The Cranberry Isles, Maine

In Northern Maine, off Mount Desert Island, a short ferry ride from either Northeast Harbor or Southwest Harbor, you will find the idyllic 2 mile stretch of land called Great Cranberry Island.  The largest of the five islands of the Town of Cranberry Isles, Maine, Great Cranberry boasts a year-round population of 40, while the summer population swells to 300.  To spend a summer on this lovely island is the true definition of "living a simpler life".  To get a glimpse, we took our bikes over for an afternoon ride.

 

  

And you cannot believe the views from these homes...

At times, you get an idea of what one has to do to prepare for a winter here...

Reminds me of the ant in Aesop's Fables who works all summer to prepare for winter...

Dining is pretty straight-forward: you can either stop at the Seawich Cafe in the Cranberry General Store, or at Hitty's Cafe at Cranberry House for a sandwich, or a movie, if you are so inclined.

Seawich is located by the town dock

 

Hitty's is about 1/3 mile up the road on your right

We were tempted to stay for the movie, but had to keep moving on to our next destination: Little Cranberry Island, specifically the Islesford Dock Restaurant for a sunset dinner.  A short ferry ride away, Islesford Dock is run by Dan and Cynthia Lief and serves traditional Down East fare.  We were also in search of the best lobster, which many locals say is found here.  The wings would have to wait for another day.

Islesford Dock

The dining area

Hubby was all over his 2 pound lobster, which he agreed was the best one he had eaten in Maine.  I admit that, at times, I am a bit of a princess.  So, not in the mood to get my hands dirty, I ordered the Lobster and Burrata Cheese with Pickled Beach Rose Petals, along with the Scallop Ceviche.  Everything was exceptional.  To work off the extra pounds, take a stroll through the art galleries attached to the restaurant.

Gorge away on this beauty

Lobster with Burrata

Scallop Ceviche

 

Fun Fact:  For seven years, Great Cranberry Island hosted a 50K Ultra Marathon (31 miles) from one end of the two-mile road to the other (again and again).  A large post-race lobster bake was held at the community field the night after the event.  There's one way to work off those pounds.  Have a lovely weekend!

Bountiful Maine

No matter how many times I had heard about the beauty of Maine, I was nonetheless unprepared.  Unprepared for the rocky shore and the tidal pools at low tide...

 ...the seemingly endless stretches of summer cottages...

 ...the joy of a perfect beach day...

 ...the sunsets...

...and the food!!!

One fine evening our gracious hosts in York Harbor, Maine, suggested we drive to nearby Ogunquit to check out Arrows Restaurant.  Arrows is owned and operated by two chefs, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, who ventured out East from the West Coast about twenty years ago.  Mark and Clark met in 1985 while cooking at Jeremiah Tower's Stars restaurant in San Francisco.  They moved to Maine to pioneer the farm-to-table concept by growing their own crops, curing their own meats, and making their own cheeses.  Topping off their list of achievements, in 2010 they were awarded the James Beard "Best Chefs of the Northeast".

To interject with a bit of background, Harvard-educated Jeremiah Tower is said to have applied for a job at Chez Panisse after having tried a berry tart at the then-unknown restaurant.  As Executive Chef and business partner with Alice Waters, Tower is often credited alongside Waters and Wolfgang Puck as developing the culinary style known as "California Cuisine".  Needless to say, when it came to checking out Arrows, I was all in.   

Arrows is located off a winding road in a restored farmhouse with hard wood floors, exposed wood beams, and large picture windows overlooking the gardens.  Twinkling lights abound in this exquisite setting where the focus is on attention to detail, the high quality of the food and impeccable service.  Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted by Chef Clark Frasier, who also came by our table during the meal to ask if we were enjoying ourselves...if there was anything more they could do.  Rumor has it that the chefs enjoy being visible in the restaurant and are open to signing their cookbooks and menus.

Herb gardens in the walkways leading to Arrows

Happily ensconced at a four-top with a lovely view of the gardens, we ordered the featured cocktail, "The Blue Honeybee", a combination of blueberry-infused vodka, local mead, lime juice, and soda garnished with orange-marinated Maine blueberries.  Mead was a first for me, as I was picturing a strong honey wine not unlike what Robert Baratheon would have been drinking in the "Game of Thrones".  But the drink was subtle, not overpowering...a theme for the food in general.  I felt the kitchen let the food speak for itself, without the fuss of heavy sauces.  

While we sipped our cocktails, the waiter presented us with a choice of four types of bread along with a choice of tasty "Little Heart" appetizers that were displayed on a tea cart.  We opted for the Strange Flavored Eggplant with Sesame Chips (evoking the senses of the Orient with ginger, soy, garlic, sesame oil), and the Deviled Green Eggs with Ham ( eggs seasoned with herbs from the garden such as parsley and tarragon).  Unable to make a decision on the entree, we went for the whole enchilada: the six course tasting menu with paired wines.  As the menu changes seasonally, even monthly, with Chefs Frasier and Gaier choosing only the freshest ingredients from their garden and the local community, the menu from our meal in August 2013 was as follows:

Mascarpone Tortellini with Mini Meat Balls, Preserved Lemon Sauce and Garden Squash

