Layers of Flavor
FEAST – MARCH 2008
By Joshua Bodwell
Photography Benedetta Spinelli
Solo Bistro: uncluttered aesthetics and fabulous fare.
Set along the shores of the deep Kennebec River, Bath has long been known as the “City of Ships.” Now, thanks almost single-handedly to one restaurant—Solo Bistro Bistro—Bath may soon be known as the midcoast culinary destination.
Since opening its doors in 2005, Solo has evolved into a popular and captivating restaurant. The calming Scandinavian aesthetic excites the eyes, as aromas from the open-air kitchen tantalize the palate. Solo’s menu is a confident mélange of familiar dishes flawlessly prepared, and unique, globally inspired concoctions that will appeal to both simple tastes and the most adventurous food lovers.
With seating for 48, a wine bar in the granite-walled basement, live jazz every Friday night, and bimonthly wine dinners, Solo embodies traditional European culinary ideals: a respect for the sanctity of breaking bread mixed with a passion for the camaraderie of mealtime.
Going Solo: The Journey to Maine
The path that brought co-owners Will and Pia Neilson to Maine was circuitous, to say the least. En route to his native New England after a year of “kicking around” in Kenya, lifelong boatman Will Neilson accidentally landed a job on a Greek fishing boat. That work begat more work, and Will soon found himself the chief skipper of one of the largest yacht groups in Greece. Although he collected his share of high-seas yarns, the most important thing Will got out his stay in the country can be summed up in one word: love. “I was sitting in a café reading my mail after I’d been at sea for a few weeks,” he remembers with a grin, “and in walked this stunning Danish girl…”
Pia Neilson (née Bundgaard) was on vacation when the couple met. After Will earned his business degree in Fontainebleau, France, he and Pia married in Denmark in 1983, but the bleak work prospects in northern Europe drove the couple to upstate New York in the early 1980s. After some “misadventures” in the boat-rental business, Will decided to stop “futzing” with boats and enroll in law school. After graduating, Will began working for a large law firm in New York City. Over the next eight years, he worked around the clock while Pia stayed home to raise their three children.
In 2000, the Neilsons decided to abandon the long hours and commutes of New York for a circa 1850 Maine farmhouse in the small town of Arrowsic. When the couple settled into their new, slower pace of life, they purchased a building on Bath’s charming Front Street. In 2004, Pia opened the Design Connection in one of the building’s two first-floor storefronts. The shop offers stylish and thoughtfully selected home furnishings and women’s clothing, and it is where, according to Pia, “simplicity seduces sophistication.”
Solo came into the couple’s life in a serendipitous moment when need and desire collided: the restaurant in their building’s second storefront closed and the Neilsons couldn’t find a new tenant. Neither Will nor Pia had experience in the restaurant business, though both had a deep appreciation and passion for food. “In a moment of stunning hubris, we thought, ‘How hard can it be?’” says Will with a laugh.
From the start, their intentions were clear and decidedly influenced by their European experiences. “We wanted to create something that wasn’t about being fancy necessarily,” Will explains, “but about quality ingredients and preparation.”
“We wanted to show people what great food could taste like, and what a great space could look like,” enthuses Pia. The local firm of Theodore + Theodore Architects worked with Pia to add modern touches to Solo’s historic digs. Pia filled Solo with bright, blond tables and covered them with flatware and glasses by Finnish designer Iittala. Vivid plastic chairs by Jorge Pensi, one of Spain’s leading designers, flank the tables, while rippling white pendant lamps by Danish designer Poul Christiansen dangle above. Throughout, Pia focused on home-grade equipment and furnishings, which gives the dining experience a more intimate, personal quality—and nearly everything in the restaurant is available in her shop next door.
When it comes to filling this beautifully realized space with sensual smells and tastes, that job falls on the broad shoulders of one man: Esau A. Crosby II.
The Man with the Menu
When Esau Crosby arrived at Solo, he had already cut his teeth in two of Portland’s most celebrated restaurants: Street & Co. and Fore Street. His many years in the kitchen led Crosby to develop a single governing principle: be honest. “I strive to let the food speak for itself,” Crosby says. “I try not to do anything that will hide the flavors.” Solo’s braised veal cheeks (one of their most decadent offerings) are mouth-watering on their own—cooked as they are in sherry, red wine, and veal stock—but when tasted with a forkful of Crosby’s creamy polenta with white beans and roasted delicata squash, the earthy layering of flavors could convert even the casual diner into an aspiring gourmand.
Crosby has explored regional foods from Asia, South America, and other parts of the world in his perpetual quest to draw out the many layers of flavor in food he uses. Crosby’s culinary derring-do recently impressed New York Times food writer J.J. Goode, who was taken with the chef’s use of the Japanese seaweed nori in his dishes.
Solo features specials with whatever fresh ingredients inspired Crosby that day, and the entire menu changes seasonally. Crosby is always mindful to balance the menu’s bold inventions with more accessible offerings, such as his many variations on the classic Bistro Burger. The restaurant’s bimonthly, five-course, regionally themed wine dinners, however, are the chef’s real opportunity to get creative. If the wines are Australian reds, for example, he might surprise everyone with herb-marinated kangaroo steaks. If German whites are being served, then be prepared to savor exotic cheeses.
If you build it…
“This isn’t about making food that’s high end,” Crosby clarifies, “it’s about making food that’s carefully prepared.” And if that is the measure of success, he and the Neilsons have been wildly successful. Everything about Solo Bistro Bistro—from its mixed historic and modern interior to its savory, surprising menu—feels both deliberate and effortless.
With a glint in his eye, Will says, “We always had a sort of Field of Dreams mentality about this restaurant.”
They have built it. Go.
Crab and Scallop Cakes
with Chipotle Aioli
Crab and Scallop Cakes
1lb crab
1lb scallops chopped medium fine
4 oz minced sweet onion
6 oz minced green and red pepper
1 tsp chipotle pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper ground
2 to 4 oz fine breadcrumbs
3 oz butter
Brown butter in a pan and add vegetables, seasonings, and sauté till soft. Set aside in a bowl to cool. While cooling, chop the scallops fine to medium fine. Add the crab to the scallops, and then the cooled vegetables. Mix well, and add the necessary amount of breadcrumbs to make the mixture tight enough to handle. Scoop out into the desired size and sauté in a little clarified butter, turn once, and then finish in a 400 degree oven.
Chipotle Aioli
3 eggs
juice of 2 limes
3 canned chipotle peppers in juice
4 cloves garlic
3 cups olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 tbsp ketchup
In a food processor, chop fine the garlic and chipotle peppers, adding the seasonings, ketchup, and lime juice. Scrape down the sides and puree as fine as possible. Place the eggs in the processor, then add the lime juice. Slowly drizzle the olive oil until completely blended. Best if made a day in advance so the flavors will marry.