Sunday, May 20, 2012

Opening week in our restaurant

I must, each spring, tell you how beautiful it is in Blue Hill--though perhaps I tell you each season. May means that the lilacs right outside the kitchen window are blooming. We can watch the green tree leaves change by the day--the shades deepening and leaves unfurling.

I am so excited to have Chef Devin back in the kitchen--the opening menu sounds delicious, doesn't it?
 
Local Asparagus Soup, with chive chip and garlic oil, $7
Spring Salad, with farm greens, pickled rhubarb, local chevre, toasted pine nuts, with a lemon vinaigrette, $8
Bagaduce Oysters from Little Island, with three raw on the half shell with prosecco granita and three broiled with garden scallions and candied bacon, $15 
Chef Devin's signature dish, Butter-Poached Lobster Ravioli, with house-made pasta, Stonington lobster, garden chives, and citrus buerre blanc, $30
Maine Halibut, with brown butter farro, pickled spring ramps, and candied lemon, $26
Asparagus Risotto, with Four Season Farm carrots, garlic fiddleheads, and parmesan, $21 Grilled Flatiron Steak, charred fiddleheads, Four Season Farm scallion and tomato salsa, chive roasted baby potato, $24
Long Island Duck Breast, with duck confit, marscapone polenta, Four Season Farm spinach and local rhubarb compote, $26
 We serve Monday through Friday, holidays and all.

Plus this year we will be holding family-style suppers in our garden once a month on a Saturday night. Stay tuned for more information about that.

We haven't updated the photos on the website in a while. Sometimes guests really have a lot of questions about a room so I'll snap a couple of pictures to show them a detail. This is room 4 and a picture of a chair we had reupholstered this year. Yummy.

Speaking of yummy, the eggs are from Four Season Farm. The morning light on all the colors was too much to resist.

If your life isn't this beautiful, come see us. (Did you catch Garrison Keillor's quote about being carried away by a particular place in America? His answer: "Well, the Grand Canyon, of course, and the coastline of Maine...")

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Spring is yellow and apple blossoms are pink...

A great reason to head to Brooklin this month--on Sunday, May 27, artist Tom Curry will be on hand at Betsy's Sunflower shop to sign his new book, Island, and offer autographed prints of Chatto Island!  Carl Little will also be there.

Spring in Blue Hill means the Fish Net is open for the season. The long line on opening day? Free ice cream! Now we have two options for ice cream in town because, and this is super exciting: Black Dinah Chocolatiers is selling their ice cream, and their truffles, and 44 North's coffee at Fairwinds Florist. Mind you, Fairwinds in just across the orchard from the inn! Danger, danger for those of us who love coffee, chocolate, and ice cream!

On Thursday, May 17, the Blue Hill Inn will open for its 182nd season (or its 172nd season, depending on how you are counting, or in Sarah Pebworth years, its 4th season!). Lodging is open year-round in the Cape House but come mid-May, the main inn building sloughs off winter, bakes some cookies, brews some coffee, pops some wine corks, and invites the world in. See our room selection, list of amenities, and availability online at bluehillinn.com. Dining at the Blue Hill Inn resumes on Monday, May 21, and continues Monday through Friday evenings throughout the season. Call for reservations at 207/374-2844. With an intimate dining room like ours, reservations are crucial to ensure we have a table waiting for you.
Halibut season starts soon—how about Chef Devin Finigan’s roasted brown butter halibut with preserved lemons and baby arugula, seared halibut with pickled garden rhubarb and grilled farm leeks, or perhaps grilled halibut with farm spinach, charred hazelnuts, and mache? Butter poached Stonington lobster ravioli will be on the menu again but you might find lightly pickled lobster sushi rolls or duck fat fried lobster tail as well. And Chef Devin always has something for the meat eater, too.

 Meals in the Garden—stay tuned for details about dining under the currently blooming apple trees in the inn’s orchard! Chef Devin will serve a seasonally-designed, wine- and beer-paired menu. Chef Devin dedicated her March to delving more into the farm-to-table cuisine cooking at a highly acclaimed Manhattan restaurant. She’s excited to be back with even more farm-fresh ideas. She’s passionate about showcasing the best flavors of this region. We’re looking forward to a delicious season at the inn. I can't wait til you're here, too.