SISTER SHINGLE: Just around the corner |
Like anyone else who moves to Portland, I heard people speak glowingly about Cinque Terre. When I finally visited, the food was indeed terrific, but I was a little disappointed with the space. Walking by from time to time on Wharf Street, I had pictured it as dazzling, but in fact it is basically pretty nice.People are not likely to have that experience at Cinque Terre’s new “sister restaurant,” Vignola, just around the corner. Vignola is striking. It’s a kind of small space, but the huge windows and high ceilings make it feel much larger. Chef Lee Skawinski has said the place is based on Italy’s casual osteries, but with the exception of the rustic wood floor, you do not get that casual place in a small Italian town feeling when you sit down. The wine-bottle lamps are avant-garde, the tables are small and close together, and there is quite a din of conversation, all giving the place more of a New York feel.
Vignola is also billed as a wine place, and the list is very intriguing with some unusual affordable wines. But every table is pretty close to the bar, which dominates the room without ostentation, and I think people are going to order the interesting house cocktails. They tend to be small twists on tried and true drinks like gimlets and mojitos, and they are terrific. Since Vignola will be serving its menu till midnight (in itself a wonderful service here in Portland, where dinner after 9:30 is usually a challenge), and since so much of its menu lends itself to sharing, it should become popular with groups who want to grab some drinks and a little food before calling it a night. In fact I can’t think of a better place in Portland to go for just that.
So it’s lucky that the antipasti are so very good. One, which offered duck in three styles, is the best appetizer I have had in quite a while. The country terrine was chunky, chewy, and a little sweet, while the foie gras mousse had a sharper flavor and an impossibly smooth texture. The duck rillette, pressed between slightly crumbly brioche, tasted just enough of liver to make it work perfectly with the dish. The mussels were silky, and diced chives and crisp little bits of white onions floated in the tangy, buttery broth.
Vignola also offers a selection of reasonably sized pizzas. Ours with fresh mozzarella, truffled cheese, and prosciutto was very good. The thin crust was more straight-up crispy than the sort of chewy-crisp crust that Flatbread does so well. The big slices of the salty meat might have obscured the subtleties of the cheese a little.
If I have any reservations they are about the entrees, which were not as uniformly good. They are a little on the small side, lending them a sort of continuity with the antipasti, but it would have been nice if they had followed the lead of a place like Bar Lola and kept the prices as small as the plates. They are not exorbitant, by any means, but the $18 scallops and clams with baby spinach looked a lot like what you would expect from a $11 scallop and spinach salad — especially as the spinach was barely sautéed.
