Walk into Conundrum Wine Bistro on a Friday night and the place is buzzing. A couple sits on high-backed bar stools pulled up to a tall table, drinking wine and sharing a cheese plate. Every seat at the bar is filled; some patrons are having a drink and chatting, while others tuck into generously portioned entrees like veal parmesan or a curried shrimp quesadilla.

On a weekend night in the heart of winter, Cinque Terre is humming. Though it's bitter outdoors, the former warehouse is warm and cozy. Patrons are deep in conversation over glasses of red wine, and the kitchen, visible through an opening under a striking copper hood, bustles with activity. Dan Kary, who owns the restaurant on Portland's cobblestoned Wharf Street with his wife, Michelle Mazur-Kary, refers to its style as "casual elegance," and he's not far off.