The Inn At Ocean's Edge blog

The whole Migis Hotel Group -Black Point Inn, Migis Lodge, The Inn at Ocean’s Edge and The Inn at Camden Place -are heading down to the Boston Globe Travel Show at the Seaport World Trade Center this weekend.  Come by and visit!

Fireplace in the Tantalus Lounge at The Edge

We’re hosting a Tweetup at The Edge tomorrow night, Thursday, at 7pm. PopTech sessions end around 6:30, so c’mon over. Find us on Twitter @InnOceansEdge

The Edge at night

When: Thursday, 10/22, 7pm

Where: At The Edge Oceanfront Restaurant at The Inn at Ocean’s Edge, 4 and 1/2 miles north of the Camden Opera House. Plug in 2268 Atlantic Highway, Lincolnville, ME into your GPS – detailed directions

This week’s menu if you want to grab a bite – dining, casual, sweets, drinks

Damariscotta’s Pumpkinfest as a word hits the nail on the head: this is one festival where pumpkin is king. The pumpkin weigh-off, completed three days ago, paved the way for the festivities of the weekend. Pumpkin building, carving and painting, pumpkin “chunkin” (distance), a parade of the giant pumpkins, underwater carving, motorized pumpkin boat regatta, pumpkin catapult, pumpkin paddleboat races, and, of course, pancake and pie eating galore. Here is the full schedule of events, but don’t bother reading the whole list, just jump in your car and go – I promise you a lot of fun!

Announcing: To promote the sustainability theme of Pop!Tech 2009, The Inn at Ocean’s Edge will provide complimentary transportation shuttle service for its guests between the inn and Camden Opera House, the primary location for the PopTech Conference from October 21 – 24, 2009. No need to bring or rent a car to attend! Call us directly to reserve a room and a spot (207)236-0945.

What is Pop!Tech?

“Every October, in the beautiful seaside village of Camden, Maine, at the height of the fall foliage season, there is a one-of-a-kind conference called PopTech. A first visit to Pop!Tech is often surprising. Unlike traditional conferences, here you’ll find an eclectic network of industry leaders, scientists, technologies, social change agents, artists, educators, the press, bloggers, explorers and one-of-a-kind thought-leaders from a huge variety of fields and number of different places – bound together by an intense curiosity about the forces, challenges and opportunities shaping our future. Many are personally involved in cutting-edge work in these fields – we could easily program a second (and third) conference from the people who attend. This remarkable network is amplified by a similarly eclectic group who participate ‘live’ on the Internet from around the world.

America stands at a complex crossroads, economically, technologically, socially and geopolitically. Major forces are reshaping the idea of America, its government’s contract with its citizens, its brand, and its role in the world. And there is not a single global challenge that can be addressed without it.

At Pop!Tech 2009, we’ll take a top-to-bottom look at America’s opportunities, its challenges, and its future. We’ll explore the country’s business model in the decades to come, and unearth inspiring stories of American invention and social innovation. We’ll explore the country’s role in the world, and the world’s role in the U.S. We’ll look at cutting-edge ideas in education, energy, entrepreneurship, and the many other social systems on which America’s future wealth depends, and we’ll ask what it means to be a superpower in the age of the Second Superpower — the Internet. We’ll share rousing stories of people on the front lines of the next American Revolutions.

We’re pleased to be presenting some of the world’s most exciting voices at PopTech this year – among them will be Michael Pollan, leading food journalist and activist; Dan Ariely, behavioral economist and best-selling author; Alec Ross, innovation advisor to Hillary Clinton, as well as Luis von Ahn, researcher on human computation and George Church, instigator of the Human Genome project.
As always, there will be incredible performances, jaw-dropping technology demonstrations, spirited discussions,  and surprises throughout, drawing a network of extraordinary thinkers doers and leaders for a one-of-a-kind experience.”

Lincolnville - Isleboro ferry

Just a quick informational note: The Lincolnville – Isleboro ferry will reduce its service to a passenger only, smaller ferry for the month of October and a week or so into late September and early November. The ferry terminals and ramps on both sides will undergo restoration. The regular ferry, “Margaret Chase Smith”, will not operate, and cars will not be able to get to or from the island unless by arrangement with a private company. Please refer to the Maine Department of Transportation official information for ferry schedule and construction work schedule.

In the summer, the ferry sails every hour for a 20 minute trip to Isleboro. Bring your car, bring your bicycle, pack a picnic and enjoy the lovely quiet Isleboro where every driver will probably give you a small wave from the steering wheel.

-Olga

Innkeeper

Peregrine Falcon

BioDiversity Research Institute of Gorham, ME presents live webcams streaming unedited footage of many of our state’s great birds! The cameras point to birds’ nests for close-up views. Cameras are descriptively named Eagle Cam, Loon Cam, Finch Cam, Osprey Cam and even Peregrine Falcon Cam and stream either live or update every few seconds. Enjoy!

