Harraseeket Inn offers Thomas Moser guest room

When renowned furniture maker Thomas Moser approached Chip Gray, innkeeper at Freeport’s Harraseeket Inn about having his designers decorate a room using his sleek, contemporary-yet-traditional furnishings, Gray figured it was a win-win situation. He took the team through the inn and let them choose the room. “They chose one we’d just finished redecorating; it looked great, and they ripped everything out.”

While the rest of the inn is decorated in an updated and bright New England country style, the Thomas Moser room is sleek, modern, and earthy. Truth is—and Gray agrees—not everyone loves it, but for those who are in the market for Moser pieces or who prefer a contemporary vibe, this room is ideal.

Every aspect of this suite-sized, corner room has been specially designed, from the entry, to the bathroom (with soaking tub and heated towel rack), to the over-sized room itself, with a fireplace and seating area on one end, bed and desk on the other.

Every piece of furniture—the queen-sized pencil-post bed and nightstands, Aria writing desk and chair, adult and child-sized Windsor-style chairs, dresser, armoire, Vita love seat and lounge chair, coffee table—and every accent piece is for sale. Guests can inquire at the Moser gallery across the street about the furniture

In the room, a leather-bound book details all the non-Moser pieces, which are equally intriguing:

• figurative oils by Tanya Fletcher

• custom wall painting of the entry, by Field, a Portland-based company founded by Friederike Hamann and Colin Sullivan-Stevens

• fine art photography by Gifford Ewing, of Denver and Sorrento, Maine

• pottery by Tim Cichocki, who fires his work in central Maine

• lamps crafted by Hubbardton Forge and by Visual Comfort & Co.

• pillows, mattress pad, down comforter and cover, and mohair throw from Cuddledown

• a rare wool throw and a rare wool blanket, both hand made by Swans Island Blankets

• rugs by Safavieh

Now add a sandstone fireplace with floating live-edge walnut mantel that fills one end of the room, barnlike sliding doors to the bathroom and closet, shades that filter sun, and drapes that insure privacy.

The whole blends textures and earthen shades, it’s calming yet edgy, sleek yet artsy, contemporary yet traditional. It may be in  New England, but there’s definitely a New York accent. Put me in the like it camp.

Take a hike

Camden Harbour Inn bar manager Tom Laslavic won Monday night’s Bartender Bash, the kick-off to Maine Restaurant Week. Laslavic’s drink, Camden Hike, was inspired by ingredients from a summer walk in Mid-coast Maine. The drink comprises a sweet and tart blend of Cold River Vodka, lemon, blueberry puree, blackberry puree, Crème de Cassis, Honey Syrup and Club Soda.

Natalie’s, the inn’s restaurant and lounge, will be serving the winning “Camden Hike” at the inn’s Ice Bar on Thursday and Friday, March 4 and 5 (and Saturday, if the weather permits); open 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. , with  DJ Owen.C will spinning.

The specialty cocktail also will be served for the duration of Restaurant Week, which ends March. 10. Pair it with a selection from the inn’s Restaurant Week menus, $20.10 in the lounge, $40.10 in the dining room.

Rather try it a Camden Hike at home? Here’s the recipe:

Camden Hike
Created by Tom Laslavic of Natalie’s Restaurant

Ingredients
1 1/2 oz. Cold River Vodka
1/2 lemon, squeezed
1 tsp. blueberry puree
1 tsp. blackberry puree
1/4 oz. Creme de Cassis
1/2 oz. honeyClub soda
Fresh berries and thick lemon peel garnish

Mixed and shaken, pour into iced glass topped with cold club soda & garnished with fresh berries and lemon peel.

My suggestion: Enjoy it after, not before, you hike those Camden Hills.

Cellardoor Winery pairs wine with food this spring

Taste your way through Maine without leaving the Midcoast. Maine’s Cellardoor Winery, with locations in Lincolnville and Rockport, is hosting wine-and-food pairings every weekend, May 2 through July 25; Saturdays in Rockport, Sundays in Lincolnville. Pairings include Maine cheeses and chocolates, as well as selections from local markets. The detailed schedule is available here.

