Rarely does a new restaurant get it so right at the gate. But then when you have two pros—a highly acclaimed chef and pastry chef, in this case husband and wife who are the owners of the new establishment, Chaval, then the level of success is nearly assured. With Chaval’s opening this week after a renovation of the former Caiola’s in which it’s housed, this duo has brought to Portland one of the most exciting restaurants in the city set to pamper those who cross its threshold.
Devotees of Caiola’s were mostly West Enders who called this place their own like a private dining club when it opened in 2005. It fit into the fabric of the West End like a a brick townhouse wrapped up in an old comfy sweater. The interiors were plain and woody; the food from chef Abby Harmon was deliciously inventive—always something unusually devised with ingredients that you’d never dream of pairing. Who could not love her savory puddings filled with lobster or crab meat swathed in an elegant cream sauce, for instance, or grilled pork chops with caramelized onions; Johnny cakes with fried chicken and maple syrup or crab cakes under a dome of beet puree–homespun but inventive fare highly tasteful and bathed with flavor.
The space at Chaval is open,, larger and very comfortable
So, when Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez bought Caiola’s—both the real estate and the restaurant–we all kind of rolled our eyes that seemed to say, Wow this will be a hard act to follow to please die-hard Harmon fans stumbling out of their brick manses to revel in her cooking.
When they took over the restaurant they kept the Caiola’s menu. Though many of us thought, it’s not the same. Good but not remarkable. Hmmm. Where is that famous Sansonetti touch who installed himself fresh from New York of Daniel Boulud fame where he was executive chef at Bar Boulud into his divine Piccolo, their heavenly dining aerie in the footsteps of Bresca and its former owner, Kristen Dejarlais, another star chef?
Bar dining is already in high demand
Fast forward: After a few months Sansonetti and Lopez closed the Caiola space and the undertaking of a total rehab ensued: not just the space but the kitchen, menu and staff.
