Italian food is often comfort food, and Espo’s gives you enough food to keep the comfort going the next day with large portions that mean leftovers — especially when you indulge in one of the tasty apps first.
We started with a bottle of the Majo Sangiovese red from Italy ($21), which was described as smooth and refreshing on the palette with hints of violets and woodland berries. It was light and mild with a bit of a peppery finish and was just enough for three to share. Espo’s has about a dozen reds on the menu but also offers several mixed drinks for diners and at its wine bar section.
For an appetizer, we ordered Espo’s mussels, which were sautéed in garlic wine sauce with fresh tomatoes. The broth was very tasty, as were the mussels, but several were pretty tiny. The hot, tender tomatoes were a nice extra. Other appetizer options include sweet & spicy calamari ($7.99) and Stevie’s meatball ($4.99).
For my meal, I picked the shrimp scampi with marinara, served over penne pasta ($16.99). The choice came with a garden salad, which was a bit blah with just lettuce, cukes and two cherry tomatoes. No worries. I didn’t want to fill up before the entrée anyway.
My dish came topped by eight large shrimp that were hot and tender. The penne was cooked perfectly, not soggy or tough. The sauce was yummy but there was a bit of excess oil at the bottom of the plate.
One of my dinner mates chose the meat lasagna ($13.99), made with five cheeses, sausage, pepperoni and ground sirloin. The other opted for the funky chicken pizza ($9.99), which has a BBQ base with onions and hot peppers (which she traded for sweet peppers instead).
The lasagna was described as “excellent,” but because the portion was so large it did have a cool spot in the middle. The chunks of the three meats were a good mixture with the bulk of it ground sirloin.
The pizza had a “very good flavor,” with a sweet and tangy sauce. There was plenty of cheese on the thin crust pie, which featured thicker, chewy edges.
Other meal options include meat ravioli ($10.99), chicken broccoli alfredo ($16.99), baked or fried scallops ($18.99), haddock Florentine ($16.99) or portofino ($18.99), a dish featuring mussels, scallops and shrimp sautéed in olive oil, basil and garlic in sweetened marinara, and served over pasta. Homemade sauces include marinara, bolognese, alfredo, pesto and aglio olio.
The one negative at this Espo’s site is that when the restaurant’s filled, it can be very loud in the open-seating area. But to the owners, that’s probably just a sign of many very happy diners.
Espo’s Trattoria is located at 318 Allen Ave. in Portland and is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Other locations include …5 Congress St. in Portland and 134 Main St. in Lewiston.