The Inn At Ocean's Edge blog

A lovely new bistro opened in Camden last year and has continued to evolve into a great dining option. Outdoor seating, live music and a fantastic menu – what’s not to love? Tucked away at Bay View Landing, Fresh is right in the heart of Camden. A couple of other restaurants have tried their hand in this location over the last several years, but Fresh is poised to stay. They’ve done a beautiful renovation job, creating a pleasant, beautiful atmosphere: flowery curtains, white tablecloths, granite bar and a superb staff. Happy Hour is “open to 6pm” with $3 beer, $5 cocktails and $1.50 oysters. The seasonally changing menu is both familiar and innovative, a Mediterranean twist on New England cuisine, served Thursday – Monday and features items like glazed and grilled rack of lamb, bouillabaisse, and Maine lobster ravioli.

The first time I ever walked into Cafe Miranda, the only spot available was at the 4 seat counter. I didn’t know then that they are the best seats in the house.

Kerry Alteiro, owner and chef, keeps a lively conversation with counter diners as he assembles dishes, spins around and sends them into the wood-fired oven. He asks me if I think he should add some more cheese to the dish he’s working on. Who needs dinner and a show when the show is right in front of you? Next to me is a set of Elvis salt and pepper shakers, one of many features of the funky decor in this amazing, eclectic place. Diners come and go, but the place is almost always hopping, and that is no accident.

Kerry grows quite a bit of the produce he uses on his own farm and sources many other ingredients locally. The menu, its diversity and layout, is a big draw. Several pages with names like “Lamb Wowie” and “I Dreamn’t of Jerry” really call for concentration lest you are a regular and know exactly what you’re getting. There’s a story behind every dish – make sure to ask!

It’s fun, entertaining, delicious and memorable. I recommend it with no reservations. Although we do recommend making one ahead of time. Open at 5pm year round. Inquire about special occasions Sunday brunch.

Photo by http://coastalkitchens.blogspot.com/

Francine Bistro – 55 Chestnut St., Camden

It’s not on Elm St (Route 1 through town), so you have to know it’s there. And you have to know it’s there well in advance as it’s often hard to make a last minute reservation. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday, 5:30 – 9. Semi-finalist for the 2012 James Beard Award for Best Chef Northeast and restaurant owner Brian Hill describes the fare, “We try to be really unpretentious. I love to just take these little tricks and apply them to simple, comforting food, and hopefully that comes across as providing a really extraordinary experience.” The menu changes daily and is available only on their website.

Here’s a Frommer’s review that does Francine’s justice: “This place feels more like a French brasserie in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District than a coastal seafood joint — and that’s a good thing. A meal from chef Brian Hill might begin with fish, onion, or lentil soup; a sevicheof halibut, Serrano chiles, and red onions; mussels in Bordeaux and shallots; or skewers of grilled lamb served with white pesto, orange, and endive. What a refreshing wakeup call in a section of coast dominated by fried/baked cod/haddock and lobsters. The night’s entrees might run to roast chicken with a chèvre gratin or a cauliflower-cheese hash; duck a l’orange; a crispy skate wing with Jerusalem artichokes; a roasted sea bass in caramelized garlic sauce; seared halibut with shrimp; a haddock stuffed with scallops; or reliable steak frites. Eat at simple tables from church-pew-like seating.”

If you’re waking up to a leisurely Sunday morning and wondering what to do today, consider visiting your local maple syrup producer on this Maine Maple Sunday.

Here’s a map to get you started. A lot of sugarhouses are open for tours, demonstrations and best of all, samples! Simmons and Daughters here in Waldo County will be boiling sap on their wood fired evaporator and serving ice cream with warm syrup. Many farms offer activities, games, treats, music and more. Read a day by day journal of the last month or so leading up to this Sunday – from Mitchell and Savage Maine Maple Syrup.

It’s called A Taste at The Top, an event being held at Point Lookout, our neighbors to the north in Northport/Lincolnville, Maine on Saturday, July 24th, and it looks like fun!

