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Cinque Terre - An Italian Dining Masterpiece In Portland, Maine

By David Currier

Foamy, thundering Atlantic waves crash onto Maine's rocky coastline. The towering Portland Headlight watches motherly over chugging lumbering lobster boats and sleek yachts darting in and out of Portland's busy harbor. At first sight, nothing here reminds travelers of the vertical incline of Italy’s Ligurian coastline that leads down to five Lilliputian villages known as Cinque Terre (loosely pronounced Chink-a Terra).

However, Italian influence on Portland is not far away from this turbulent coast. Just off the main drag in historic Portland’s waterfront district, surrounded by trendy shops, tasteful contemporary art galleries, hip bars and Old Salt pubs, hides the delightful Cinque Terre Ristorante, one of the city’s finest dining options.

A big part of the travel experience for me, and editor Kevin Kalley of Bestfares.com, involves dining. Kevin has written extensively about the Maine coast on this site, and visits the Portland area at least once annually.  This relatively small city has an abundance of fine dining options and it is always difficult not to take the easy road and just stick with the half-dozen, or so, of our favorites.  Well the list of favorites has been expanded.

“Casually elegant and passionately Italian”, as they aptly describe themselves, Cinque Terre sits quietly on bustling, narrow, cobblestone Warf Street. Inside one of Portland's old seafaring days’ warehouses, Cinque Terre décor exhibits a mix of nautical bodega architecture with romantic, contemporary lighting complimenting the rustic brick and wood beamed interior. Starched white table linens add a touch of elegant Old Europe. A second dining level, a u-shaped balcony, wraps around the soothing blue walls, adding a pleasant energy to your experience. Weather permitting; there is also a small outdoor courtyard for al-fresco dining.

A copper awning hangs over the opening to the bustling kitchen where the Cognac induced “pyrotechnics” of a guest’s flambéed ‘secondi’ elicits an almost-audible hush from the busy dining room. Executive Chef Lee Skawinski honed his skills at a number of other notable Maine restaurants and will be honored by presenting a dinner at the famed James Beard House, this summer.    

The northwest Italy six-course menu attracts serious dining enthusiasts. Portland is a resort destination, so the restaurant’s dress code runs from casual American-tourist to as-dressed-up-as-you-feel-like-doing. But all Cinque Terre’s guests are here to enjoy dining at its best.

As we sipped our favorite apéritif, kir royal-Chambord, the creative antipasti appetizer menu performed its assigned duty - - enhancing our appetite. Nearly a dozen options are featured. Well known but updated Italian traditions captured our attention; Calamari and shrimp with basil, hot peppers and caper aioli, or pan roasted Bang Island mussels with white wine and tomato fennel butter each nudged our memories.

Yet, ‘something different’ was called for this evening. My companion selected apricots wrapped with proscuitto and grilled fois gras drizzled with 50-year-old balsamic vinegar. This lightly salty, sweet-and-sour combination was both classy and earthy. I chose a thick slice of crispy eggplant with fresh mozzarella, marinated tomatoes and basil pesto. The eggplant was perfectly sautéed ‘til tender – not at all mushy. Slightly melted mozzarella and fresh tomato tapinade complimented the eggplant flavor without overwhelming its subtly sweet flesh.

Our antipasti’s were accompanied by a glass of cool, luscious 2001 Vernaccia de San Gimignano (perhaps you’ll remember the village of towers from the movie Tea With Mussolini). 

For our primi, we shared a creamy Italian risotto with pieces of succulent Maine lobster and seasoned with fennel pollen, and their trenette, organic potatoes with basil pesto and toasted pine nuts.

The insalate featured fresh greens topped with Chioggia beats, shaved fennel and Reggiano Parmesan. The dressing was subtle, allowing the vegetables to speak for themselves.

Selecting a 1999 Cecci Vino Nobile Montepulcino to accompany our secondi, I recall saying that it made my grilled king salmon “sing”. Salmon can be easily overcooked. Cinque Terre’s was flaky and moist; the flavors of Italy developed and balanced with olive tapinade and arugula. Breast of duck, actually duck of any preparation, happens to be one of Kevin’s dining passions. The grilled duck breast with white beans and strawberry balsamic preserve has been added to his list of favorites.

Italian desserts compete for our favor against the best of the world's cuisines' classic sweets. Cinque Terre's dolce are no exception. Our crème brulé was a rich but light creamy custard with a perfectly thin crust of caramelized sugar. A crepe with apricots was remarkably light with a light finish of dried fruits.

After savoring your Italian feast, enjoy a glass of Italy’s sweet Vin santo, a limoncello, or fine dry grappa or other Italian specialty.

We were particularly impressed by Cinque Terre’s Wine Spectator recognized wine list. Naturally, the list showcases red and white Italian vintages. Each varietal is helpfully grouped within northern, central and southern Italian categories.  Bottle prices range from $35 to $225. A dozen, or so, of these are available by the glass, from $9 - $15.

Call 207-347-6154 for reservations or visit Cinque Terre’s website at http://cinqueterremaine.com/index.php for more information, including the upcoming James Beard House dinner. 

Photos by Author

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