As the city of Portland grapples with the boom of new housing on the peninsula, one dividend is food and dining venues emerge as an outgrowth. The opening of Rosemont Market at West End Place, for example, serves the densely populated West End and its need to have food shops in the neighborhood. As for dining, there’s only a few restaurants beyond Longfellow Square in the heart of the West End except for Caiola’s—still a long-time favorite for area locals—and Bonobo, the corner restaurant serving artisanal pizza.
In adjacent Bayside, that a place like Isa caught on so fast gives credence to an emergent neighborhood even though the grandness of Back Bay Grill a few doors away didn’t stem the tide when it entered this fringe environment decades ago. Plenty of vagrants and druggies still roam the streets, but now they co-mingle with ever more Mercedes and Lexus SUVs looking to park and dine at Isa or Back Bay.
The charming dining room at Isa
Isa and Back Bay are my neighborhood restaurants. Though I’ve yet to venture to Bubba’s Sulky Lounge or the notorious Ricky’s Tavern across the street. Now there’s a true dive bar whose patrons were once labeled euphemistically by a city official “…as subjects seeking social service assets and resources in that area.” Hipsters are not welcome.
Wednesday of this week I was in the mood for a dinner of burger and fries. Both Isa and Back Bay feature these on their menus occasionally. On the prior night I joined a friend for burgers at the recently opened 953 Congress, which is at the base of another humdrum part of town. 953 Congress is the new iteration of The Dogfish (owned by The Dogfish Company and their Free Street outpost, Dogfish), a staple for many years with pretty good bar-and-grill style fare, including a fantastic hamburger. Until Salvage opened nearby, dining choices were nil in the area beyond fast food chains and sandwich shops on gritty St. John Street. A few months ago 953 finally shed its brown paper wrappings to unveil its new look. The space is cleaned up and spare. And the menu has lots of apps, sandwiches, burgers and special entrees each evening.
Formerly The Dogfish, the dining space and bar are redone at 953 Congress
We never got to the burgers because we filled up on a variety of appetizers instead. Some were fine, like the crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon, feta and almonds; a tower of roasted beets a la Alfred Portale, layered with feta and tomatoes with a spray of frizzled parsnip,s was well done too. But our other apps such as the mussels in a beer broth and white beans were misguided (tiny PEI farmed mussels and mushy beans) and a platter of chicken wings were workmanlike. We both wondered why this place didn’t re-open to focus on classic grill fare instead of treading on hit and miss fine dining?
At 953, a towering salad of beets, tomatoes and feta; top to bottom: crispy Brussels sprouts, wings and mussels
So I went back Wednesday night to explore 953’s burger power. The room was virtually empty. I decided that this was not where I wanted to spend the evening. I got back in the car and called Isa–headed for the hood. It turned out that the night’s menu feature was a burger special. Well, fate sealed the deal.
By now it was nearly eight in the evening and the place was packed. There was one seat left at the bar and I squeezed in, sitting next to a part-time Portlander from Boston. He dines at Isa regularly and was enjoying a first course of duck confit with plums.
The lively dinner scene at Isa
I’ve been to Isa enough times to know that the food can be really good. I ordered a Negroni—perfectly made with Carpano Antica red vermouth, and its floral, citrus overtones went quite nicely with the starter dish of lobster tostada. It’s the first time I’ve had this appetizer even though it’s been a staple on the menu. With big chunks of lobster on a crisp tortilla laced with strips of fennel in a lemony guajillo aioli, it lived up to its star billing beautifully.
Isa’s lobster tostada
The hamburger special as my main course was a monumental serving of burger heaven gloriously sandwiched on a house-made brioche bun. A thick, well charred hunk of Pineland Farms beef held a delicious coating of melted Cabot cheddar and caramelized red onions. The fries—thin the way frites should be—were crisp and delicious.
The burger special at Isa
A couple dining at the bar had just been served a gigantic slice of tres leches cake. What an amazing looking slab it was, nearly 6 inches high, the creamy topping crowning it as thickly as a snow-capped Mt. Washington.
We all oohed and aahed so much that he felt obliged to share a piece with everyone at the bar. Talk about neighborliness, the vibes at Isa make it happen.
It whetted my appetite for more dessert and I dove right into a gorgeous coupe filled with a dense, rich pumpkin moose. It was studded with a spiced pepita brittle that made this dish spectacular.
Pumpkin coupe with pepita brittle
Isa is very much a family-run operation. Co-proprietors Suzie St. Pierre with husband chef Isaul Perez and St. Pierre’s handsome brother, Chris, tending the bar, deliver everything you’d expect from a neighborhood bistro.
Isa’s open looks over the bar
Post script: I’m burger-ed out for now since I made it back to 953 Congress the next evening to try their hamburger. And what I had typified the best example of the perfect burger: great char and texture and what you’d expect from the kitchen of an iconic bar and grill.
On Thursday night the bar at 953 and (below) the burger
953’s burger made with Pineland Farm beef and topped with a red-onion jam joined by perfect hand-cut fries
Isa: 79 Portland St., Portland, ME 207-808-8533 www.isaportlandme.com
Rating: 4 solid stars for reliably prepared food, always creatively conceived and executed; excellent burger
Ambiance: bistro cozy
Service: very attentive
Tables: comfortable and well spaced
Bar: excellent craft cocktails
Noise, moderately noisy
Parking available around the corner adjacent to the restaurant
953 Congress, 953 Congress, Portland, ME 207-536-1847 www.thedogfishcompany.com
Rating: 3 stars for apps; 4 stars for burger and fries
Ambiance: pleasant and quiet (for now)
Service: very attentive
Bar: well stocked
Noise: quiet (until place catches on)
Parking available adjacent to the building
