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In the year since they purchased Hugo's, chef Rob Evans and partner Nancy Pugh have thoughtfully transformed the longtime popular Portland institution into an elegant space and a top dining destination in the state. The delightful piano man is still there, and now the entryway indoors and out is attractively decorated with foliage, tables are generously spaced for privacy, and the soft, buff walls have been rubbed with matt glaze to resemble suede. Vases of fresh flowers are everywhere. Hugo's has quite a wine list, with really intriguing and select wines priced from $5 to $10 per glass and at least 80 wines by the bottle from California, Oregon, Washington, France, Italy, Spain, and Australia beginning at $22. In addition to the usual varietals, Spanish albarino and rioja, marsanne from Australia, pinot gris and gewurtztraminer from Alsace, and cabernet franc from the Loire are available. Large, delicate stemware that is as functional as it is beautiful brings out the best in all these wines. Proper glassware really does make a difference, and the vast chimneys concentrate the nose that you might otherwise miss. Evans focuses intently on seasonal Maine produce, meats, and seafood. The menu has been divided into a page of first course, salad, and main course selections and another page describing a seasonal prix fixe tasting menu. The late autumn tasting menu offers a choice of soup and a selection of second courses, sorbet, and a lobster, duck or steak entre, plus dessert for $40 per person. The only restriction is that your entire party must order the tasting menu because it is all made to order and is particularly labor-intensive. Courses on both menus are precisely described, the better to alert you to the unique pairings of ingredients you will encounter, such as pistachio crusted lobster, beet risotto with goat cheese, and honey-glazed pork belly with quince coulis. You will be struck by the fact that Hugo's has no wood grill, currently the all but de rigueur restaurant appliance. Back before there were wood grills, in the olden days of classically trained chefs, there was the saute station. This is where Evans dwells and where his talents lie. To start, we selected potato blinis and an order of sweetbreads from the regular menu (prices from $8 to $10). The blinis, made from organic Maine corollas, were three plump, tender potato pancakes sauteed in butter to form tasty, brown-crusted edges. Each was topped with shaved slices of citrus-cured salmon that was completely out of this world, and a dab of tarragon crme fraiche. Many distinct flavors can be savored in this dish. The "shallow-fried" sweetbreads, however, took very little time to divert our attention. These were coated in fine crumbs and quickly pan-fried to deeply brown the crust while guarding the tender, sweet interior meat. Sitting on a dark, rich ragu of locally cultivated mushrooms and ringed with a squirt of porcini oil, it was a magnificent dish. Pureed butternut squash soup seemed to have been strained through fine linen because it was smooth as silk. Seasonings were subtle and restrained to allow the concentrated, sweet squash flavor to prevail. The soup is a perfect illustration, in a small china cup, of what an expert can achieve with the simplest ingredients. A clever and bright salad of watercress was given height and crunch with a jaunty stack of iceberg lettuce and dressed with gorgonzola and little nuggets of apple-smoked bacon and garnished with a handmade cracker ($8). The salad of rabbit leg confit and a poached egg set atop a nest of frisee and drizzled with a tart dressing based on the essence of golden raisins ($9) was a revelation. This dish had been composed and delivered with impressive immediacy - the warm rabbit meat was simply torn and draped over the lettuce and the perfectly poached egg was still hot and runny when pierced. As detailed and ultra-clever as these dishes may sound, they simply reflect the kitchen's commitment to showcasing high-quality ingredients. Playful touches abound to banish any hint of snootiness: Each of our blinis was topped with a tiny, handmade potato chip sliced from the criss-cross attachment of the mandoline; a salad unapologetically features iceberg lettuce; the tasting menu includes an uptown macaroni and cheese starter course. Although Evans has cooked at such high-profile restaurants as Napa's French Laundry and Virginia's Inn at Little Washington, here he pays tribute to another of his previous employers, Hugo's former owner and founder, the legendarily hospitable Johnny Robinson, with the inclusion of Irish soda bread in the basket. We enjoyed Cline vineyard's lusciously fruity syrah and a sensuous '98 Guigal gigondas Rhone with our starters. In anticipation of our main courses, we ordered a '99 Tramonti chianti classico and Four Vines zinfandel. Pan-fried skate arrived in a crisp crumb crust, draped over meltingly sauteed leeks and cubes of sweet fingerling potatoes. Evans is coaxing amazingly flavorful performances out of even the humblest vegetables. Locally raised venison, marinated and roasted to medium rare, was remarkably tender and very flavorful. The dried fruit base in the sauce was a fine complement to the meat, and to the big fruit and soft tannins of the wonderful chianti. The venison was accompanied by a mild-mannered little disk of chestnut bread pudding and plump, caramelized batons of butternut squash. To belabor a point, very exciting things are jumping out of saute pans at Hugo's. The autumn bill of fare also includes braised dishes, such as short ribs of beef and duck with dried fruit and foie gras butter. Pan-fried Deer Isle scallops were offered, and we have vowed to try them on our next visit. Pumpkin crme brulee was the essence of a seasonal dessert perfectly prepared and presented. The wonderful, crunchy shattering of the sugar crust exposed the impeccable custard within, subtly infused with nutmeg. We splurged and shared a glass of Vigna del Papa vin santo ($10) with dessert. Our dinner for two with tax was $120.64. Service had been so smooth and unobtrusive that we were startled and dismayed to realize it was time to leave. Between them, Pugh and Evans have many, many secret recipes that make an evening at their restaurant a memorable experience. All are served with considerable warmth and expertise. At Hugo's, co-owner and chef Rob Evans and co-owner Nancy Pugh have divided the menu into a page of first-course, salad and main-course selections and another page describing a seasonal prix fixe tasting menu. Copyright 2001 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. |
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