regular customer who lives on Broad Cove Road. "And it's great that I can start eating again."

Kostopoulos said she is "smitten" with her new restaurant and is glad to again be serving her famous dishes, such as red curry salmon and lobster eggs Benedict.

"This break has made me realize how much I love what I do," she said.