{"id":10457,"date":"2015-02-13T11:21:27","date_gmt":"2015-02-13T16:21:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=10457"},"modified":"2015-08-07T10:48:59","modified_gmt":"2015-08-07T14:48:59","slug":"the-merry-table","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/the-merry-table\/","title":{"rendered":"The Merry Table"},"content":{"rendered":"

February\/March 2015 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Bonheur<\/em> on Wharf Street<\/h3>\n

Follow the cobblestones to the city cr\u00eaperie.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Restaurant-Merry-Table\"<\/a>Wharf Street in Portland is magical on this night as we cross the cobblestones, casting glances toward the deep blue skies studded with Van Gogh\u2019s stars. Cheerfully lit windows line our way to the warm and inviting Merry Table.<\/p>\n

Almost immediately upon being seated\u2013\u201canywhere you like\u201d\u2013by host, founder, and owner since 2009 Jean Claude Vassalle, my partner exclaims, \u201cThis is so personal, informal\u2013you really feel welcome.\u201d I sip a Pomegranate Martini ($8.50) garnished with an orange slice. The dining space is small but so comforting with its cheerful yellow hues, French posters, exposed brick walls, fireplace, and charming little bar. So far from Gaul, yet it\u2019s a short lovely walk with no passport.<\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s billed as Portland\u2019s only French cr\u00eaperie, we begin with the savory Poireaux cr\u00eape ($13.95). Accompanied by fine crisp greens, shaved carrots, and a simple but successful vinaigrette, the neatly rolled entree cr\u00eape is a perfect balance of flavors. Filled with braised leeks, wild mushrooms, and goat cheese, it\u2019s a vegetarian\u2019s dream and very substantial.<\/p>\n

Our next course, a carnivore\u2019s delight and an absolute must when dining in a French establishment, the Boeuf Bourguignon ($19.95) is another success. A carafe of Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Pinot Noir ($20) arrives, and it stands up well to the rich flavors of the most tender beef imaginable in an intense and smoky gravy with hints of bacon and colorful carrots. There\u2019s a good crusty half-baguette to help sop up the juices. We can\u2019t imagine a better choice on a cold blustery night. Other classics on the menu include cassoulet\u2013a duck stew with canelllini beans, sausage, and bacon ($21.95); and the Cordon Bleu cr\u00eape\u2013chicken, Black Forest ham, blue cheese, Swiss cheese, and bechamel ($13.95).<\/p>\n

We shift to a dessert cr\u00eape of sweet Mascarpone cheese with pear and apple in spiced red wine ($6.95). A reduction of the fruit in the wine poured over the dish is attractive and tasty, and a dollop of whipped cream adds a nice balance.<\/p>\n

The Merry Table, 43 Wharf St, Portland. Lunch 11:30-2:30, Tues-Sat; Dinner 5:15-9pm Tues-Sat; Sunday brunch 11-3pm. 899-4494, themerrytable.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February 2015
\nBonheur <\/em>on Wharf Street
\nFollow the cobblestones to the city cr\u00eaperie.<\/em>
\nWharf Street in Portland is magical on this night as we cross the cobblestones, casting\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10461,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[90],"class_list":["post-10457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews","tag-februarymarch-2015"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10457"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10895,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10457\/revisions\/10895"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}