This past weekend the Maine Fare was held here in Mid-Coast Maine. A celebration of the bounty of all things food in Maine. It was three days packed full of tasting events, cooking demos and classes, fine food, interesting new food products, the good company of other food aficionados, and fascinating panel discussions on everything food related in Maine. Add in the top 30 chefs in the state and it was most definitely the food event of New England this weekend.

Last night I was invited to a special Maine Fare Chefs' Table Dinner at The Edge, the cutting edge restaurant at the luxurious Inn at Ocean's Edge in Lincolnville, ME. It was a special tasting dinner put together by six of the best chef's in Maine, each creating an outstanding dish that would both complement and contrast with the others. Along with the dinner was the option of a matching flight of truly excellent Bell wines from Bell Wine Cellar in Yountville, Napa Valley, CA. As you can see from the menu it was an intriguing , fun, and delicious meal.


When I arrived at the inn I parked and was chauffeured by golf cart down the hill and through the grounds to the restaurant which sits right on the oceans edge. So Ocean's Edge is a fitting name for the inn and restaurant. I was escorted to the lounge and bar to have a cocktail and look at the view of gardens, ocean, and a lovely heated, infinity edge swimming pool. As I sat down at the bar I was served a glass full of some tasty spice toasted nuts and dried fruit. A great combination of sweet and salty with the fruit and nut flavors.



Soon this was joined by a nice Manhattan cocktail, made to my exact specifications and proportions. The combination of the two set the mood for what turned out to be a most enjoyable night. I was soon chatting pleasurably with a couple sitting next to me about food, wine, and restaurants in NY and the Maine Coast. All too soon we were called to dinner. Most of the people at the dinner chose to sit in the main dining room, but the couple I had been talking to, another couple, and I, sat at the dinner bar right in front of a black hearth style, wood fired bread and pizza oven. This was very nice since it had dropped down to forty degrees outside and the warmth of the fire was very welcome.


The best part was that we could see into the hustle and bustle of the open kitchen as well as the chef's plating food just on the other side of the gleaming brushed steel bar. And there really was some hustling going on, with six chef's and several assistants putting together the meal. At an event like this it is a major production as they try to bring out 40-50 peoples meals all at the same time. Here you can see the final plating of our first amuse bouche, an airy little thing of foam and crunch perched on a spoon. Sadly, I can't for the life of me remember what it was or find my notes, but it was good. I hope that someone who was at the event reads this and can comment on what the first amuse was. We were served the Bell 2005 Chardonnay, Napa Valley to go with the amuse and first course. This is a light, medium dry, elegant wine made in the crisper and less oaky French style, and went very well with the light flavors in the amuse.


The second amuse bouche was a shot glass of a creamy, rich, smooth and velvety, parsnip and lobster soup. I sipped the warm parsnip soup with a hint of that spice that parsnips have and came to a chunk of tender, sweet and salty lobster. It was a delightful combination of flavors with sensuous smoky aroma as well.


As you can see the chef's are working hard to plate the first course.


Here is the first course. Egypt Bay Aquaculture Little Neck Clams with golden tomatillos the size of large peas, Stoneset Farm Chorizo, and cabbage. This dish was created by Chef Daniel Sweimler of the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor. The dish was an amazing smoky melange of flavors. The chorizo was full flavored and slightly spicy and very balanced. the flavor of the pork came through and was the star, marrying well with the delicate brine of the clams and the tart sweetness of the tiny tomatillos. The chardonnay went very well with this dish and actually cleansed your palate so you were refreshed and focused on tasting the food. Out of what turned into a fantastic meal, this dish tied for my personal favorite.


The second course was Poached Maine Lobster & Saffron Cavatelli, with Black Trumpet mushrooms & Fennel Pollen created by Chef Jesse Perrin of Redbird Provisions in Northwest Harbor. The cavatelli had a bright floral saffron flavor and color to it, with a hint of pleasantly bitter anise from the fennel pollen. The lobster was perfectly cooked with the classic salty/sweet taste and the earthy black trumpet mushrooms were a nice counterbalance. The wine served with this course was Bell's 2005 Tanimura and Antle Vineyards, Viognier, Santa Cruz, a complex white wine with full flavors of fruit and spice. I was taken aback with this wine and hope to be able to get my hands on a few bottles.


It was enjoyable to chat with the chef's as they painstakingly plated the meal, concentrating on tiny details like putting individual leaves of herbs and spices together one by one as the built a dish.


Here is the third course , Vietnamese Butter Lettuce Cups with Barbecue Duck Breast and duck crackling, crispy shitake mushrooms, garden herbs, and chile-lime dipping sauce that you brushed on to the little "Saam" lettuce wraps with a sprig of garlic chive blossom, before rolling up and popping in your mouth for a perfect mouthful of delightful Asian flavors. The wine was Bell's 2005 Canterbury Vineyard Syrah, Sierra Foothills. Another excellent wine, big, bold, full of fruit and spice. I ended up having two glasses of this great wine. By this point conversation between the diners and the chefs was becoming quite animated and we were having a grand old time.


The fourth course was one of those fun little things that taste great and make you wonder and laugh as you enjoy it. It was called Corn: Hot & Cold- Maine popcorn soup and local sweet corn ice cream with a single fat puff of sweet and salty candied popcorn. The popcorn soup was warm and creamy popcorn. it was strange to have the flavor of really great popcorn in a luscious, creamy soup. The sweet corn ice cream had obviously been made from some of the super fresh and sweet local corn I have been enjoying all summer and was amazing!


Throughout the night the chef's wandered around after serving each course, chatting with the diners and explaining their dishes.


The fifth course was a trio of Olde Sow Farm Heritage Pork with seared loin, slow roasted belly, house made boudin blanc, Morse's great local sauerkraut, and fingerling potatoes by Chef Bryan Dame of The Edge, Lincolnville. The pork was heritage Tamworth breed with the belly being unctuous and full of flavor, the seared loin rich and deep, and the boudin blanc was pure bliss. I could eat that boudin blanc every day it was so good and it tied for my favorite dish. The wine served with this was Bell's 2004 Claret, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley. Again, another excellent wine with nice tannins and medium fruit.


Dessert was Johnny Appleseed Buttermilk Panna Cotta with caramelized Cortland apples, apple jus, cider-black pepper sorbet, and quince beignet created by Chef Krista Kern of Bresca in Portland. The apple jus was, as my notes say, "WOW", the panna cotta was the perfect smooth and light texture with a delicate and tasty flavor, the cider-black pepper sorbet blew my socks off and was just amazing. Hey Krista, are you single? Served with the dessert was Bell's 1998 Chardonnay Grappa, Yountville. I have had some good grappa before but this easily beat them all. Big, full of flavor, strong alcohol content, but without being fiery, instead it was exceptionally smooth. It tasted of spices: black, white, and green peppercorns, a smooth nectar that flowed along the tongue sensuously with green apple tones and hints of anise/tarragon. This was a fitting end to a fabulous meal, one I will put onto my list of great meals I have enjoyed all around the world.

I highly recommend each of these chef's restaurants, and that all you food fanatics out there come to beautiful Mid-Coast Maine for Maine Fare next year. The bounty of Maine has to be experienced to be believed.