photos/Figgy DiBenedetto
Taverna Khione
25 Mill St., Brunswick
406-2847
tavernakhione.com
Scene: A packed elevator ascending to a rooftop shindig in Portland
GEN X FOOD WRITER: Y’all ever go up to Brunswick for any reason, I now have a place to recommend for dinner.
RANDOM MILLENNIAL: Taverna Khione? You gotta be talking about Taverna Khione! Dude, that place is so good! And they were amazing
during the pandemic — they sold whole cases of wine!
EVERYONE ON ELEVATOR: What? Where? What kind of food?
Gen X food writer then describes, in detail, the meal she and her partner had at Taverna Khione, eliciting oohs and ahhs from the dozen or more foodies assembled, who then join the rooftop meet-and-greet and tell others about the cool Greek restaurant they just heard about.
You’ve probably heard the saying, “When you have a good meal, you’ll tell two people; have a bad one and you’ll tell ten.” Well, I’m quite literally shouting this from a rooftop and telling this magazine’s tens of thousands of readers: GO TO TAVERNA KHIONE!
Tucked off Brunswick’s bustling Maine Street, Taverna Khione tricks you into thinking you’ve just wormholed to the Greek coast and someone’s Yia-Yia is effortlessly plating traditional dishes in the kitchen. That, but with a scroll-length, world-class wine list. Wowza! (If only the author could wormhole back to my drinking days… Sigh.)
Chef Marc Profencher starts off the menu with a half dozen mezethes ($4 each) accompanied by “village style” homemade bread: trad dippin’ dishes like tzatzíki, htipiti (feta with sweet and hot peppers), taramosaláta (carp roe with lemon and oil), fava beans with garlic and onions, and skórthália (potato whipped with garlic and vinegar).
We lapped up as much as we could before moving on to our orektiká (small plate) course. Served unadorned on grandma’s nice china, the prasopita ($12)was a warm and crispy little slice of filo pie layered with chewy feta, melted leeks and fresh dill. Each bite warmed our soul like the 85 degree evening outside. Our only regret was not inviting friends to share in the other vegetable dishes, like the kolokythokeftédes baked zucchini fritters($12)and the kolokýthi saláta ($12) with zucchini, mint, olives and feta. Next time.
Moving on to the grill for our entrées, we were tempted by the htapódi (Portuguese octopus)and kalamária (calamari; both $14), but I think we chose wisely with the arní kebab (grilled ground lamb skewers with tzatzíki, $24)and a perfectly grilled lavráki (whole Spanish sea bass,$28).
Naturally, we skipped dessert. Ha! So kidding. Ain’t no way I was going to miss out on the portokalopita ($8), an orange syrup–soaked, shredded filo cake similar to baklava. It too was served on an adorable floral saucer, and we managed to get most of it down, but I did overhear the table next to us raving about the lemon verbena pagota — ice cream made with pine sap from the island of Chios ($4).So yeah, we really do need to go back.
Before you go, note that they don’t accept walk-ins or offer takeout or delivery, as Chef Marc flies solo in the kitchen and the front is solely managed by Julia, so reservations are a must (but easy to make by phone or via their website).
Taverna Khione celebrates seven years this fall. A true independent-restaurant success story, they survived the shutdown and the slowdown that followed, and even managed to purchase the building they occupy. More inspiring movies like this, please and thank you!
Taverna Khione is open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m.
