Savor the all-Italian all-handpicked wine list: The Corner Room

Of course, those things are what make Smith's establishments so amazing. Brunch at the Front Room is a must for weekend warriors in Portland and the burger at the Grill Room is a 10, so there's no real anxiety and as I walk under (and grunt approvingly) at a ginormous fork with wrist-thick spaghetti dangling from its prongs over the Corner Room door. As the first impression of this new Italian enterprise I realize, at least the guy's got a sense of humor.

Inside is positively hummin', cast in yellow-amber light, well-dressed servers flying about with smiles on their faces and urgency a'movin' their feet. I meet my buddies and we realize we are hungry. Reaching, I ask for bread, hoping there's a basket of some sourdough, and best case scenario some Cabot pads I can soften by the votive.

Instead, our swift server delivers hot hard cheese encrusted house focaccia with a pitcher of a lightly hued olive oil. Dizzy with joy, I realize I should've opted for something from the many splendored, all-Italian all-handpicked wine list (Gabbiano Chianti, Toscano for example, for $6.50 a glass) instead of the knee jerk local draft (Geary's Winter, $5). After all, part of Smith's rustic restaurateur vision is the plump carafes ($14 for Gabbiano Pinot Grigio, Veneto) that serve as a booze boat for two (a move I wholeheartedly support).

If a bright Orvieto isn't your thing, all is far from lost. Consider the Specialty Cocktail list with an eye for history, drawing on Europe's spirits of the (19)20's and 40's for several concepts. The sharply dressed bartend, who describes his job as "occasionally quite athletic" says he's got two favorites, the Lucien Gaudin (Plymouth Gin, Cointreau, Campari and dry vermouth) named for an Olympic fencer, and the North End (gin, simple syrup, basil, lemon Juice, and soda water) named for that corner of Boston that could serve as the Corner Room's cultural muse.

If you're interested in more than my classy focaccia-poaching, the menu has a finely tuned dish to match any sized appetite. Check out the Beef Carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef with capers, onion, garlic aioli and parmesan cheese, $9) or anything off the menu from the "Bruschetta" selections. For a rare set of flavors to a Portland palate, dive in to the Bacala bruschetta (local salt cod, poached and whipped with olive oil, cream and garlic, $8). It made my mouth water to type that. I mean, it's not fair.

The place is pumped with energy, groups of three and four, young and old, are now forming rows around the sleek carved wooden bar, so much so that I can barely get a word in with my waitress. "Holy canolli, dude, is it always like this?" No words, she just lifts her eyebrows, smiles and shrugs and walks crisply on with some steaming plates that need to be dropped around the corner.

Mike Olcott is a freelance writer.

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