Not surprisingly I’ve gained a few pounds after attending the Maine Beer Company dinner held Wednesday evening at Union at the Press Hotel, that bastion for Portland cosmopolites. But the pairing of beer and wonderful dishes prepared by the restaurant’s chef, Josh Berry, made it all worthwhile. It was a masterful menu, each dish beautifully conceived.
The table is set Union for Maine Beer Bottling dinner
The 4-course dinner showed just how well Berry helms the Union kitchen. While there have been many notable James Beard Award recipients from Maine, Berry showed his mettle as well as those past and present winners of that coveted award. In fact, the dinner was one of the best I’ve had in Portland recently, and it gave me renewed appreciation of this dining establishment. That and it’s one of the most urbane dining rooms in the city as is the hotel itself whose lobby bar and lounge display the disposition of a Dorothy Parker quip.
Chef Berry with Maine Beer Company honcho, Kevin McGlynn
The dinner began with an enticing Hamachi crudo, delicate slices of tuna dressed with cucumber, mint and sweet morsels of chili peppers. An intricately devised dish, it still remained vitally light and refreshing way to start the dinner, with a myriad of flavors and textures that made it a distinctive crudo when others can be so generic. It was paired with Maine Beer Company’s “A Tiny Beautiful One” a light and perfumed beer.
Hamachi crudo
My favorite dish–if not an unexpected pleasure–was the braised local rabbit, which was the second course. It was set within a delicate mash of of green curry sauce with a punch of kefir lime and beautifully roasted and caramelized local sweet potatoes. It was served with Maine Beer’s “Another One,” a complex brew that married well with the dish.
Local lamb in a sauce of green curry and kefir and roasted local sweet potatoes
The local lamb served as the third course was from North Star Farm in Windham. It exhibited the earthy goodness of pastured lamb so gamy and tender, set over a Maine-grain barely porridge and smoked carrots that added a haunting sweetness. The beer pairing was “Woods and Water,” a brew with incredible depth.
Panna cotta with vanilla fritter and caramelized bananas
The dessert that concluded the meal was the dinner’s show stopper in presentation and taste. It was a honey panna cotta topped with nuggets of caramelized bananas, vanilla fritters and a macadamia brittle. A few diners at the table weren’t familiar with panna cotta—namely, that it’s generally made with cream or buttermilk fortified with gelatin. It’s always a great dessert, especially light as the finale to a rich meal.
I asked Chef Berry if any of these dishes were on the restaurant’s regular menu. He replied, “They could be.”
Union, The Press Hotel, 390 Congress St., Portland, ME 207-808-8700 www.unionportland.com
Rating: Solid 4-star fare in the realm of sophisticated dining in a beautifully designed dining room
Ambiance: chic
Service: Very smooth
$$$: Fairly expensive
Parking: valet service available
