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Neighborhood: Old Port
Price range: $$$
Dish to order: Littleneck clams with sweet potato, green garlic, cilantro, calabrian chile, nduja, and cream
Chef Christian Bassett has made his mark giving familiar ingredients from local farms adventurous twists and turns. Lately that means bowls of paella, bright with lemony fennel, bits of sweet carrots and spicy chorizo, plus sweet Bangs Island mussels and local crabmeat—and then there’s the game-changer ingredient: rich and smoky, charred pieces of rabbit from a nearby farm. The kitchen has been simplifying and refining the menu of late, but that isn’t shying them away from the decadence of Maine lobster bucatini in a chile-boosted tomato confit with burrata and breadcrumbs, or desserts like the chocolate mousse cake: smooth, dense, and nicely balanced with a sour cherry compote and a light hazelnut gelato. Oh, and there’s also a gem of a happy hour menu. (Espresso-chile smoked wings with seaweed ranch? Yes, please.) And breakfast (it’s in a hotel, after all) spotlights anything-but-perfunctory dishes like the pork belly hash with potato, beet, caramelized onions, eggs, and a peach glaze.
Address: 390 Congress St, Portland, ME 04103
