The Energy of Fuel
MAINE EATS: DISH-Summer 2009
by Nancy Heiser
Photographs by Stacey Cramp
Mix urban Chicago decor, French bistro food, and plenty of Maine-harvested ingredients, and you’ve got Fuel, a restaurant in downtown Lewiston that’s become a destination on the state’s culinary map. Nearly half of its customers travel from outside Lewiston/Auburn, says Eric Agren, the energetic restaurateur who spent time in the Windy City’s corporate world before returning to his home state to open Fuel two years ago with his wife, Carrie.
The restaurant walls are a muted terracotta color and hung with vintage French advertising posters, the floor is carpeted, the lounge chairs are black leather, and the bar is angled glass with nine hefty stools. On Saturday nights, the place is relaxed, crowded, even boisterous. “Exactly what I wanted,” says Agren.
He and Justin Oliver, executive chef since the restaurant opened, share the same culinary goal—traditional French country food without pretension. “A bistro is a working man’s restaurant,” Agren says.
And so, plats du jour at Fuel include roast duck cassoulet (Tuesday), bouillabaisse (Wednesday), and rabbit moutard served over pappardelle pasta with baby carrots (Thursday). A smoked mussel and saffron bisque, escargot, steak frites, and fried green tomatoes are among other menu items.
For those who want to leave food decisions to the chef, Fuel offers a four-course degustation, or sampling of dishes. It’s called by a more informal moniker: Feed Me, Justin. For $35 each, diners allow Oliver to improvise based on ingredients on hand and the food preferences of the guests. Agren pairs each course with a selected wine.
About once a month curious patrons park at the Chef’s Table right in the kitchen, where they are able to experience the inner world of Fuel. From the end of the busy food line, they view all the machinations of a fine restaurant—from whipping up the filling for a raspberry torte to the workings of the trash station. Weeknights at the table are quieter, allowing time to talk with the chef while dining; weekends, “when it’s cranking,” are a whirlwind of activity. “We don’t hide anything,” says Agren. “It’s definitely like theater for people who have never seen it before.”
THE RECIPE
Fuel’s Tuna Niçoise
• 2 lbs. Sushi grade tuna
• 8 White anchovies
• 8 Hard-boiled eggs, cut in half
• 12 Roma tomatoes
• 1.5 lbs. Haricot Vert (substitute young, very thin green beans if unavailable)
• 16 Small new potatoes
• 8 oz. Niçoise olives
• Sprigs of fresh thyme
For the vinaigrette:
• 1/2 c. Extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp. Champagne vinegar
Cut tomatoes in half, toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place a sprig of thyme on the top of each. Place face up on a sheet pan, and bake in the oven at 275 for two hours. Remove and cool.
Bring salted water to a boil in two pots. cook the potatoes in one pot till fork tender. Drain. Cook beans in other pot until al dente. Drain. Plunge both in an ice bath. Pat dry.
In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and mustard. While whisking, drizzle in the olive oil slowly until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut tuna in four 8-oz. portions. In a sauté pan, with a thin film of canola or similar oil, sear the tuna over high heat for about 60 seconds on each side for rare, or more for desired temperature.
In a large bowl, combine the beans, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, and olives. Add desired amount of vinaigrette and toss to coat.
To assemble the dish, divide the salad into four bowls. Place the ingredients in a nest in the middle of the bowl, and drape the anchovies over the top. Place the tuna on the top.
Serves four as an entrée.
To complement the salad, Eric Agren recommends “The Villager,” a blend of Seyval Blanc and Cayoga and produced by a new winery, Oyster River Winegrowers in Warren, Maine.
Fuel | 49 Lisbon Street | Lewiston | 207.333.3835 | fuelmaine.com
