Hugo's - Portland, Maine (First Review)

Note: A more recent Hugo's Review is available.

Hugo's was the restaurant of choice for our weekly Saturday night on the town. We had intended to go for sushi, but on the ride into town, decided to take a chance and see if Hugo's had availability. Surprisingly they did. Ever since Chef Rob Evans was named one of the best new chefs in America in 2004 by Food & Wine, advance reservations are a necessity. We lucked out.

One word of caution. Do not go to Hugo's if you are really hungry. Portions are small and while we left satisfied on our most recent visit, I have heard many people complain that they have left hungry. Something you don't want after dropping $200+ for dinner.

I like Hugo's for a culinary adventure that never disappoints. The pre-fix menu is $70 per person and is comprised of 4 courses. The waitress assisted us in selecting wines that would pair well with our menu selections. In my opinion the dining experience is only enhanced with well-paired wines that bring out flavors in the food.

For our first course we had a Lobster & New Potato Parfait with corn, chanterelles and hot potato mousse. It was to die for. I have never cared for Lobster but after this dish, I am craving more. Dense chunks of lobster were set amidst a frothy lobster mouse. The oaky chardonnay paired with the dish stood up well to the richness of lobster.

The Atlantic Kampachi Hamachi with mint & cilantro granité was extremely fresh, but rather boring compared to the Parfait.

Four miniature biscuits were served with clarified butter. Amazing. The biscuits were dense without being heavy. The butter was creamy and delicious.

For the second course, I struck gold with the Red & Yellow Beet Risotto with westfield farm's fresh capri , pink grapefruit, anise hyssop and horseradish. The dish was rubbed with horseradish, so subtle I never could have identified the flavor if the waitress had not pointed it out. Red beets were pureed and placed over a spoonful of perfectly cooked risotto. Placed on the red beet puree were a few pickled yellow beets and a heavenly cheve (capri) that melted into the dish. This was the highlight of my meal.

Much less exciting than my risotto was my husband's Halibut "En Croute." Chunks of fresh halibut rolled in a thinly pressed sweet bread, then pan fried.

For the third course I had the Slow Cooked Scottish Salmon with dehydrated jerky fried green tomato, and a tomato salad with kalamata tapenade and basil emulsion. My husband chose the cod with razor clam puffs, fresh thyme and "rob's old world chowdah." Both were very good, but if I had to do it over, I would feast only on the Lobster Parfait and Beet Risotto.

Desserts were paired with an ice-wine. I used to love ice wine until I tried a Moscato D'Asti (as featured in a previous blog). Ice wine and port are more sweet and syrupy than Moscato and while they pair well with sweet desserts, Moscato pairs equally well but is a bit lighter. I chose the Roasted Peach set over a jumbo churro (like a flat, fried donut), encased in a honey-vanilla froth with riesling sabayon. It was excellent, light and sweet.

My husband chose the Buffalo Ricotta Cheesecake with pinenut granola and strawberry salad, olive oil powder (this is all the rage in gourmet restaurants right now) and saba vinegar. This dessert was more savory than sweet, and very good. It would have benefited from a less sweet wine pairing than ice wine.

We were disappointed with the service at Hugo's. We selected wines to pair with each course; our courses arrived and we repeatedly had to wait for our waitress to place the wine order with the bar and deliver to our table. Kitchen staff delivered each dish without explanation as to what we were about to eat, leaving the waitress to do so after delivering the wine.

If you are a serious foodie visiting Maine than Hugo's is a "must do." I still prefer Alinea in Chicago for the ultimate gastronomical experience (which it appears the chef at Hugo's might be attempting to replicate on a smaller scale). In Maine, I still prefer Five Fifty-Five. Food is equally creative; portions are larger and the service is more refined.