Nation’s last sardine cannery closing, sniffle

Beach Cliff Sardine Man, Prospect Harbor ©Hilary Nangle

In the first half of the 20th century, sardine processing was big business in Maine, with more than 400 factories along the coast, but on April 18, another chapter in Maine’s rich seafaring history closes along with the last sardine cannery in the country. The former Stinson Seafoods plant in Prospect Harbor—the one with Beach Cliff Sardine man out front—will shut down operations, after more than 100 years in biz, a victim of federally mandated reduced herring catches, according to the Bangor News. And now another 128 folks are out of work in the job-starved, but achingly gorgeous, Schoodic region of Maine.

Ronnie Peabody demonstrates a labeling machine (©Hilary Nangle)

You can still get a sense of the heritage, even if you can no longer view the gold en fish drying on racks or taste their salty goodness on the sites. Start at the Maine Coast Sardine History Museum, in Jonesport. The town now renowned for its lobstering, lobster boat races, and Tall Barney was once home to 15 canneries. FYI: Herring are known as sardines once processed and canned.

Museum director Ronnie Peabody and his wife, Mary, began collecting sardine artifacts and memorabilia in 2001, and opened this labor of love in 2008. Ronnie is a passionate guide who brings life to the photos, equipment, and even the cans displayed. You can zip through on own in about 20 minutes, but start asking Ronnie questions or ask him to guide you through, and you’ll wonder where the hour went. He brings a vanishing, make that vanished way of life alive. And if you’re lucky, five-time World Champion Sardine Packer Rita Willey might be around.

McCurdy Smokehouse, Lubec ©Hilary Nangle

Afterwards, wander up to Lubec to view Mulholland Brothers Market, once a warehouse for the shucks used to make herring boxes, and McCurdy Smokehouse, a historic site honoring the last operating herring-smoking operation in the country. Both are being preserved by Lubec Landmarks.

Robinhood Free Meetinghouse theme nights

Looking for a way to warm a winter’s evening with fine food in a gorgeous setting? The Robinhood Free Meetinghouse restaurant is off the beaten path, but Chef Michael Gagne has a devoted following, and for good reasons. The restaurant, housed in an beautiful 1855 former church, is tucked down a quiet road on the Georgetown peninsula, about 15 minutes, give or take, from Bath. The elegant, white-tablecloth setting is the perfect backdrop for Gagne’s creative cuisine. And at this time of year, Gagne offers reasonably priced theme nights ($32, for four courses), on Thursdays.

Upcoming theme nights:

• Feb. 18: Bistro

• Feb 25: New Orleans

• March 4: Italian

• March 11: French

• March 18: 10 Little Courses

• March 25: New Orleans

• April 1: Tapas

• April 8: Bistro

• April 15: Italian Classics

• April 22: Southwest

• April 29: Old Favorites

Friday nights are Pub Nights, and on Saturday, Gagne serves his regular menu.

Whatever you do, don’t miss his famous layered cream cheese biscuits, which won the 2006 Gold Award winner for Outstanding Baked Goods from the  National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (I’ve been to this trade show, trust me, this is a HUGE award-specialty food producers from around the globe compete for honors). And if you’re a chocoholic, save room for his obsession in three chocolates dessert. Oh. My!

Online auction offers some unique Maine items

Few places are such a hotbed of creativity as the Blue Hill Peninsula, which is also blessed with nice inns and excellent restaurants. If you’re hankering for a lovely handmade craft (to give or keep) or are planning a visit this summer, check out the online auction for Brooklin’s Friend Memorial Library.

Yarn to kimonos, concert tickets to boat cruises, restaurant gift certificates to lodging, it’s all there, with nearly 80 items available.

Some of the more unusual items include:

• A private family tour of the former E.B. White and Katharine White farm, the farm that inspired Charlotte’s Web. See the barn where all the animals lived, where Wilbur’s manure pile was, the barn swing, and E.B. White’s simple writing studio by the ocean. The farm is a private home and is not open to the public. Mary and Robert Gallant have graciously offered a private tour to the winning family. This will be an experience to treasure for any lover of Charlotte’s Web or fan of E.B. White.

• A catered party with wine and appetizers for you and 20 of your favorite friends at High Head, a lovely, historic summer cottage overlooking Eggemoggin Reach. Brooklin’s own Diane Bianco, author of the forthcoming cookbook, Let’s Party in Maine, will offer you a menu of appetizers which she will prepare for your guests. A mixed case of wines from Blue Hill Wine Shop will be served by staff of Bars-by-the-Bay, with service aided by members of the Friend Memorial Library board of trustees. Live background music will add to the conviviality of the occasion. You may choose from a range of dates at the end of June: Wednesday through Sunday, June 23-27. The successful bidder will confer with Diane Bianco by May 1st to confirm the selected date and select appetizers, and may provide other beverages.