Sponsored by Maine Brewers and Vintners, the event offers samples from the state’s premier micro-breweries and wineries, (too many to mention here), gourmet food, and live music in a spectacular ocean view setting. Check out http://www.centralmainebrewfest.com/ for all the info you need, including directions, and a list of vendors that are selling tickets now!
You may also email for tickets: tickets@centralmainebrews.com.

Our very own The Edge Restaurant will participate in this year’s Maine Fare – an event held here in Camden, Maine to benefit the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association. For a full schedule of events, refer to the Maine Fare website. And enjoy!!

“Maine Fare showcases many events including chef demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops, food and beverage tastings, author signings, and dinners, Maine Fare investigates the history, present and future of Maine’s wonderful food, from farm to table. The goal of the event is to communicate the importance of preserving, protecting, and sharing Maine’s storied culinary history and its rich and developing resources. Maine Fare honors every aspect of our state’s gastronomic profile.

Gala Chefs Tasting, Under the Stars
Friday evening, September 11, at the Camden Yacht Club. Wonderful Maine restaurants paired with Maine’s wine makers, distillers and brewers, combining talents to produce a special dinner — and the official start of Maine Fare. Proceeds from this meal benefit MOFGA. Buy tickets here

Participating Restaurants:
Chase’s Daily (Belfast)
Cleonice (Ellsworth)
El El Frijoles (Sargentville)
Fore Street – (Portland)
Francine Bistro (Camden)
Fuel Restaurant (Lewiston)
Lily Bistro (Rockland)
Natalie’s at Camden Harbour Inn (Camden)
Sea Glass Inn by the Sea (Cape Elizabeth)
Solo Bistro (Bath)
Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School (York)
Supper at Nebo (North Haven)
Table (Blue Hill)
The Burning Tree (Mt Desert)
The Edge Restaurant (Lincolnville)
The Farmer’s Table (Portland)

Featured Wines, Beers and Spirits
Bartlett’s Winery (Gouldsboro)
Blacksmiths Winery (Caso)
Cellardoor Winery (Lincolnville)
Cold River Vodka (Freeport)
Maine Mead Works (Portland)
Oak Pond Brewing (Skowhegan)
Penobscot Bay Brewing (Winterport)
Shipyard Brewing Company (Portland)
Sweetgrass Winery (Union)
Winterport Winery (Winterport)

Friday, September 11, 6-9 p.m.
All inclusive tickets: $75/person   
Dress: Creative Casual
Buy tickets here

The 62nd Annual Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland begins today and runs through the weekend. Wednesday is free admission beginning at 12pm until the gates close at 10pm.

What is it all about? In addition to lobster, “you can choose from steamed and fried clams, fried Maine shrimp, shrimp cocktail, steamed mussels in wine and vegetable sauce, and many varieties of traditional summer fair food, all prepared in the traditional Maine way.”

Events include arts and crafts, a parade, coronation of a Sea Princess, lobster crate races, live music, a cooking contest and plenty of activities for kids.

Question we get asked the most as innkeepers – where do we park? Here is a map of parking lots reserved for the festival with a shuttle provided.

Photo from the mainelobsterfestival.com image gallery

The Inn at Ocean’s Edge is a proud sponsor of the 4th annual “Maine in America Summer Gala” at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, ME. In addition to being a fundraising event for the non-profit museum and a party to celebrate the beginning of the summer social season, the gala is also an opportunity for the museum to present the “Maine in America” award to an important artist with strong ties to Maine.

This year, the Maine in America award will be presented to Robert Indiana. Museum literature describes, “Robert Indiana, probably best known for his “sculptural poems” LOVE and HOPE, has lived on the island of Vinalhaven in the Star of Hope Odd Fellows Hall since the early 1970s. His career as a sculptor, print maker, and painter has spanned six decades and he has been described as speaking “to the vital forces that shaped American culture during the latter half of the 20th century.”

Robert Indiana's LOVE

VillageSoup Staff reports:

ROCKLAND (April 15): The Farnsworth Art Museum is organizing a major exhibition on renowned artist Robert Indiana, drawn almost exclusively from his extensive holdings at his home and studio, The Star of Hope.

