Downeast
Maine is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. Around every bend in
the road is another awesome view. From the New Hampshire border to Bar Harbor,
the coast is just one fabulous water view after another. Not to mention the
winding country roads that a week ago were just starting to sprout their leafy
fall oranges, yellows, and browns. Just driving around Blue Hill, Castine, and
Orland, lowers my blood pressure.
But, of
course, no weekend away for me is complete without great food. And, man, did we
hit the mother lode on this trip! We
were disappointed that our favorite peeky toe crab shack in Bayview was closed
already for the season, but we persevered and rewarded ourselves with dinner at
The Lost Kitchen in
Freedom. Set in a renovated 1834 gristmill so perfectly picturesque, you can’t
help but want to linger. Erin French, chef/owner, has created something very
special in this little off-the-beaten-path town. Walking over the footbridge,
on a crisp early autumn evening, and then down a few steps to the Foundation Wine Cellar, I had the
distinct feeling this was going to be a culinary experience.
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| Foundation Wine Cellar |
Due to the
town’s blue laws, the restaurant has no liquor license, but they’ve assembled
an impressive wine list from which you can purchase wine to go with the
evening’s menu. The very cool “wine cave lady” guided us to a terrific Pinot
Noir (Folk Machine) from Central Coast California. With our bagged wine, we headed
up to the restaurant. This is where the real magic happens.
In this gorgeous
space, Ms French has built a beautiful open kitchen where she prepares dinner
Wednesday through Saturday evenings for a very lucky 30 diners. Everybody sits
down at 6pm, and the food begins to flow. We started with a deliciously porky pate, served with good, crusty bread,
two kinds of mustard (stone ground and Dijon), and cornichons, alongside a bowl of delicious Mediterranean olives.
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Lost Kitchen Pate |
Next to arrive
at our table was a lovely offering of cherrystone
clams drizzled with a delicious lemon-butter sauce. Fresher, sweeter clams
I have not tasted.
A few
minutes after devouring the clams, Ms French came by with two teaspoons on a
platter. The spoons were filled with a frozen
dollop of apple cider-rosemary sorbet.
OMG (I really am beginning to hate the OMG thing, but sometimes it just fits)! When I mentioned to her that so far
everything was wonderful, she giggled and said, “I’m so glad you are enjoying
it, and we haven’t even really started yet.” Well, if we hadn’t started yet, I couldn’t
wait to see what lay ahead.
It’s at this
point, that Ms French clinks a wine glass and welcomes everyone to her
restaurant. She tells us about her journey thus far, and then regales us with
the night’s menu. You feel like you are at an intimate secret party that you
were lucky enough to score an invite to.
The first
“official” course of the night’s menu was Fried
Basket Island Oysters served with a Crabapple Kohlrabi Slaw and Horseradish
Aioli. The oysters were beautifully set on a bed of seaweed and sea salt,
like a painting.
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| Fried Oysters |
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| Endive and Red Lettuce Salad |
The second
course was an Endive and Red Lettuce
Salad topped with luscious Pulled Duck Confit, a sprinkling of the last
gorgeous raspberries of summer, tart purple plum slices, and topped with
pecorino and honey. Yes, it was
wonderful.
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| Skillet-roasted Hake |
Our last
course was beautiful skillet-roasted
Hake with adorable baby fingerlings, buttered croutons, and a mélange of
olive, tomato, and spinach. The fish was
cooked perfectly, and the accompaniments were just right.
Just when you think this meal could not get
any better, you are presented with a delicate Earl
Grey Crème Brulee for dessert. And when
you must leave this little oasis of food heaven, to make your transition to the
real world a bit easier, a to-go bag of wonderfully crisp ginger cookies is
presented to each diner. Ours didn’t make it past the parking lot.
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| Earl Grey Creme Brûlée |
I can
usually tell if a restaurant is going to be good way in advance of actually
arriving. It’s just a feeling or vibe
that I get – I really can’t explain it. My culinary sixth sense was right on
this time. The Lost Kitchen has all the
elements to become the Chez Panisse of the east – a talented chef, a
well-trained staff, the bounty of the Maine coast’s sea and land, and warm, gracious
hospitality (something that eludes far too many restaurants). As Ms French says at the end of her welcoming
speech, here’s to Freedom.
Sunday
morning we started our long drive home. There are not many places open for
breakfast along Rt 3 between Belfast and Augusta at 6am, so we dragged our coffee-deprived
bodies a bit farther to Biddeford. I squirrel away restaurants in my mind for
future trips and I had a breakfast spot in mind for us. The Palace Diner in
Biddeford is Maine’s oldest diner,
originally opened in 1927, and brought back to life by current owners, Chad Conley
and Greg Mitchell. These two are not your average diner owners; they have real
culinary chops, having previously worked at Hugo’s
in Portland (Conley), and Gramercy
Tavern in New York (Mitchell).
There are just 15 counter stools and we nabbed two with prime viewing into
the little window into the kitchen. There, we could see Conley and Mitchell, calmly
prepping, cooking, and laughing. Cool music is playing from somebody’s iPhone
hooked up to a Bose speaker. The Sunday brunch menu is pure diner delight,
kicked up a notch. I chose the Challah
French Toast with Maine Maple Syrup, while my husband chose the Corned Beef Hash (natch).
Let me tell you about the French Toast – a huge thick slice of custardy eggy
Challah, with a crème brulee crust that I could not get over. Luckily, I opted
for the single slice, instead of two, but I mopped up every crumb and left my
plate spotless. THE best French Toast ever!
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| Palace Diner French Toast |
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| Palace Diner Corned Beef Hash |
Now, if
there’s corned beef hash on a menu, my husband is going to order it; he just
can’t help himself. But all too often he is sorely disappointed. Not this time,
my friends. A chunk of tender, savory corned beef, with minimal potatoes,
topped with done-right eggs over easy, and terrific rye toast. Really good
coffee from Tandem Roasters in
Portland rounded out our “good-bye, Maine” meal. I was tempted to order a side of the Brown Butter Banana Bread for the ride
home, but that damned common sense prevailed (I’m so regretting it!)
My sixth
sense was on target here, too.
22 Mill
Street
Freedom,
Maine
207-382-3333
Serving
Dinner Wednesday-Saturday
18 Franklin
Street
Biddeford,
Maine
207-284-0015
Serving
Breakfast and Lunch Wednesday-Sunday
