Brunch at Five Fifty-Five - Portland, Maine

Note: A more recent Five Fifty-Five Dinner Review is available.

For years my husband and I met friends for brunch every Sunday. Our restaurant of choice was Bintliff's (across from the Portland Post Office), though you'd occasionally find us at Perfetto's, Uffa or Joe's Boathouse.

With the change in ownership at Bintliff's, we saw a significant decline in service and food quality. Perfetto's is long gone; I still lament their demise. Uffa's real estate will soon be occupied by Evangaline. And the only draw to go to Joe's is the weather. Warm and sunny so we can sit on the deck, or stormy for an up-close-and-personal view of the boats banging against the dock as the sea turns violent.

I now spend my Sunday mornings doing a long run, while my husband heads out to pick up bagels. Probably a healthier routine anyway. But after two really terrible Saturday night meals (Mesa Verde and another I'll post as soon as I feel like re-living the experience through my writing), I needed a decent - no, stellar - dining experience. So we headed to Five Fifty-Five to try out their brunch.

As my readers know, I'm a huge Five Fifty-Five fan, though I've only been there for dinner. I have been hesitant to see it in the light of day, without Chef Corey in the kitchen or Michelle's watchful eye over the front-of-the-house. I didn't want to risk having my favorite local eatery jaded from a poor experience.

But, I finally took the chance.

We were cheerfully greeted by Amy Torrey, dining room manager, back at work after only a few hours of sleep (she works Saturday nights and Sunday brunch). I perused the menu while sipping my cappuccino and decided on the Cauliflower Soup, followed by the "Duck & Egg". My husband, while enjoying fresh-squeezed orange juice, selected the Blood Orange Sweet Cream Danish and the "Traitors & Eggs."

Our waitress apologized for the delay in delivering my husband's initial cup of coffee to the table, as they were brewing a fresh pot. Unfortunately, it seemed that they were having issues keeping up with the coffee demand the entire time we were there, as he asked numerous times for a refill, which finally arrived shortly before we were ready to leave. Other than that, our experience was exactly as I had hoped.

A basket of tiny currant scones and corn muffins was delivered to the table, served with a wonderfully sweet and creamy honey butter. The danish was house made; the dollop of sweet cream was a refreshing compliment to the intense orange zest permeating both the pastry and accompanying marmalade.

I never pass up the soup at Five Fifty-Five, as it is always spectacular. Always. Without exception. On this visit, Cauliflower and Mascarpone were combined to create a rich, smooth and creamy soup, perfectly blended so neither the vegetable nor the cheese dominated, but rather existed in perfect harmony.

"Traitors and Eggs" consisted of a house-made biscuit topped with lobster (knuckle and claw), fresh blanched spinach, poached eggs and rich, buttery Hollandaise sauce with a touch of lemon. Diced potatoes were crispy on the outside and well spiced. Don't pass up this dish if you're fortunate enough to see it on their menu.

The Duck and Egg was equally delectable and even more interesting than the Traitors & Eggs. Wild rice was topped with Gruyere cheese, duck confit, poached eggs and served with house-made grilled sourdough bread. The al dente wild rice and duck combination created an earthy compliment to the runny yolk; the cheese added a creaminess that made the rice almost the consistency of a risotto. I topped the grilled bread with the entire combination, sopped up the runny yolk, and felt like I had died and gone to Heaven.

Too full for anything substantial to eat, I was craving a little something sweet to end the meal. As though reading my mind, our waitress arrived with two miniature Myer lemon shortbread cookies, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a piece of chocolate. Perfection.

I have found my new brunch spot.