The show — “Robert Indiana and The Star of Hope” — will explore the vast range of Indiana’s work from the 1950s to the present, focusing on his efforts since he moved to Vinalhaven in 1978. The show will run from June 20 to Oct. 25. It will include some of Indiana’s best known pieces, such as “LOVE,” the American Dream, his Marsden Hartley Elegy series and one of his newest, the “HOPE” sculpture, which premiered at the 2008 Democratic convention. Other pieces, such as “EAT,” which premiered at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York, will be seen for the first time since their original installation.

“The Star of Hope” represents Indiana’s first major exhibition in years, and will be supported by a number of events including the presentation to Indiana of the Farnsworth Art Museum’s annual award at the Maine in America Gala on June 27; a world premiere of a documentary on Indiana by filmmaker Dale Schierholtat; placement of Indiana’s famous “LOVE” in Winslow-Holbrook Park in Rockland; and Robert Indiana’s Summer/Fall Symposium.

Maine in America Award

The Presidents Council of the Farnsworth Art Museum will host the Summer Gala 6 p.m. Saturday, June 27, to present the Maine in America Award to Indiana. The award will honor Indiana’s outstanding contributions to Maine’s role in American art. Bruce Boege’s Bel Isle Trio and Mr. Whoopie band will perform. The cost is $250. For reservations call 596-6457, ext. 117. All proceeds support the Farnsworth’s education and public programs.

We hope you will join us in honoring Robert Indiana and supporting the work of this superior cultural institution, the Farnsworth Art Museum.

-Olga

Innkeeper

I just received the latest copy of Portland Magazine (Maine's Award Winning Magazine!),
and found that The Inn at Ocean's Edge was included in in the "Local Flavor" section of
the April 2009 Issue.  In an article called "Waiter, Can You Bring Me a
View?", Allison Richards profiles over a dozen local "hotels offering
five-star cuisine and drop-dead beautiful views".  The article begins:
"The wonderful thing about Maine's ocean and lakeside hotel restaurants
with wrap around views is, beyond the steaming hot-boiled lobster, the
sweet ears of butter-sugar corn, the strawberry shortcake – or say, at
[petite] dejuener, blueberry muffins true as a morning in July, we are
able to feast our eyes.  That is, the view is the floor show."

Here's
what they say about The Edge Oceanfront Dining, our 4-Diamond restaurant: "… 180 degree view
treats diners to the full expanse of West Penobscot Bat. Looking up to the bay to the east, we showcase the ferry and ferry terminal of Isleboro, Seven Hundred Acre Island, and, of course, the length of Isleboro itself… Local Lincolnville lobster boats pull traps off the beach by day, and the Maine Windjammer Fleet sails by each evening, snuggling into Dark Harbor. Heighten the experience with Fire Roasted Lobster brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and roasted in our wood-fired over, followed by Flourless Chocolate Cake S'mores."

Today's post is by guest blogger – Natasha Dame of The Edge Oceanfront Dining restaurant.

Last Tuesday, February 4th, Bryan and I were excited to bring the Edge back to the Fabulous Food Fare and Silent Auction benefit for the Broadreach Family & Community Services.

This was our second year of participation and it was exciting to see all our friends and neighbors: Cellar Door Winery, Whale's Tooth Pub, Cafe Miranda, Amalfi, Natalie's Youngtown Inn, Moody's Diner and many more.

We hear Broadreach is putting together a cookbook featuring a recipe from this and last year's participating vendors!

Bryan served "My Grandfather's Clam Fritters with Tater Sauce Vinaigrette". During the summer the golden brown fritters filled with clams, bacon and onion bound by a slightly sweet dough float atop the clam chowder at the Edge. Many guests commented that they had never heard of a clam fritter and when Bran mentioned it was in reality a Rhode Island clam cake, many signed with delightful understanding and nostalgia.

Come by and taste some – the Edge will open Mother's Day weekend.

Natasha Dame

The Edge Oceanfront Dining

http://www.diningattheedge.com