Desjarlais Adds Lunch, Scales Back Dinner At Bresca

Krista Kern Desjarlais is, understandably, tired. Since she opened Bresca in 2007, the chef and her 20-seat restaurant have racked up numerous accolades - from being named to Conde Nast Traveler's list of the world's best new restaurants in 2008, to multiple James Beard Award nominations, including finalist for Best Chef, Northeast in 2011. But now in her mid-40s and the mother of a toddler, Desjarlais tells The Portland Press Herald's Meredith Goad "her priorities have simply changed. Working nights and worrying about flashy awards is a young person's game, the chef explained." So, the chef known for doing it all herself has drastically cut back the time she spends behind the line, offering lunch Wednesday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m.; "closing time will depend on demand." Dinner is now Friday and Saturday nights only.

The new lunch menu will be "smallish," and the chef will change it up when she gets an idea of what guests prefer, but she promises there will always be a good price point for the quality of the food ... Desjarlais has floated similar plans in the past, but says she has now found "the nerve" to actually make the changes. She said she wants the new version of her restaurant to grow organically, and hopes to find her own niche in the Portland lunch scene.

· Bresca Starts Serving Lunch; Cuts Dinner Service To Two Nights [PPH]

[Photo: To Markt To Markt blog]