The East Ender, in what used to be Norm’s East End Barbecue in Portland, is the new kid on a food lover’s block that includes Hugo’s, Duckfat, Pepperclub, Rabelais Books and Micucci’s Italian grocery. On a Thursday night in late March, it is startlingly busy. Our last-minute call for a reservation nets us a tight table by the door, drafty despite a shielding curtain. This downstairs dining room of about 20 seats is full, which our server says comes as a surprise. Half the diners depart around 7:15. They are off to the theater.
Despite the unexpected rush, our waitress, the only one on duty, manages our table and others extremely well, the bartender and chef assisting at times. There is bustle, but no chaos. We glance covetously at the more spacious and comfortable upstairs — a dining area with a second and larger bar, exposed brick, booths with giant polka-dot upholstery and wood tables made from old bowling lanes (as were the downstairs tables). One party is ensconced there.
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Tonight, the decision to seat almost everyone downstairs was probably a calculated one for ease of service, and for which we can’t assign fault. The small, informal room has been repainted a blue-gray from Norm’s garish red (thank goodness), and a custom concrete, six-seat bar has been installed. We hunker down for a good meal. After all, the proprietors, Mitchell Gerow (who is also chef) and Megan Schroeter worked under well-regarded Erik Desjarlais at Evangeline’s before it closed.
Barflies and dinner guests alike will want to dig into the traditional and novel items on the snack menu. Tasty trout fritters ($7) served with caper aioli and lemon have a good portion of smoked trout inside light dough. Even better are the mussels mirepoix ($10), the carrot/celery/thyme/parsley aromatic adding a subtly sublime flavor. A hunk of grilled bread is served alongside. Include a salad, and you’ve got a lovely dinner.
That salad might be one of arugula, pear, walnut and goat cheese with pomegranate dressing ($8). Yes, it’s been done before with slight variations, but the pears in this one pick up the dressing so they seem marinated — very nice. The cheese, from local Fern Hill Farm, comes as a creamy dab on top to mix in at will. If you want something edgier, go for an iceberg wedge with calf’s brain croutons ($9).
Crave something along the comfort-food line? Order the buttermilk fried chicken leg with romaine, red onion and lemon dressing ($10). Two pieces of hot, battered and brined chicken that has been soaked in buttermilk nestle next to a mass of shredded romaine. The dish is tangy and light, with the meat moist as can be and the coating alternately tender and crisp. It’s a great temperature, texture and flavor combo, and is on my must-repeat list.
We order two entrees. Skate is the market fish tonight, served in a single bowl with braised cabbage, potato cake, brown butter and capers ($18). The striated fish is white, firm like a scallop, and milder in flavor than I expected. It’s also drenched in sauce, making it difficult to get a really good sense of its untouched taste. But I like the dish and the opportunity to try something new without breaking the bank.
The pork chop with soldier beans and glazed carrots ($16) recalls plats du jour on a French sidewalk — homestyle food, reasonably portioned, using seasonal fare. On this night the meat, sourced from Farmington and butchered and brined with fennel in house, is unfortunately too salty. The sides are deftly seasoned and tasty. Be sure to eat the grilled apple slice for a burst of meaty flavor.
We can’t try everything. But we can scout. A beef cheek burger on a brioche roll with cheddar and bacon at another table is tall and tempting ($12). Potato skins with black forest ham and blue cheese also intrigue for a snack ($7), as does the duck with honey polenta and Brussels sprouts entree ($18).
My dilemma is how to categorize this delightful grub. Perhaps nouveau American with a touch of French countryside? It doesn’t matter. There is nothing stuffy or contrived about the food or atmosphere at East Ender. The menu offers both simplicity and adventure, and will soon change to spring offerings.
Dinner here is a very good value too. You can easily make a meal of that buttermilk chicken/romaine salad or the mussels, and all of the entrees are under $20. Why head for the big-box chains with absentee owners, which may have similar prices, when you can eat local food prepared this well (and served this skillfully) by people in your community?
OK, I’m off the soapbox. It’s time for dessert. The warm plum crisp with homemade plum ice cream ($6) is a deep pink delight — crisp and buttery, the fruit ample and tart, the ice cream a creamy-cold contrast. Top notch. Or should I say, plum good.
Nancy Heiser is a freelance writer and editor near Portland. Her work has appeared in national and regional publications.
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