In Portland’s mid-priced and cheap eats restaurants, I never have a problem finding a meal to suit my meat- and dairy-free ways. Not so Portland’s high-end restaurants. Many of these high-profile, upscale joints generally offer me a choice between salad and, well, salad. (And on a good day, they’ll offer up the culinary wonder of ... cooked carrots.)
A major exception to this fine dining dilemma comes from Caiola’s in the West End.
Here the food has a country feel and an Italian touch. It’s not pretentious, just full of savory goodness showcasing the harmonious marriage of chef Abby Harmon’s skill and the best ingredients the day has to offer. Rounding out the food is a well-chosen wine list and a knowledgeable waitstaff.
I’ll never forget the meal I had there this spring. While the menu always includes vegetarian dishes, it didn’t have anything without dairy that night. So I asked the server if it would be possible to have a plate of vegetable sides. She proceeded to ask what I liked, didn’t like and how I preferred things to be prepared.
I was blown away. I couldn’t believe my personal food preferences actually mattered to a chef. Who knew?
And the resulting combination of perfectly seasoned veggies and a lentil side was to die for.
During my most recent visit, the food was just as delicious. Adam and I had the pleasure of sitting in the back courtyard. This enclosed oasis offers up a bar, plenty of tables and free-standing heaters (last winter guests ate out there even as the snow swirled).
We started with a Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale ($3.75) and a Pileta 39 malbec ($8), which was full-bodied with a touch of fruit. The sliced baguettes were perfectly chewy and the olive oil for dipping had a wonderfully sweet tone. For starters, we were quite pleased with the Caesar salad with fried spicy oysters ($10.95) and the market lettuce salad with pickled shallots ($5.95).
The menu changes daily, but always offers up customer favorites, like the paella ($22.95) and the Caiola’s burger ($12.95), which is ground in-house using organic beef. Adam ordered the pan roasted scallops ($21.95) that came with a tangy tomato corn salsa, Swiss chard and roasted potatoes. The scallops were absolutely humungous.
I selected the mushroom risotto ($16.95), with the cheese omitted. This hearty meal was a rich medley of carrots and mushrooms, including a number of exotic varieties from a local mushroom forager. Among the fungal delights were hen of the woods, black trumpet, enoki and portobello.
And while the dessert menu was certainly tempting (chocolate beet cake, panna cotta with raspberry sauce), we didn’t have room. So we went home feeling full and well-cared for. And who wouldn’t at this high-end restaurant tailored to all palates, whether high-maintenance or not.
Caiola’s is located at 58 Pine St. in Portland. It is open Tuesday-Thursday from 5:30-9:30 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 5:30-10 p.m. The bar opens at 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Call 772-1110.