If I had to name my favorite restaurant in Portland, if not the entire state of Maine, my answer wouldn’t rest on one singular, truncated candidate. That would place an unnecessary limitation on a whole world of dining options presided over by some very talented Maine chefs.

I think it’s obvious to many that over the course of this column, which sadly is offered only occasionally now, my favorite haunts are culled from a predictable list: Fore Street, Primo, Francine Bistro, Back Bay Grill, Caiola’s, Five-Fifty Five, Cinque Terre, Hugo’s, Provence and many more restaurants around the state where I’ve had very consistently excellent meals.