If you were to open the dictionary of All Things Maine, you’d find a picture of a smiling Roger Bintliff next to the word “Brunch”. You would also be redirected to his other successful ventures: antiques collector and dealer, professional auctioneer, real estate developer, mentor to many (including the author, who worked at Bintliff’s American Cafe in Portland), hotelier, shrewd negotiator (and proud of it), caterer, carpenter, dishwasher and simply a jack-of-all-trades and master of most.
Roger and Jewel Bintliff pose for a picture outside Bintliff’s Corner Brew on beautiful Water Street in Gardiner.
For anyone who’s ever had his corned beef hash in one of his eclectic, antique-chic venues, chef and restaurateur are the top jobs. His history of bringing all-day brunch to Mainers up and down the coast is well known, and luckily for Gardiner, this is where he’s landed at Bintliff’s Corner Brew at 153 Water Street. (Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.)
But Roger is quick to point out it’s more than luck.
“I got a call from a savvy town advocate to come look at these brick buildings on the Kennebec River with all kinds of potential,” he said. “I was thinking about apartments. Gardiner seemed an unlikely place to picture myself, but when I saw the historic landmarks of the town and the old buildings, all kinds of ideas came to me.”
When Bintliff’s Corner Brew opened in 2022, it appeared to be a seamless operation, melding the best of his past menus with some nods to the present. Benedict and French Toast Signature Items, the Just Mother Earth Wrap and the Basil Garlic Turkey Burger have been pleasing palates for over 30-plus years. Café coffee drinks are available but customers still pour themselves a cup of Bintliff’s Brew, one of the first wholesale, on-premise coffee blends created by then-budding roasters, Coffee by Design.
Now, in the Gardiner location, new bagel sandwiches have locally-inspired names (try The Kennebec) and The Librarian Omelette is named for a Water Street neighbor who works in the stunning 1881 Gardiner Public Library. Perhaps the greatest change is seeing Roger’s daughter, Jewel Bintliff, running the front counter.
Like his corned beef and life perspectives, Roger Bintliff is one-of-a-kind. He said his longevity in his various lines of work have depended on whether there was “something to keep it interesting. We had a fire in Portland and here we had a flood and I got to fight with the insurance companies but it got figured out.”
“Coming to Gardiner was a good move,” he affirmed. “There is a lot of pride in this community. Who knows, maybe when I get bored this time I’ll slow down, enjoy time with my wife, Jewel and her sister Olivia, and see what that side of life is like.”