The restaurant at 527 Ocean House Road has changed its format twice in three years. It introduced a more polished menu, then reopened this July with pizza and a pickup window. Alongside events at Fort Williams Park and on the Beach to Beacon course, it is one of several local stories this summer.
The Press Herald reported that the Kostopoulos family ran a family-style American and Greek restaurant out of that building for nearly 40 years. When Prentice Hospitality Group took over in 2023, they brought the influence of their other Portland restaurants, places like Evo Kitchen + Bar, Douro, and Twelve, into a menu with a $32 roast chicken and a $39 steak. Press Herald food critic Andrew Ross reviewed it warmly, describing a stripped-down, more polished direction for the space. Regulars pushed back. Many said on social media they felt priced out of a place that used to feel like theirs.
Prentice listened. This July, The Good Table reopened again, this time with housemade pizzas, baked goods from Not A Bakery, beer and wine, and a pickup window built for people who just want dinner without a reservation. The Press Herald quoted vice president Alex Wolf on the thinking behind the reopening:
"We just wanted it to be a really easy community space that spoke to what people wanted."
The Press Herald also reported that Wolf described the goal as "more democratic, accessible, and approachable," and that the company talked to community members who specifically asked for a pizza place of their own.
Sounds by the Sea at Fort Williams Park
Fort Williams Park offers another local summer example of an event open to everyone. Sounds by the Sea, the town's free summer concert series, was in its sixth year and ran every Monday at 6 p.m. through August 10, either at the Bandstand or the Picnic Shelter. The full 2026 lineup:
- July 6: Bailey's Mistake
- July 13: Joan Kennedy Band
- July 20: Curse of Kona
- July 27: The STEM Brothers
- August 3: Bluehill
- August 10: Portland Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, closing the season
Nobody bought a ticket. Attendees brought their own chairs and picnics, and could make a donation to the Rotary Food Drive; that was the entire admission model for a series that closed its season with an actual symphony ensemble. The last Monday of the run wasn't a downgrade from a paid show somewhere else in the region. It was the same free structure the whole series has used since 2021, just with a bigger act at the end.
Beach to Beacon puts residents first, literally
The town's biggest annual event also makes room for local residents, and that priority is built into the registration calendar. Cape Elizabeth's TD Beach to Beacon 10K just marked its 28th year on August 1, drawing more than 6,500 runners through a course that starts at Crescent Beach and finishes at Portland Head Light. This year's field included international elite runners, with Habtom Samuel of Eritrea and Pamela Kosgei of Kenya taking the open divisions, and Ruth White of Orono and Alec Troxell of Portland winning the Mainers' categories.
What doesn't show up in the results is the part that matters for anyone who lives here: Cape Elizabeth residents got their own open registration window on April 14, a full day ahead of the general public on April 15. The race that draws elite international athletes and national sponsor money still carves out a head start for the people whose town it runs through.
The charity side follows the same instinct. This year's beneficiary, Dirigo Reads, a volunteer organization that provides new books to Maine first graders, brought in $75,000, split between a $30,000 sponsor check from TD Bank and $45,000 raised directly by racers. A race that could easily have become a pure spectacle instead functions as a funding engine for a statewide literacy program, with local runners doing the fundraising.
Even the farm keeps both doors open
Jordan's Farm, the fifth-generation working farm on Wells Road, runs two distinct operations on the same acreage. The farm stand is open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., selling the corn, strawberries, tomatoes, and squash the Jordan family has grown for generations, priced for anyone who wants dinner ingredients.
A few hundred feet away, The Well at Jordan's Farm is starting its 16th season this year, a reservations-only dinner series with a fixed multi-course menu and a wine list that tops out around $140 a bottle. It is genuinely upscale and operates alongside the farm stand. The stand stayed open on its regular schedule in 2025, while the farm paused its U-pick strawberry fields and expected them to return in 2026.
A summer snapshot of Cape Elizabeth
The Portland Symphony Orchestra Ensemble closed this year's Sounds by the Sea season on Monday, August 10. Stop by the farm stand on Wells Road before it closes Saturday at 5. Order the new pizza at The Good Table and see its latest format for yourself.
If you're weighing a move in or around Cape Elizabeth and want a read on how a neighborhood actually functions day to day, not just what the listing photos show, Shivam Kumar has spent years working buyers, sellers, and business owners across this part of Southern Maine. Let's Connect.
