Port Mag_Ad 25.indd 1 11/20/17 12:19 PM Khione strikes all the right notes with classic entrees like beef Stifado (beef stew, $24) and divine-looking Arni Paithakia– lamb chops that we spot at the next table served with lemony roast potatoes ($28). Among seafood choices is steamed monk- fish with braised leeks ($22). The Lahana Gemiste ($20)–cabbage rolls stuffed with beef and rice dressed in avgolemono sauce– evokes instant yiayia nostalgia. So does the taverna’s assortment of charming, flowered, retro dishware of the sort found in the kitch- en cupboards of yiayias and other immi- grant grandmothers 50 or more years ago. A plump wedge of pita called Skopelitiki (in the style of the is- land of Skopelos, $8) is made with meltingly tender braised kale, fen- nel, leeks, and currants tossed with fe- ta and rolled into phyllo pastry leaves. The rolled pastry is coiled and baked in a buttered tapsi–the traditional round Greek baking pan harkening from the days when home cooks carried their Sun- day roast lambs and pitas to the village bakery’s wood oven. As delicious as din- ner has been thus far, this crisp-crusted savory pie is the star of the show–an ex- pert rendition of Greek country cooking. With it, we sip glasses of Alpha Estate Hedgehog Xinomavro ($12 per glass), a mellow, slightly tannic red with notes of raisin and licorice. For dessert, there is of course bakla- va, but we choose the house-made mastiha ice cream ($4). A mild, pleasant pine resin used in baked goods throughout the East- ern Mediterranean, mastiha is one of those mythically medicinal Eastern ingredients like ginger, turmeric, or ginseng that are taken on faith. The ice cream is as delicately flavored and mildly sweet as gelato, and we are enchanted. Chef Provencher is a former partner in Brunswick’s Trattoria and Enoteca Athe- na cafés, now found under one roof on Maine Street. He first opened Taverna Kh- ione in Shelburne, Vermont, before moving it back to Brunswick this past fall. The New Hampshire native–and grandson of an im- migrant yiayia–proves with the food, wine, and unmistakably hospitable vibe of his tavern that he’s inherited a Greek soul. n TavernaKhione,servingdinnerTu.–Sat.5–9p.m.25MillSt., Brunswick;406-2847;tavernakhione.com. Thai Tapas 4-6pm Restaurant Review W i n t e r g u i d e 2 0 1 8 7 5