Castagna

In late 2009, Castagna, long a Portland foodies' favorite, underwent an extreme makeover. The dining room, always exceedingly stark, got a warmer and cozier (yet still minimalist) remodel, and the menu now is like nothing else in town. Dishes still tend toward simple preparations that allow the freshness of the ingredients to express themselves, but preparations make use of unusual ingredients and techniques of molecular gastronomy (ingredients might be cooked sous vide -- in a hot-water bath -- or frozen in liquid nitrogen). Rather than being divided into appetizers, soups, salads, and entrees, the seasonal menu highlights a single ingredient around which each dish is focused. Aged rib-eye steak might be blanketed in smoked fat, or salt cod might come with pickled, grilled, and smoked onions. In addition to the main dining room, an adjacent cafe serves simpler and less expensive fare.

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