Italian for Beginners…
…and experts, too!
Vignola charms on Dana Street.
review by Diane Hudson – Nov. 2008
Vignola, the northern Italian sensation that’s a sister to award-winning Cinque Terre, glows in the heart of the Old Port, with festive wine-bottle chandeliers, high ceilings, exposed brick walls, and voluptuous windows spilling light onto cobblestoned streets. One could be in Modena, Parma, Bologna, or literally the namesake town Vignola–the bello bistro overflowing with spirited diners in warm embrace or solitary enchantment.
This is the Portland of our dreams, evoked by talented chef Lee Skawinski. Co-owner of both restaurants with Dan Kary and Michele Mazur-Kary, Skawinski has outdone himself again, offering scrumptious country Italian cuisine in this remarkably comfortable setting.
An active member of the Slow Food movement [see “Taking It Slow,” Winterguide 2008], Skawinski deftly uses fresh ingredients from local purveyors including the restaurants’ farm, Grandview, just north of Portland.
The attractive menu, inspired by northern Italian osteria dining, offers everything from terrific thin-crust pizza hot from Vignola’s stone oven ($11-$16) to grilled hanger steak or roasted cod fillet ($21).
Deemed a premier wine-tasting destination by Wine & Spirits Magazine, Vignola offers a wine list sure to please, featuring not-your-usual suspects such as Censia Erte 2006, a rich Tuscan blend of Cabernet Savignon and Sangiovese, $26. Ditto for the artisinal beers, ranging from Shipyard’s Old Thumper ($6.50) to Val Dieo Methusalem, Tripel Abbey Ale from Belgium (6 liter $230).
After dipping good bread in plates of rich olive oil, we savored an antipasta of spiced walnuts, balsamic peppers, and olive misto, beautifully presented: a bargain at $4.
Next came over-the-top assorted Italian salumi with creamy Montasio cheese and wafer thin crostini ($12): Bravo!
For entrées, my partner devoured the popular Veal Milanese ($19): crispy, tender veal fillets with marinated tomatoes, accompanied by organic pea tendrils tossed in a succulent dressing, and tasty roasted farm potatoes.
My hand-cut Fettuccine with braised Maine lamb ($18) was so flavorful, with de-licious chunks of lamb perfectly accented by enoki mushrooms and Gorgonzola cream, that I found myself dreaming of seconds…and thirds!
Finishing with sweets, we shared a tasty concoction by talented pastry chef Emily Delois: the blueberry Panna Cotta, with fresh Maine blueberries, whipped white chocolate cream, and cinnamon pizzelle cookie ($7). Also available is a spectacular array of cheeses from Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and Maine ($6 for one and $20 for a selection of four).
Then there are liquid desserts, such as the chocolate-covered strawberry martini ($10), Grappa di Barbera, Masselli ($14), or the 1979 Pedro Ximenex Sherry, Gran Riserva ($12.25).
Vignola, 12 Dana Street, Portland. Dinner every evening 5-midnight; lunch Friday-Saturday begins 11:00 a.m.; Sunday Brunch begins 11:00 a.m.
772-1330 or www.vignolamaine.com
0 Comments