Brioche at Chaval. photo/Dan Zarin

Chaval
58 Pine St., Portland
772-1110
chavalmaine.com

Like many Portlanders, I was disappointed to hear of the closing of Caiola’s in mid-2016. For a decade, the West End bistro had struck a near-perfect balance of outstanding food, a creative menu, and a welcoming, laid-back vibe. But when I heard the place had been purchased by Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez, the husband-and-wife/chef-and-pastry-chef team behind Piccolo — home to some of Portland’s best Italian food, as well as an outstanding brunch — my disappointment gave way to optimism.

A year later, Caiola’s officially reopened as Chaval, a “neighborhood brasserie” featuring Spanish- and French-inspired cuisine (including Lopez’s famous pastries). With a few months of successful dinner service under their belts, the chefs recently started serving Sunday brunch. My optimism was not misplaced — this culinary “power couple” can now claim to offer two of the city’s best brunches.

Arriving shortly after 9 a.m., my wife, our daughter and I were seated right away. Our server suggested we start with a brioche ($6), still warm from the oven. And, man, was he right: it was fluffy and light and rich and eggy, filled with velvety pastry cream and dusted with powdered sugar. Pardon my French, but holy merde, it was good.

We washed down our pastry with two cups of smooth, wood-roasted coffee ($5) from the downtown roaster Speckled Ax and a mug of tea ($3.50) from Munjoy Hill’s Homegrown Herb & Tea. My wife and I then turned to the cocktail menu. Her Bloody Mary ($8) was tasty, though non-traditional, with Colman’s mustard in place of horseradish. My Spritz Catalan ($9) — Spanish rancio wine, ginger, Campari and club soda — was delightfully refreshing, though better suited to a warm summer day than a bleak winter morning.

The brunch menu had so many appealing options that we struggled to decide. My wife ended up ordering two items. Her bowl of lightly sweetened, house-made granola ($7) featured a dollop of locally made Greek yogurt and chunks of pear and apple roasted to a perfect firmness. The Standard ($12) included two eggs, toast, potatoes, and meat — in this case, thin, savory patties of lean maple-and-sage sausage. The eggs were slow-poached at 63ºC, widely considered the ideal way to prepare a perfect soft egg. The onion-jam-topped potatoes were crisp, aggressively seasoned, and downright brilliant, right up there with the potatoes at Dutch’s and Palace Diner, which I rave about to anyone who’ll listen.

Pain Perdu.

I chose the Iberian Bomba Rice Bowl ($14): two slow-poached eggs served over a bowl of calasparra rice with romesco sauce, marcona almonds, roasted peppers, chard, garlic aioli, and olive oil. With a dash of salt, the ingredients melded into a symphony of flavors and textures like nothing I’ve ever had before.

Guided by her sweet tooth, my daughter went straight for the Pain Perdu ($9), a piece of Lopez’s brioche soaked in custard, seared with sugar, and topped with an optional scoop of maple ice cream ($2). As an entrée, the portion was small (I recommend sharing this as a dessert, instead), but it was so devastatingly decadent that any more would have been overkill.

As good as the food was, the service was equally excellent. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable, genuinely excited about “Ilma’s latest creation.” Lopez herself stopped by our table a couple times during the meal. A brunch of this caliber does not come cheap — after tip, the tab for three topped $100 — but it was worth every penny. Although my budget won’t allow frequent trips to Chaval, give me the excuse of a special occasion of any kind and I’ll be there in a heartbeat.

— Dan Zarin

Chaval serves brunch Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.