French toast made with corn bread? A new twist on eggs Benedict as though an old faithful really needs twisting and shaking? Sometimes it’s the tried and true that is the most satisfying. Then, again, when you experience a dish that’s truly novel that’s cause for culinary celebration, too.
I made the happy error of mixing up my brunch dates thinking that yesterday—Sunday—was the date for a brunch I was invited to. I looked up the email invitation and saw that it was for next Sunday.
Piccolo’s dining bar and wine rack
But I was all psyched for brunch without a destination. Though my favorite spots like Caiola’s or Sur-Lie beckoned I decided to go to someplace I’d not been to in a while.
I narrowed it down to two: the East Ender or Piccolo. The former, on the congested Middle Street restaurant row, seemed like too much effort to traipse along that crowded culinary boulevard.
Piccolo, however, just sort of fell in my lap because as I cautiously drove down Middle Street, there was a parking place right across the street from the restaurant.
Piccolo’s dining room
This was hardly a fallback choice. By any standard, Piccolo is a superb restaurant under the able hands of chef Damian Sansonetti and pastry chef Ilma Lope. His take on southern Italian cuisine is mesmerizingly good. How this translates to a brunch menu is even more tantalizing.
The intimate nature of the place is so inviting. It’s like stepping into a charming trattoria on a side street in a hilltop town in the Abruzzi rather than that part of Middle Street flanked by the brick-faced countenance of the Portland Police Station or the 100 Middle Street office tower across the street.
The menu is distinctive with all of it made in the tiny kitchen in the back from local ingredients and key imports from Italy. From the house made lardo English muffin that holds their own sausage, pastured egg, mozzarella, lettuce and smoked mayo, to frittata with all the trimmings (roasted peppers, potatoes, greens, sausage and cheese) or spaghetti carbonara among the choices. What caught my eye was the last item on the menu: pollo e patate–confit of chicken with a hash of caramelized onions and potatoes, fresh greens, eggs and toast.
Pico-chelada–beer, tomato sauce, herbs
A very rustically beautiful presentation arrived with the chicken and hash in a deep bowl with a poached egg in the middle accented with fresh greens in a light vinaigrette and accompanied by semolina golden- raisin toast.
Chicken confit with potato and onion hash topped with poached egg and semolina raisin toast
The play of seasonings was exciting: Calabrian chili, pepper, plenty of sea salt and a trace of fennel accented the chicken and potato hash; and the semolina bread, toasted until soft-but-crunchy held the sweet raisins. I was tempted to ask for a fruit preserve to spread on the toast but as soon as I broke open the egg, the yolk bathed everything else in its path and I coaxed the bread to sop up all those components in the dish. To wash it all down, instead of the usual Prosecco and orange juice I had Piccolo’s version of a bloody Mary. Called pico-chelada it’s based on a Mexican drink that’s made with Narragansett lager mixed with a fresh tomato sauce, and seasoned with Calabrian chili, sea salt and ground fennel seeds; this topped the rim of the glass as well. It was the perfect partner to the flavors of the egg dish. And while at first I thought the drink sounded strange, it turned out to be a magically sensational brew that complemented a memorable brunch dish.
Piccolo, 111 Middle St., Portland, ME 207-747-5307 www.piccolomaine.com
Rating: brunch, 5 stars
Ambiance: quiet, contained and civilized
Tables: Intimate
Noise: not a problem
$$$: moderately expensive
