Sonder & Dram, seen just prior to opening Wednesday, pays homage to the past and looks to the future as a modern neighborhood bar in downtown Lewiston. Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal

LEWISTON — The pandemic may have put expansion plans on hold, but that’s past history for the owners of Sonder and Dram at 12 Ash St.

Owner Peter Flanders and partner chef Michael Gosselin are moving ahead with plans to open a 40 to 50 seat restaurant upstairs from the bar, in the former Subway space.  The bar will remain intact in its current space, Flanders said, including it’s own tiny little food-truck sized kitchen.

The bar and restaurant will operate independently within the same company. Gosselin was formerly the chef at Fuel, which closed its doors in September 2018. The restaurant will follow Gosselin’s lead with an upscale new American vibe, similar to what he’s been doing with fellow Chef Brandan Barr with their “Menu Takeover” nights, held on the last Wednesday of every month.

The March menu included stuffed shrimp and duck prosciutto for small plates, with duck confit with mushrooms and a white wine cream sauce, New York strip or beef tartare served on roasted bone marrow as mains, and your choice of mixed berry and apple crisp or maple sugar pie for dessert. Not your average bar food, if you ask me.

Flanders said the projected opening ideally is late fall, likely October. But November and December are key business months and if the construction schedule gets off track, the fallback timeframe is February.

This story originally ran as part of “An Angel’s Wing opening new storefront at Auburn Mall” The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or cwheelock@sunjournal.com