In our town, filled with bounteous brunch menus—some offered on weekends and others just on Sundays—the vagaries of the star brunch dish, Eggs Benedict, rarely surprise.  But then consider Chaval, commandeered by the highly effective husband and wife chef duo and co-owners, Damián Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez. The latter’s focus is her art of refined pastries and Sansonetti wielding his firm hand in the kitchen—really a co-conspiratorial affair—giving Portlanders a fine fusion of American-European fare.

The dining room and bar at Chaval

Chaval’s brunch menu is part of a new wave of offerings that typify the meal from some of our newest, highly regarded restaurants—namely, in addition to Chaval, Little Giant and Bolster, Snow, all of whom offer highly evolved brunch menus with twists and turns that elevate this strange thing called weekend brunch.

When you want a hearty frill-filled breakfast pop into Becky’s, Marcy’s, Hot Suppa, et al.  On weekends, lines form on the street to get into these places. But so too will you have to wait–more civilly– to get in to a place like Chaval, where this meal can easily cost $25.  But when it’s worth it, the cost of dining well is secondary.

I sat at the dining bar last Sunday for my first time visiting Chaval for brunch.  I love it for dinner and have gone often.  Its predecessor, Caiola’s, was an ever-popular place because the menu was distinctive, dishes created far from the madding crowd.

From left to right: eggs Benny, scambled eggs and brunch in Paris; inset, brioche bun

And that’s what you get at Chaval: refinement.  Now about their version of eggs Benny, it wasn’t necessarily the most frequently ordered dish coming out of the kitchen–the activity that was easily visible where I sat at the last seat at the bar with a bird’s eye view of the kitchen machinations.

I chose the eggs Benedict as the signature offering to judge a restaurant’s brunch meal.

With its post-past-and-present-millennial bent Chaval’s brunch hour—Sundays only—is a study in refinement of flavor, texture and exacting standards that have quickly made this a vital spot to call home for brunch or dinner.

While I waited for my order, I was assuaged by a fortifying bloody Mary, which wasn’t overly spicy or festooned with a garden-patch of garnishes; and I also saw some other dishes waiting to be picked up to bring to table.  The duck sin-a-bun roll looked gorgeously appetizing—a high dome of bunlike creation with confit of duck, set in a parsnip puree; the brunch in Paris was another visual marvel with two fried eggs atop a grilled baguette slice topped with the kitchen’s luscious onion jam, which is used to embellish many dishes from eggs to fried potatoes.

An iconic bloody Mary served at Chaval’s brunch

The Benny itself was this glorious combination: a house made salted buttermilk biscuit topped with the kitchen’s house-cured ham and two 63-degree eggs (that’s 63 Celsius).

Eggs Benny

This is a highly evolved way to poach eggs.  The whole egg in the shell is basically cooked in a water bath of the same temperature to produce two perfectly poached eggs in a shimmering case of gelled egg whites and the ultimate runny yok within–cracked open to put on the bread.  Swathed with a stunning hollandaise, the dish is complete.  But not without a helping of those great fried potatoes: Yukon gold spuds simmered in an herb-flavored chicken stock until tender, lightly crushed and then fried in what tasted like a butter-oil mixture with a light dusting of smoked paprika and a hefty dollop of onion jam.

Now that’s a style of Eggs Benedict worth reserving.

Chaval, 58 Pine St., Portland, ME 207-772-1110,, www.chavalmaine.com

Rating: 5-star fare for brunch and dinner creatively conceived, meticulously prepared in a fusion of American-Latin-European cooking, offering  a charming neighborhood West End vibe.

Service: Friendly and efficient

Noisie Level: Manageable

Tables: Bar dining (very popular) and table and banquettes

Parking: Small lot adjoining the restaurant

$$$: Moderatley expensive