The kitchen staff at Isa works meticulously to produce some of the most carefully produced dishes among Portland restaurants.  That it resides in Bayside, still one of the seediest neighborhoods in Portland, is inconsequential.  After all, just a few doors away, its neighbor, the venerable Back Bay Grill, was trail blazer decades ago in a den-of-thieves neighborhood where the term rough and tumble was understatement.

Isa is a welcoming addition to Portland Street on Bayside, having opened a year ago

While Back Bay is where you go for classic fine dining, Isa’s charms are more relaxed in a thoroughly bistro style setting with a menu that delivers quite well.  Dishes such as the lobster taco or the eggplant lasagna are beautifully made and remain mainstays on the menu. And the classic grilled pork chop over lentils (not on the menu at the moment) is another great dish enjoyed on past occasions.

The charming dining room and bar at Isa

At another recent dinner I enjoyed the spring gnocchi–a standout.  These are perhaps the lightest, fluffiest pasta bundles that I’ve had in a long time and the use of peas in the pasta dough lent a smooth sweetness to the preparation.

At past Isa dinners, the grilled pork chop, lobster taco and sweet-pea gnocchi

I’ve dined there several times in the last couple of weeks.  And what is immediately evident is the bonhomie amongst regulars who frequent Isa as their neighborhood bistro.

It’s also a family run restaurant with Suzie St. Pierre, co-owner with husband Isaul Perez, the chef and Chris St. Pierre, Suzie’s brother who tends bar make for an affable trio that contributes to the easy ambiance of this establishment.

Recently enjoyed dishes included a fennel salad that was piled high with fennel shavings and apple, with a lovely peppery-sweet flavor composed by that the two ingredients.

Fennel and apple salad

The salt-cod fritters should not be missed either.  Shaped like croquettes, the breading is tender and subtly flavored and the filling of salt cod and little cubes of potato mix well to set off the saltiness of the cured fish.  It’s set over a vibrant sweet pickle-flecked aioli that’s delicious. A lovely dish.

I was somewhat disappointed, however, with the grilled bluefish as my entrée.  I like bluefish, though many people find it too strong.  Here it was somewhat overcooked while the accompanying ricotta-filled tortellini were undercooked.  But another entrée we had that evening was the marvelously composed Bolognese over fettuccine.  The meat for the sauce was braised in Maine Beer Company pale ale, which lent a distinctive taste to the dish.  The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente.

Clockwise: salt-cod fritters; fettuccine Bolognese and grilled bluefish

For a sweet finish Isa’s version of tres leches cake is the best I’ve had in town.  The crumb is a combination of lightness and richness and the creamy icing tops it beautifully.  Another fine dessert is the panna cotta capped with a blackberry gelée.

Tres leches cake and blackberry panna cotta

While other restaurants in town cook up the new and novel, Isa sticks to the basics with a distinctive coddling of cooking techniques and presentation that make their food special.

Isa, 79 Portland St., Portland, ME 207-808-8533 www.isaportlandme.com

Rating: a solid four-star restaurant

Ambiance: cool, friendly, charming

Tables: well spaced; popular bar dining too

Service: attentive and professional

Parking:  Limited to about 10 spaces behind the building; otherwise street parking

Garden: outside dining in the charming garden patio soon to open for the season