• A mushroom walk with a mycologist. David Porter (retired University of Georgia mycology professor) will lead you on a foraging trip on your property to discover the diversity of these amazing organisms, a little known treasure of the Blue Hill peninsula area. He will help you identify what you have and hopefully collect enough edible mushrooms for a mycological feast.

And my personal favorite:

• A barbecue for 25, with music by the Brooklin Band. Celebrate! For that special birthday, anniversary or other memorable occasion, Frank Bianco, Jr. will prepare a barbecue for 25 guests and the Brooklin Band will perform a rousing concert. The barbecue will include grilled sausages, burgers and hot dogs, accompanied by garden and potato salads, corn on the cob, dessert, and soft drinks. The 20 plus members of the band will play an hour’s worth of marches, show tunes and old favorites. A summer afternoon to remember!

207: Pies on Parade

Frank makes pie at the Limerock Inn.

I’ve blogged previously about the upcoming Pies on Parade, but since it airs on 207 tonight, I thought I’d put all the necessary info in one place:

WHAT: Pies on Parade, Rockland, Maine

Pie sampling at more than a dozen venues–at last count 16 and growing–including the four inns, as well as restaurants and even a day spa. See list below. You can walk site to site or take a trolley.

WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 24, 1-5 pm

Rain, snow, ice, sleet, nothing stops this event from happening: Hundreds of pies have been baked

SPONSOR: Historic Inns of Rockland

Four fine inns in downtown Rockland—The Berry Manor, Captain Lindsey, Granite Inn, and Limerock Inn, all built between 1835 and 1898. These aren’t home-stay B&BS, all are historic homes turned into boutique inns, complete with all the whistles and bells: private rooms, private baths, common areas, Wifi, abundant breakfasts. Some have fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. One is especially kid and pet friendly

TIX: $25 adult, $10 children.

Yes. Tickets for the tour alone sell out quickly; $25 adults, $10 kid 10 and younger. To order tickets in advance, call 1-877-ROC-INNS (877-762-4667).

BENEFITS: Area Interfaith Outreach Food Pantry.

More than $20,000 has been raised to date.

Capt. Ken Barnes, pie-maker extraordinaire, shows a creation at the Capt. Lindsey House.

LODGING PACKAGES: at the Historic Inns or Rockland

Granite Inn, Berry Manor, Limerock Inn, Captain Lindsay. Packages  include:

• Two guaranteed tickets to the usually sold-out Pies on Parade
• Two “personal” pies upon check-in
• A copy of INNdulgences, the Historic Inns of Rockland cookbook,
• Commemorative Pies on Parade poster
• $50 in Midcoast Money plus two dessert vouchers
• Exclusive tour of Audubon’s Project Puffin Center featuring “Puff (ed) Pastry Pies”
• Exclusive tour of Maine Lighthouse Museum featuring “Lite Pies”
• Invitation to a “Wine and Pie” tasting at the Wine Seller

Two-Night Package prices range from $315 to $605 single or double occupancy.

THE PIES:

• Berry Manor Inn:  Raspberry pie; Blueberry Pie; Savory pies

• Captain Lindsey House: Seafood Pie

• LimeRock Inn:  Key LimeRock Pie; Pizza Rustica (Italian Meat) Pie

• Granite Inn:  Cheesy Breakfast Pie and Cranberry Apple Pie

• Pastry Garden: Lemon Meringue Tartlets and Spinach Ricotta Pie

• Amalfi on the Water: Seafood Pie; White Chocolate Mousse Pie

• Café Miranda: Signature Mojo Pizza Pie

• Lily’s Bistro:  Potato & Bacon; Peach Tart Tatan

• Bricks:  Pizza Pie

• Rheal Day Spa: (Healthy pies) Not-too-Sweet Potato Pie (gluten free); Lavender, Honey & Yogurt Pie (no refined sugar)

• Waterworks Restaurant:  Shepherds Pie

• Rustica:  Sweet and Savory Italian Gallettes

• Rockland Café: Mini Whoopie Pies

• Brown Bag: TBA

• Park Street Grille: Tex Mex Take On Pie

• Thorndike Creamery: Ice cream surprise

Soup for you! and meat for me

Whenever I’m cruising to Sugarloaf from the coast, I have two must stops: Whitewater Farm, in New Sharon, and Soup for you! in Farmington.

