Tuesday, July 31, 2012

"The lobster ravioli was incredible"


Yes, Doris, the lobster ravioli is incredible and the citrus buerre blanc almost demands that you lick your plate (you wouldn't be the first to sheepishly admit you glanced around the dining room to make sure no one was looking...) but somehow you have to save room for Chef Devin's chocolate truffle tart.

Farm Potato and Leek Soup, $8 
Summer succotash and parsley oil
Summer Salad, $9
Farm greens, Carding Brook Farm raspberries, local chevre, fried shallots, sweet pecans, and a lemon balsamic vinaigrette
Local Acadia Mussels, $14
Carding Brook Farm basil, shallots, white wine, a touch of cream, and lemon confetti
Little Island Bagaduce Oyster Trio, $16
Two raw on the half shell with prosecco granita, two broiled with garden fennel butter and fleur de sel, and two baked with Four Season Farm garlic scapes and candied bacon
Butter-Poached Lobster Ravioli, $30
House-made pasta, Stonington lobster, garden parsley, and citrus buerre blanc
Frenchman’s Bay Halibut, $27
Roasted Four Season Farm fingerling potatoes, summer salsa, and rainbow chard
Summer Ratatouille, $24
Creamy polenta, first-of-the-season tomato, and squash blossom
New York Angus Center Cut Steak, $27
Garlic mashed potato, salsa verde, and Tuscan kale
Long Island Duck Breast, $27
Turnip puree, strawberry and port wine sauce, and Four Season Farm butter Swiss chard
Warm Peach and Raspberry Crisp, $7
Ginger ice cream and caramel drizzle
Chocolate Truffle Tart, $8
with pine-nut butter, chocolate drizzle, vanilla ice cream
Luscious Meyer Lemon Cheesecake, $8
with Meyer lemon curd, fresh local blueberries

Espresso Affogato, $7  with Bucklyn Coffee, Brooklin, Maine
Decaffeinated or regular espresso, shaved dark chocolate, local vanilla ice cream
Ice Cream, $7 from the Ice Cream lady, Brooklin, Maine
Black Raspberry Blueberry Chocolate
Ginger Vanilla
two scoops, served with fresh berries

Friday, July 20, 2012

I'm sitting at the picnic table in Emerson Park (the wee park right next to the fire station).  Window  of the Sea Wind, Blue Hill's new sculpture, is keeping me company, as are the day lillies and the seagulls.  The breeze keeps any bugs away and the sun warms by back.  In a minute, friends will come by and we will go swimming, in Toddy Pond or in the salt water.  This is summer in Maine.

I watched the local boule club play a tournament at the Boatyard Grill this weekend.  It's a great spot--the restaurant has some interesting food--we tried their lobster BLT and had grilled skewers, which are my favorite.  They even have a nice wine on tap and a rose by the glass.  And open air dining--screened in--in the middle of a boatyard is pretty cool.

You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream!   Although the fireworks were postponed due to the weather, Stonington's main street was perfect for a gallery-hopping ice cream stroll on July 4th.  Isalos and the gWatson Gallery are two of my favorites.  At the inn, we keep the Ice Cream Lady stopping by regularly with the luscious vanilla bean, fresh ginger, chocolate velvet and native blueberry, of course.  Chef Devin pairs ice creams with desserts as well as she pairs wine with entrees.  And then, right next door to the inn practically is Black Dinah's ice cream.  I tried the smashed truffle flavor, which is a vanilla base with, well, smashed truffles in it!  Yum, right?  Very fun flavor.

Have you had Chef Devin's sorbets?  My favorite is strawberry prosecco with a candied cumquat garnish--delish! and so beautiful.