Where to look for birds in Maine? Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island (about 1 and 1/2 hours from us) is a premier location and the park’s website has a ton of useful information available to help you find their 338 species of birds.

Happy birdwatching!

-Olga

Innkeeper

Photo by Mike Baird

Almost!

BudgetTravel is hosting a poll for the Coolest Small Town in America and right now our neighboring Rockland, Maine is in an extremely close second place. BudgetTravel will write an article about the winning town – great publicity for our neighbors! Rockland is only 10 minutes from Lincolnville and a fantastic town with a great downtown (locally owned unique shops, casual and fine dining restaurants, organic food co-op, cultural institutions like the Farnsworth Museum, Maine Lighthouse Museum, Owl's Head Transportation Museum, Island Institute, Puffin Project) and an active, working waterfront (fishermen and windjammers as well as boating, yachting and community organizations like Station Maine – rowing). Rockland also hosts a number of well-loved and highly-attended events like the annual Lobster Fest, Jazz and Blues Festival, Maine Homes, Boats and Harbors Show and many others. If you've ever visited Rockland, you know what I mean! When casting your vote you can also defend your choice by writing in a comment, which may be used in the article if Rockland wins.

Help close the lead on Oswego, NY by casting your vote for the magnificent coastal town of Rockland, Maine!

PS You can vote multiple times!

-Olga
Innkeeper

Today's post by guest blogger Natasha Dame, manager of The Edge Oceanfront Dining.

Stagiaire – (Noun) – Singular:  A person attached to a group of professional workers for a fixed
period in order to gain experience in their specialized field; intern,
work study program.

I am planning our trip to the big city at the end of the month. The Edge's Executive Chef Bryan Dame has been invited to be a stagiaire at New York City's acclaimed wd~50 with Chef Wylie Dufresne & Pastry Chef Alex Stupak.

wd~50 opened at 50 Clinton Street, between Rivington and Stanton, on Manhattan's Lower East Side on April 9th, 2003.

The menu at wd~50 utilizes elements and techniques from a wide array of cuisines. Both Wylie and the pastry chef, Alex Stupak, have garnered praise for their inspired culinary combinations, cutting edge culinary techniques, and innovative use of ingredients.

In 2000, Wylie was a James Beard nominee for Rising Star Chef of the year. In 2004, wd~50 was nominated by the James Beard Foundation in the category of Best New Restaurant. In 2005, Restaurant Magazine (UK) voted wd~50 thirty-fourth in its annual "The World's Best Restaurants" issue. In New York magazine's 101 Best Restaurants edition (January 9, 2006), wd~50 was awarded four stars (out of a potential five) and was ranked fourth overall. In 2006, in the Michelin Guide's inaugural American edition, wd~50 received one star, which it retained in 2007 and 2008.

Alex Stupak, the pastry chef at wd~50 since August of 2006, was most recently the pastry chef at Alinea in Chicago, where Bryan was a stagiaire in March of 2008 with Chef Grant Achatz.

While Bryan is spending his days and nights on the line at the restaurant I will take some time to explore Manhattan's Lower East Side, the foodscapes of the Meat Packing District and Brooklyn. After a week in the city, Chef and I will head upstate  for a much anticipated visit to Hudson Valley Foie Gras and New York’s only whiskey producer for a little R&R before returning home to open the Edge for another wonderful season.

I promise to send notes from the road and bring back some regional favorites. Too bad pizza will not travel that far.

Cheers!

Natasha

As a traveler, innkeeper and a former New Yorker, I try not to miss the Sunday New York Times’ Travel section. This morning I read a review of the hotel Stay opening in Times Square.

It struck me that the amenities offered, such as “the Alcatel phones [which] are Skype- and Bluetooth compatible and also offer video, which
is linked to the doorbell so you can see who’s knocking as well to
which concierge you’re speaking”, are so cutting-edge that they take away from the experience of interaction on the community level. Don’t get me wrong, I think it might be fun to be on either end of one of those phones, but I know I would miss the old-fashioned face-to-face interaction.

As an Innkeeper, one of my favorite times of the morning is the post-breakfast guests setting out for a daytrip into town. Sure there is Google Maps, there are multiple format area maps in brochure form available, but I love to hand-draw directions to a favorite hike or the particulars of the parking lots in downtown Camden.

The Inn at Ocean’s Edge will never be a Stay, or any other high-tech, cutting edge hotel because our aim is to undo the stress of the tight schedule a traveler usually experiences while staying in a major city. We do offer wi-fi if you absolutely need to check email, but otherwise take it easy, relax with a massage, swim, go for a hike or kayak around Lake Megunticook.

And if we ever have to knock on your door, we’ll tell you who we are.

-Olga
Innkeeper

Speaking of Italy and wine, I should share a little about the three fantastic wineries that we visited while in Italy.

