In restaurant-rich Portland, what’s immediately noticeable about Maria’s Restaurant is what isn’t there. The now-familiar buzz that newish city bistros radiate. The staccato of cocktail shakers, or eclectic soundtracks piped from hidden speakers.

Foodies don’t flock to the Cumberland Avenue eatery to Instagram artfully plated delicacies. It would almost seem like an affront to the black and white photos of the owners’ parents gracing the walls. And co-owner Anthony Napolitano will probably never be nominated for a James Beard Award — the food Oscar that so many city restaurateurs covet. But he’s not in it for glory. He’s carrying on the family trade, as if a carpenter or firefighter.