While the art was pretty, the Renaissance was a time of unprecedented misery. The plague had devastated Europe, cannons had made warfare more terrible, grinding poverty dominated life, and the consolations of religion had been endangered by a lecherous and corrupt clergy and a string of murderous and depraved popes. Resting atop this hopelessness, like a delicate, flaky crust on a dark and salty stew, a small group made stirring art and wrote beautiful philosophy. These humanists rediscovered man without engaging the problems of the people.
The modern corollary, obviously, is Maine and its restaurant scene. Thanks to the wonderful food here we appreciate our humanity most in brief moments of escape from the daily burden of being human. Perhaps it is the power of speech that separates humans from the animals, but we fill mealtimes with banalities while it is through the singularly animal activity of mastication that we approach transcendence.
Perhaps aware of these parallels, Tanya Chasse has called her new restaurant in Brunswick the Renaissance Bistro. The parallels are not perfect, however: while no one has ever feared and hated women quite like the men of the Renaissance, everyone is made to feel comfortable in this quaint space where a woman’s touch is palpable. The place is both eclectic and elegant. It feels cozy, with deep red walls, an intricate tin ceiling, and lots of tables of various heights fitting comfortably into a small space. A mannequin in a cute top surveys the place from the corner.
The service, much of it done by Tanya herself, managed to be both attentive and a little haphazard in a way you don’t mind. We were asked for our entrée order just as our appetizers arrived, but it did not lead to any timing problems in the meal. They seemed to be a little slammed when we were there, but the pleasantness of the place breeds patience, and no one seemed to get annoyed.
Like the Renaissance itself, the menu at the Renaissance Bistro is Italian first but touches most of Europe. The appetizers are simple and comforting — various cheeses with bread, a few dips. They were out of the most intriguing of the regular appetizers, a zucchini pancake topped with smoked salmon. The warm brie with almond slices was a nice start. While the toasted bread was unremarkable, the cheese was good, though very sweet, as was the fruit compote that came with it. More interesting was a special appetizer of pureed eggplant that arrived looking just a bit like cat food. It was incredibly creamy, and tasted deeply and sharply of eggplant when I think most chefs would have overwhelmed the vegetable with garlic and pepper.
The regular entrees offer classic fare: ravioli, risotto, roasted duck, beef and chicken, the fish of the day. The specials offered interesting upscale takes on humble dishes. A stroganoff of beef tenderloin was very good: tender, peppery and abundant. The huge pile of meat sat atop a petite, crispy pastry, and the smaller top half of the pastry perched amusingly on the summit. The tenderloin of turkey, something you rarely see at restaurants, was served with a sweet cranberry glaze. It was an interesting idea — the effect was something like a turkey barbecue — but I am not sure that it quite came off. Turkey is notoriously hard to keep moist, and ours could have been moister. But the dish was interesting and worth trying. We liked the upscale creamed corn that came with it.
Wines are affordable and the desserts are intriguing. The “boca pie” turned out to resemble a big slab of caramel. It tasted good with coffee, but nearly pulled the fillings out of our teeth.
While the Renaissance offered misery with a beautiful façade, the Renaissance Bistro (which also serves also serve lunch, breakfast, and a brunch on weekends) offers something better. Humble and comforting, it seeks to elevate the common rather than escape from it. In doing so it creates something both accessible and very nice.