Lets start by thanking Michael Burke and his team at  Vias Imports.  They arranged for us to visit three very exciting wineries while we were in Tuscany. We were scheduled to visit each Vineyard on three consecutive days.  Our first visit was to be the estate of Argiano where we would meet Emiline Trouillot.  The Argiano estate is  just outside of the Hill town of Montalcino right in the heart of Brunello land.
We met Emiline and were given a wonderful tour around the vineyards and then into the wine making operation including a peak down below in the wine caves which were filled with the barrique or barrels of aging wine. For miles and miles around as far as the eye could see were neat rows of vineyards, I can only imagine how green this would all look in the depth of summer.  Most of the workers were out in the vineyards trimming the vines of last years growth.  We noticed that the vines were heavily trimmed so the amount they must grow each year must be incredible.  Back in the tasting room we were treated to tastes of the full Argiano line up along with snack (or spuntino) of a rich local cheese and a salumi made of the local wild boar or cinghiale.  Bellisimo!

The following day we drove straight into the heart of the Chianti region which is directly North of Siena.
We were headed to Castello di Meleto a vineyard and winery surrounding an impressive and ancient Castle with two imposing and iconic towers built into the walls.  We were met by Roberto who is fairly new to the winery but has been working in the Chianti wine business for many years.  Inside the castle covering the wall of one of the rooms was a fresco of an original map of "Chianti".  This charted the exact boundaries of the original area dating from the 1700’s in which wine produced could be called "Chianti".  Owing to the huge success of Chianti as it was exported around the world, the area of Chianti has effectively changed.  First in the 1930’s, and then again in the 1960’s it has increased in size due to higher production demands.  This map on the wall records the original area which was first formalized in the early 1700’s.  It was very interesting to see that rich piece of wine history!

Our final winery visit brought us back down through Brunello country to the Mediterranean Sea!  Just out of sight of the sea we found the very new and uber-sheik vineyards and winery of Rocca di Frassinello.
Rocca di Frassinello is a new partnership between Paolo Panerai, owner of Domini Castellare di Castellina , and Baron Eric de Rothschild of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite). It is the first joint venture between an Italian and French producer and the wines are produced in a region called the Maremma, former marshlands along the Tuscan Mediterranean coast.  We met the young and smiling Massimo Casagrande up on the roof.  Yes the roof!  The winery, less than a year old, was designed by Renzo Piano, the architect who among other things designed the recently built New York Times Building in New York and the famous and quirky Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.  So there we were on the roof, with Massimo explaining to us that Renzo Piano had wanted to build a winery that used gravity as much as possible.  He went on to point out where the trucks would arrive with grapes during the harvest and pointed to the doors through which the grapes would drop into the containers in the winery below.
On the way off the roof we passed through the tasting room,  which had walls completely made of glass.  The views from the tasting room encompassed the entire vineyards, the perfect place to taste and talk about the grapes, vineyards and the wine itself.  Coming down off the roof, Massimo led us into the winery and straight into the most amazing barrel cellar I have ever been in or ever will be in.  This cave looked more like a subterranean amphitheater than a barrel room.  Massimo explained that it could hold 2500 barrels and was designed to be lit from sun reflected off mirrors positioned on the tower on the roof above.  The sun light would filter down through a square hole in the center of the barrel room ceiling.  Wow!  In the winery itself we learned that the vineyards had been planted in 2000, and that the first production year was 2004.  Most of the wine produced is a combination of the local grape varietal of sangioveto (a version of the sangiovese grape which is the standard grape for Chianti) and the classic Bordeaux blends of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. 
These wines are known as Super Tuscans and boy are they ever! In an even more uber-sheik tasting room, sitting at a tasting table made of glass with special drawers at each seat for spitting the wine (these drawers when opened rinsed themselves out with jets of water!), we were treated to a full lunch!  We tasted through the entire lineup of wines as Massimo took great care and time to describe each one too us.

As we drove away down the road from the vineyard we stopped the car and got out to look back and see how completely this brand new uber-sheik winery fit seamlessly into its surroundings among the vineyards. 

We have to thank the good folks at Vias Wines and Michael Burke for arranging our tasting and tours, and we would also like to thank Emiline at Argiano, Roberto at Castello di Meleto, and finally Massimo and the great cooks at Rocca di Frassinello.
We also should point out that Argiano and Castello di Meleto each have luxury accommodations available at their wineries which can be booked in conjunction with wine tours and tastings at the wineries.

Actually we are presently working on a special Tuscan wine dinner at the Edge planned for April 26.  Our chef Bryan Dame will work with Gina Stipo who will be in Maine from Tuscany launching a new cookbook.  Gina runs a cooking school in Tuscany called Eccolacucina.  During the dinner we have decided to feature exclusively the wines from the three wineries above.  Michael Burke will be on hand to talk with Bryan and Gina about the wines and the pairings that they will create.  Look back here for more info, or contact the Edge directly!

Ciao!!

Jesse