Caiola's - Portland, Maine

Caiola's is one of the best examples of a neighborhood restaurant that I've encountered. Located in Portland, Maine's West End, it is here that Chef Abby Harmon, formerly of Street and Company, serves creative comfort food with Italian and Spanish influences. I'd be hard pressed to go anywhere else if I lived nearby.

Caiola's has a respectable selection of wines-by-the-glass. Full glasses are poured at the bar and delivered to the table without allowing patrons to taste their selection before committing to a full glass, something my husband would have appreciated since he did not care for his Heron Pinot Noir. Fortunately, I enjoyed the non-offensive, easy drinking Carignan/Syrah/Grenache blend I ordered.

Sipping our wine, we quickly eased out of "work mode" and into the weekend. Unpretentious, welcoming and friendly, this is a restaurant where it is easy to relax. The waitress delivered bread from Scratch Bakery to our table. Dense and moist, the bread was served with chive butter that, unfortunately, was served cold and hard, making it difficult to spread.

I started with the appetizer special, a Lobster & Oyster Mushroom Bread Pudding with Madeira Sauce. The consistency of a quiche, the bread pudding was filled with finely diced bits of mushroom and topped with lobster chunks. The bread soaked up the creamy sauce, permeating it with flavor. Rich, satisfying and unusual, this dish was perfection. My husband was equally impressed with his Mussel Bisque, as evidenced by the way he sopped up every last drop with his bread.

I couldn't resist the Polenta Fries with Cheddar Cheese and Jalapeno Relish; it sounded so interesting and did not disappoint. Lightly fried crisp polenta wedges were served piping hot. The wedges were best when loaded - white cheddar cheese sauce, sour cream, chives and topped with a jalapeno pepper. I rarely eat fried food, but I enjoyed these fries so much that they are an early candidate for my "best food experiences of 2008."

As is typical with many restaurants I patronize, the creativity lessens when you approach the entree portion of the menu. Caiola's is no exception. My husband selected the Stuffed Cannoli; sheets of pasta filled with ricotta cheese, were rolled into a tubular shape and topped with a sweet Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Sauce. I ordered the Shrimp with Saffron Cream Sauce. Large, meaty shrimp topped a bowl of perfectly cooked tiny tube-shaped pasta that was tossed with shaved asparagus, finely diced carrots and fresh peas. My only suggestion for the dish is to use clarified butter in the sauce.

We saved portions of our entrees to take home and enjoy the next day so that we would have room for the Chocolate Cream Pie. The crust, made with plenty of cinnamon, was filled with a thin milk chocolate pudding and drizzled with chocolate sauce. We enjoyed the dessert even more knowing it was the last one they had that evening.

I was pleasantly surprised with the $102 tab, particularly after our experience at Rachel's; I left Caiola's feeling that we had received our money's worth.

Neighborhood restaurants typically don't execute well enough to garner my repeat business. Caiola's is the rare exception.