Places like Cafe Louis make a traditionalist like me wonder if the classic 3-course meal will become a dark shadow of the past. Think Back Bay Grill where for a $108 prix fixe 3-course menu one can dine beautifully with civility at every turn; it’s where tables and location matter (everyone wants that corner table, which I think is called #7) or any other spot along its banquettes and large round tables.
Sharables and small plates have been with us forever now, but I miss the single first course like a velvety soup starter or a main course like rack of lamb with two side vegetables such as potato gratin and mousseline of peas and a finale-worthy dessert.
Cafe Louis is a Costa Rican Caribbean style dining hangout offering such classics as carne asada and patacones (fried plantains); these two dishes, among others, were beautifully presented but not without inherent faults. But my biggest gripe about dining there on a particularly humid, hot evening was the riveting noise level over the sound system. Besides huddling in some very close quarters in stifling heat, the percussive beat of the music playing rivaled the blare of 21 trombones. I was also a bit befuddled at the closeness of the tables while Delta rages all around us like an insipid fog. This place definitely speaks to the requirement that all restaurants should mandate that you show either a fully vaxxed card or recent Covid test. Who knows? The dowdy couple sitting next to us in their Sunday best might have been raging carriers.
Crab ceviche
Evan Richardson is the chef and owner (formerly he owned Eaux in Portland), and he was sweating his way through in the open kitchen with his three assistants. The cooking is sublime.
No staff shortage here, and the one lone waitress serving some 30 to 40 diners handled it beautifully. She wore a mask as did the kitchen staff .
Plantain chips
What’s remarkable is that each dish came out within minutes of being ordered. At first I thought it was a fluke as we dug into a plate of plantain chips and a crab ceviche when it seemed that we had just sat down.
The carne asada was arranged on a pile of highly seasoned and crisp frites. The meat was very tender, but some of the slices were a bit large, requiring a knife. Except there was no room on the plate to eat it properly with knife and fork. Still, the salsa adorning the beef was bright and flavorful, speaking fluently with a Caribe twang.
Olive oil cake with blueberry compote
Another main course was a kind of bouillabaisse with mussels. It was robust and fine. And the one dessert–an olive oil cake with fresh blueberry sauce–did the trick to end the meal. By the way, olive oil cake is the thing these days at many Portland restaurants.
As we left the restaurant an hour later a traffic jam on Ocean Street would have been more relaxing. I will definitely go back when cooler weather arrives, and the two lone heating/AC splits at either end of the restaurant will presumably make the space warm and cozy.
Cafe Louis, 173 Ocean St., South Portland, ME 207-536-0169 www.cafelouis.me
Ambiance: Close quarters
Service: Bar seating, tables, full-service bar
$$$: Moderate
Service: Remarkably good with just one waitress
Parking: On Street and fairly easy.
