Winter crowds are delighted with the zesty new Italian restaurant where Exchange meets Federal meets delicious.<\/span><\/p>\n Even the menu has the feeling of a tour through Hesperia, with all its choices. From the antipasti selection of meats, we opted for the \u201call for $25\u201d option rather than getting two or three for $8 each, served on a large wooden cutting board with zesty bread and good olive oil, viz. Prosciutto di Parma, Sopressata Salami, Nostrano Salami, Speck, Bresaola, Mortadella, Lardo, Hot Capicola, and Lamb Prosciutto. The opulent mortadella really stands out, as well as the speck, with its deep, dark color and pungent bite. All beautifully hit the spot with sips of our server-recommended deep red Elio Perrone, \u201cTasmorcan,\u201c Barbera d\u2019Asti ($26). <\/span><\/p>\n Italian wines rule (a staggering list) and are grouped according to regions, including Piemonte, Toscana, Sicilia, Veneto, Abruzzo, Campania, Lazio, Umbria, <\/span>Puglia, and Sardinia, all from <\/span>$20 to $110.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n The fresh and crunchy Corner Room Salad, consisting entirely of local greens and sherry vinaigrette ($6), aptly cleansed our palate, though soon after we found ourselves looking jealously at other diners attacking the bitter greens salad, with walnuts, onions, pecorino cheese, and raisins ($7). Decisions are vexing here. <\/span><\/p>\n Moving on to the warm antipasti (perhaps the genius here is in the small-plate offerings) we savored the baked crespelle ($8) a delicious crepe stuffed with oxtail, ricotta, and herbs. If the dozen or so other warm offerings live up to this one, this place will be our newest addiction. <\/span><\/p>\n For pasta, we shared the candelle and wild boar ragu, again a taste treat to remember. The pasta\u2013large, hollow, and resembling candles\u2013soaked up the juices of the perfectly braised meat. <\/span><\/p>\n A dream dessert is the cheese assortment (3 for $13, 5 for $18, 7 for $22), fairly swaggering with La Tur, Caprotto, Paglierino, Marzolino di Pienza Al Peperoncino, and Parmigiano Reggiano Cravero Riserva. But there is\u00a0 much more to discover here. <\/span><\/p>\n The Corner Room, 110 Exchange Street, Portland. Monday-Friday 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.\u00a0Saturday 5 p.m.-10 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-9 p.m.\u00a0879-4747, <\/strong>thefrontroomrestaurant.com<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"corner1\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/corner1.jpg\" "\\"corner1\\"")
H<\/span>ere\u2019s why there\u2019s always a line outside the door of Harding Lee Smith\u2019s newest venture, The <\/strong>Corner Room<\/strong>. It\u2019s not a mall-style Italian restaurant, and it\u2019s not trying to recreate The Village. Instead, it\u2019s worldly and exuberant, transporting diners directly into a three-dimensional excursion into present-day Italian cuisine. Remember the time you dreamed of visiting Mt. Vesuvius? To help you recall it, they\u2019ll serve you a crisp, cold bottle of Lacryma Christi<\/em> here, from a vineyard on its lush, ashy slopes. Fancy a Roman holiday? Dive into a dish of Bucatini all\u2019Amatriciana. Remember Death in Venice<\/em>? Try tasting<\/em> Venice with a Bellini just like they serve at Harry\u2019s Bar. A notch above \u2018Italian for Beginners,\u2019 this raucous, fun eatery, perfect for a winter snuggle, is more like \u2018Italian for Intermediates\u2019 than anything else in Portland. <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n![\"corner2\"](\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/corner2.jpg\" "\\"corner2\\"")
The seafood antipasti ($6 each or all for $21) add briny authenticity, with marinated mussels, marinated squid, shrimp and ceci, clams <\/span>and fregola, and octopus and potato. <\/span><\/p>\n