Whitewater Farm doesn’t look like much from the road, it’s a ranch-style building with a bunch of truck-trailer boxes facing the parking area; on Route 27/2, between the 27 split south and the blinker in “downtown” New Sharon. Those trucks are for local farmers, who stock up on animal feed here. Many of those same farmers sell their meat, poultry, eggs, cheeses, and produce to the shop, which retails them to the public.

Now don’t go expecting some fancy market. Inside, freezers line the walls, each filled with specific products, including pork, lamb and goat, beef, veal, chicken, turkey, cranberries, rabbit, blueberries, ice cream and butter. In the refrigerator are the eggs, cheeses, milk, etc. Also here are dog chows and treats. Here’s a hint: the local chicken pot pies are really delicious, ideal to keep in the freezer or those what am I going to whip up tonight nights; and the maple sausage is really yummy.

Now, on to Soup for you!, a few doors up from Reny’s (another must stop, I must confess). Em Reeve concocts six fresh soups daily, including (and clearly noted) vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free ones. I rarely get past the soups, but there also are made-to-order sandwiches and wraps, smoothies, and coffee drinks–including a full page menu of them.

Back to those soups, buy hot and fresh and dine in (or take out, sizes range 8 to 32 ounces, prices $3.39-$9.39). You can always ask for a sample taste, too; a nice plus. If the Thai peanut chili or mushroom marsala are on the menu, both are divine; love the chicken barley, too. Soup comes with fresh bread. Just note: cash only.

Snowshoe splurge

Craving snowshoes? The Winter Escape package at The Inn by the Sea, an oceanfront boutique hotel in Cape Elizabeth, includes two pairs. Test them on snow-covered Crescent Beach.

Here’s the deal,  the package includes:

•  Two nights in a single bedroom accommodation

•  Two welcome spiked hot chocolates

•  Full gourmet breakfast for two each morning

•  Two pairs of L.L. Bean Winter Walker snowshoes (value around $100 each)

•  Two passes to an L.L. Bean snowshoeing outdoor activity in Freeport (weather dependent)

Rates range $336.45–$370.15 per night, depending upon type of room chose (traditional to spa).

Here’s the fine print: A two-night minimum is required, and packages must be booked at least three days in advance of arrival. Snowshoeing outdoor adventure takes place in Freeport, from 9:30 a.m. until noon and requires onsite registration after 8:30 AM on the activity day. Snowshoeing outdoor adventure is weather dependent and has no cash value if not consumed.

No familiar with the Inn by the Sea? Read my review in maine. magazine.

Special Maine premiere: Sustainability

The Green Living Project, which has documented more than 30 sustainability-related projects in 10 countries in Africa and South America has turned its lens on Maine. The multi-media Sustainability Across Maine will premiere on Thursday (Jan. 7),  7-9 p.m., at Frontier, in Fort Andross (the renovated riverfront mill in Brunswick). Admission is free.

Featured on the program are:

• Maine Huts & Trails, the off-the-grid trail system

• Island Institute’s wind-energy programs

• Chewonki’s sustainability programs

• Inn by the Sea’s green initiatives

• Primo Restaurant’s backyard organic farm

• Maine Compost School

• Local Sprouts Cooperative

• Guyot Designs

Food and freebies: The first 50 attendees will receive a $25 L.L.Bean Gift Card, Keen socks, and other goodies. In addition, there will be live music; beer, wine, and food provided by Peak Organic Brewing Co., and Frontier; door prizes and give-away such as travel packages from Maine Huts & Trails, Inn by the Sea, Primo, and others; and a gear raffle from event sponsor National Geographic Adventure, Gregory, Keen, Clif Bar, and others, with proceeds benefiting some of the projects.

Frontier: If you haven’t been to Frontier, it’s a combo cafe, gallery, live music/event spot, and cinema inspired by founder Michael Gilroy’s world travels. Definitely a cool place worth checking out, if not for this event than another time. I’m a huge fan of the market plates, a tasting platter of a specific cuisine–perhaps the Middle East or France or Italy. Delish!