That little trip to Maine: Part 2

As promised, I have another Maine restaurant to share with you!

Unlike the months of planning that went behind our trip to Salt Water Farm, the trip to this one happened completely by accident.

After gorging ourselves at dinner the night before (and again at the Whitehall Inn's breakfast) we decided that we were going to head back down the coast of Maine stopping and shopping around in the little towns until we made it back to Boston that night.  That plan came to a halt about 15 minutes after jumping in the car as we came upon our first winery, Cellardoor Winery.  After our eighth tasting of their delicious wine (my favorites were the Petite Sirah and the Prince Valiant) we realized we weren't heading back to Boston, we were going on a wine tour!



As we were heading to the next winery, a sign popped up on my right further solidifying our choice not to head back to Boston.  That sign was for Primo.  Distant memories of an Anthony Bourdain episode came at me like a ton of bricks and I suddenly realized what we had just discovered.

We immediately called while crossing our fingers and hoping that we could get in that night.  We were pleasantly surprised to find that downstairs is for reservation only but upstairs is a free for all.  So we moved along to our next winery with far bigger smiles on our faces.

As we arrived for dinner the upstairs host told us there was a 30 minute wait but that we should grab a drink and head out back for a stroll around the farm.  And that we did.

We aren't talking an herb garden out back.  We are talking a FARM.  Complete with every vegetable, edible flower, and fruit you can imagine as well as pigs, chickens, and ducks.

After a long day of wine tours and not a lot of food, we decided appetizers were much needed to go along with our deliciously crafted cocktails.  We ordered a cheese board that included an incredibly pungent and delicious blue cheese served with honeycomb, fruit, and nut and fruit crackers.  We also ordered a Mediterranean plate with beet hummus, olives, flatbread, and several other bowls of goodness.

The entrees are below captured by some horribly lit iPhone pictures that obviously do not do the dishes a bit of justice.  Just read the captions.  And drool.

Our second night in Maine proved to be just as wonderful as the first.  Incredibly fresh and delicious food, beautiful and rustic decor, and of course great company.













Within the next couple of days I'll be posting a recipe for something that has been on my bucket list for quite a long time now...Fresh Maine Lobsters!

That little trip to Maine: Part 1

Oh my goodness.

I'm finally coming out of the food/drink/fun induced coma that I slipped into as soon as sweet Momma Bell jumped off of the plane.

It was a go big or go home kind of week.  We did everything, ate everything, and saw everything that we possibly could in that short little week.  Fortunately, most of it revolved around food.  And that means that it's going to take multiple posts to share the highlights with you.

But we're going to start at the beginning.  With our little trip to Maine.

Throughout mom's visits to Boston over the last couple of years, we have always made it a point to take a couple of days to venture outside the city whether it be to the Cape, NYC, or a quick trip to the casino, we love showing her the ins and outs of New England.  It's one thing that I'll miss about New England.  There are so many wonderful spots that are just a couple hours drive (and typically a beautiful one) away from Boston.

Out of all of those little trips we never made it to the great state of Maine.  So, it became the destination for this visit without second thought.  I think we were just saving the best for last.  Maine has always felt like a little bit of Missouri.  The scenery is breathtaking and the people are warm and incredibly welcoming.  A drive through Maine is town after town of adorable little shops and quaint restaurants and the perfect amount of people that sits snugly between a ghost town and a mob of tourists.

Oh.  And did I mention the food?

Other than just the utter fact that Momma Bell needed to experience Maine, Salt Water Farm also played a huge part in shaping our trip.  At this point I'm not even sure how I discovered Salt Water Farm, but somehow several years ago I heard about it and began looking it up.  At that point in time it was just a farm that hosted cooking classes.  Amazing, wonderful, delicious sounding cooking classes.  I often browsed the website and told myself I was going to splurge and just go do it.

Unfortunately, I never pulled the trigger.  Which, I have to say will go down as one of the things I will regret not doing while I was here.  (But let's be honest...I'm coming back to visit...And I'll probably make a special trip for that.)

Luckily, Salt Water Farm decided to open up a restaurant three months ago.  The excitement couldn't be contained the moment that I realized my chances of experiencing SWF had not been lost.

So what do you think?  Do you think it met my expectations?

Of course it did.

Above and beyond actually.  As soon as we walked in I knew.  The smells.  The open kitchen.  The baskets of local vegetables for sale.  The beautiful wooden tables.  The unbelievable view of the bay. Sights.  Sounds.  Smells.  It had it all.  And this was all within the first thirty seconds.

Naturally my love for the place grew larger by the second.  The meal itself was a special menu prepared for an event SWF was hosting with Dogfish Head Brewery.  Each dish below was paired with a special brew from Dogfish Head that had been crafted from wine grapes.  I, being the sober driver of the evening, stuck with a glass of wine and let everyone else enjoy the incredibly generous pours.  However, both the wine and beers were phenomenal.

But the food was better.  Every dish was simple yet so perfect.  Not one of the dishes lacked in flavor or creativity.  Nor were they pretentious and over the top.  Picking favorites seems unfair, but the trompette mushrooms were out of this world.  And graciously prepared for me instead of the duck.

To top off the evening we were able to speak with nearly every person involved with the dinner including the founder of SWF, the founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, the chefs, and of course our wonderful waiters and waitresses.  Every single one of them had a passion for what they were doing and it was radiating out of that restaurant.

If you can't already tell from the amount of time that my fingers just flew across the keyboard in an attempt to somehow get you to SWF...I love this place.





















Tomorrow I'll be back with yet another culinary adventure from Maine!  Until then...check out Salt Water Farm!

Cooking Superstar

Before I head to the airport to grab Momma Bell so we can begin our fun filled food and drink tour of Boston, I have something exciting to share with you!

Cut Out + Keep has featured me as this week's Cooking Superstar!  Cut Out + Keep is an online community of step-by-step "craft" tutorials including needlework, cooking, paper crafts, sewing, home DIY and all sorts of other goodies.  There are so many great projects and great people on the site and I'm so excited to be a part of it!

Throughout the week they will continue to feature my recipes so make sure to check it out and don't forget to read the interview to learn a little more about how I operate in the kitchen.  It's full of all sorts of juicy secrets...

Link to Scarborough Food Fair - Cooking Superstar