Few, if any, of our restaurants in the Portland area could be called precious. But then walk into The Purple House in North Yarmouth and the Zeitgeist of this culinary Zen den dazzles discreetly.  You ponder, Am I in a place where I’ll have a spot of coffee, bagel, pastry or a sit-down meal in this exquisite little spot with its communal harvest table and open kitchen with aromas that tantalize?

The Purple House and the wood for the oven that gives the bagels their distinctive crispiness

From early morning until 11:00 AM you’ll literally join a crowd who are already jamming this charming café for the Montreal style bagels that owner/chef Krista Kerns Desjarlais has hand-rolled and baked in the brick wood oven, which imparts a very particular patina to America’s favorite breakfast bread.  (And, for now, don’t be surprised to see another star chef, Jason Williams, of The Well at Jordan’s Farm, giving a helping hand in the kitchen.)

Then there’s lunch, which I’ve yet to experience, with a salvo of dishes that includes brick-oven pizzas, sandwiches and salads.  And these, to be sure, would hardly be run-of-the mill.  Because everything that chef Desjarlais puts her mind to is marvelous and exactingly delicious.

Krista Desjarlais; communal table and blackboard specials

We know her from the highly regarded Bresca  and more recently from another dreamy spot, Bresca & the Honey Bee—the lunch shack on Outlet Beach in New Gloucester.

I first encountered her cooking at the Marketplace, the now defunct restaurant that was housed in the now shuttered Portland Public Market.  It had replaced hipster chef Matthew Kenny’s Commissary.  Desjarlais was brought in as pastry chef (her style honed in New York and Paris), and when I ordered dessert after dinner I couldn’t believe how extraordinary it was: I  remember a square of chocolate cake, outrageously glazed and luxe. Then she left for Las Vegas where she reigned supreme at Caesar’s Palace pastry and savory kitchens before returning to Maine.

The rest is history.  And Desjarlais never disappoints as she reinvents herself repeatedly.  For her, being out of the ordinary is her ordinary.

The big question is: How are those bagels that have been so eagerly anticipated while The Purple House was being built?

Montreal bagel with all the fixings: cream cheese, smoked salmon onion, tomato, capers

I struggled to get there to meet friends by 8:00 AM this past Saturday morning after a particularly late evening the night before. You have to get there early otherwise the bagels will sell out; she has ramped up, however, her production to 300 bagels per day.

Indeed, the house is purple, and indeed the wood oven looms as you first glimpse the pile of camp wood in the parking lot.

The inside is tiny, and there’s a receptionist at a desk who takes your order. There’s a huge wooden trencher bowl in which the baked bagels are kept.  You can order bagels to go or have there with any of the beautifully made spreads—house-cured salmon, smoked white fish, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, onions.  And the bagels come with toppings such as sea salt, everything, honey, Montreal spice, sesame and plain.

The big difference with Montreal bagels is that they’re always hand rolled, always cooked in a honeyed water bath and  always baked in a brick wood oven.  The result is all in the texture.  The blistered crusty outside beckons the chewy texture within.  One of my friends who joined us had just come back from Montreal and Toronto, spending the year there.  He pronounced these excellent, though, wouldn’t you know, he thinks they’re better at his favorite bagel emporiums there.

Bagels from the wood oven; chef Jason Williams helping out and the trencher bowl with bagels and toppings

I took a few home for the next day. I stored them on the counter in a white paper bag; the next morning,  sliced and lightly toasted, spread with butter and topped with a simple fried egg, with a schmear of Alewives Brook Farm strawberry jam–that was bagel heaven!

There’s more to come in The Purple House’s future.  After the bagel hour and before lunch, pastries will be served with coffee.  Then, once a month Desjarlais will put on a subscription dinner for 10.  You can reserve for one, two or more and join the table of diners who will number 10 in total  and who will be presented a prix fixe dinner.  Now that’s a meal to look forward to, something different and fine to awaken our jaded palates.

The Purple House. 378 Walnut Hill Rd. (Route 115), North Yarmouth; off Route 9, turn right onto 115 and it’s right at the corner.

Hours: Wednesday through Sunday, 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  Dinner to be announced

Telephone 207-808-3148