2010 Novellum Chardonnay

Summertime Salad: Everything in the Garden

2011 Chateau Tuilerie Pages White Bordeaux

Plancha Seared Redfish with Warm Vegetable Salad, Garlic Chive Pesto,

 Crispy Grit Croutons and Herb Sabayon

2010 Chateau de Campuget Rose

Clark's Peking Duck in Three Preparations

2011 Gerard Bertrand Pinot Noir

Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Swiss Chard, Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette,

Summer Squash "Fries" and Gruyere Fondue

2009 Buried Cane Cabernet Sauvignon

Olive Oil and Almond Cake, Brown Sugar Roasted Peaches,

Thyme Streusel and Mascarpone Ice Cream

2010 Sauternes 

The hands down favorite was the tenderloin with the Gruyere fondue.  Paired with a tiny copper pot of Gruyere fondue for dipping, it was brilliant.  The Duck was also a big hit, served in three small portions: a duck liver dumpling in duck consumme, duck with skin served in a thin crepe, and, my fave, duck confit.  

Maine, where have you been all my life?  I shall blog about you some more...until then, eat well, and eat big!

Just one?

 

In Acadia Nat'l Park, a scene right out of Blueberries for Sal

Chilaxin'

America's Castles

The Elms at night

We kicked off a summer East Coast road trip with a visit to Newport, Rhode Island, to usher in a new decade with one of my sisters.  A favorite vacation spot for my siblings and parents, Newport holds wonderful memories for my family.  It is hard for me to believe that in the last 18 years since I have been there, I got married, had three children and lost both my parents.  It feels like the Kenny Chesney song, "Don't Blink", and I made a promise to myself to leave the sunny West Coast more often to venture back East.

High on my list of things to do with the kids was to take a stroll along the Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile public access walkway that affords one the view of many of the stunning coastal properties, many famous for their history and architecture of Newport, such as the stunning Breakers mansion, used as the setting of the original Great Gatsby film with Robert Redford.

Newport Cliff Walk

Even though there are warning signs about the dangers that abound on the Cliff Walk, if you can walk without difficulty, you will be just fine.  (Please note: the entire walk is not handicap accessible.)

Who comes up with these signs?

We were dropped off at the western end of First Beach so we didn't have to fight for a place to park on a spectacularly sunny day.  After about a mile past our start, and past the "40 Steps" and Webster Street, we came to the second largest of the Newport mansions, Ochre Court.  Built in 1892 as the summer home for banker and developer Ogden Goelet, Ochre Court was designed by Richard Morris Hunt, and gifted to the Religious Sisters of Mercy in 1947 by Goelet's descendents.  This magnificent building of Newport's Gilded Age now houses the administrative offices of Salve Regina University.  You can also see it on the big screen in the opening scene of True Lies with Arnold Schwartzenegger.  To the best of my knowledge, there are no guided tours, but you can walk up the lawn and tour around Ochre Court at your leisure.

Ochre Court

  
Located just a few steps down the path on Ochre Point, and also designed by Richard Morris Hunt, The Breakers is the most popular attraction in the state of Rhode Island.  Built between 1893 and 1895 at a current cost of over $150 million, the 70-room Breakers (33 of which was for staff) was the summer residence of the President and Chairman of The New York Central Railroad, Cornelius Vanderbilt II (check out my New York Minute post to read about his grandfather who built Grand Central Terminal).  It was at this point that I started asking myself why I brought Hubby and the kids along, as none of them would have had the patience to tour all these homes with me.  Well, maybe Hubby, but not the kids.  About 1/2 mile into the walk they were already dreaming about the beach, and, to be fair, who could blame them on this beautiful day?

The Breakers

  
So we kept walking.  Our goal?  Bailey's Beach, which is the end of the Cliff Walk.  However, we had to make a detour along Ruggles Avenue.  Hurricane Sandy apparently has made a mess of things, and the stretch between Ruggles Ave. and Ledge Ave. will be closed until further notice.  As were were wandering over to Bellevue Ave., we stumbled upon this beauty which is under restoration.

Je m'excuse, mais je ne connais pas le nom de ce chateau

In front of Marble House, I couldn't stand it any longer.  I had to ditch Hubby and the kids for a tour.  For $14.50, I treated myself to an hour at the summer "cottage" of Mr. and Mrs. William K. Vanderbilt.  Built between 1888 and 1892 and modeled after the Petit Trianon in Versailles, Marble House was also designed by William Morris Hunt and is named for the 500,000 cubic feet of marble from Europe and Africa found in the interior.   

Marble House

William Vanderbilt, the younger brother to Cornelius II, gifted Marble House to his wife, Alva, for her 39th birthday.  A leader in the women's suffrage movement, Alva shocked society by divorcing William in 1895 at a time when divorce was rare.  She then married a friend of her husband's, a younger man by the name of Belmont, and moved into another fabulous mansion down the street, while using Marble House for "storage".  She sounds like quite the spitfire. 

Ocean front view of Marble House

Alva had the Chinese Tea House built in 1914 where she held rallies for women's right to vote

From the Louis XIV ballroom to the Gothic living room, the tour was worth every beach-deprived minute.  Photos are not allowed inside; however, you may have realized by now that I like to break the rules every now and then.  So what did I sneak a photo of?  The culinary geek in me absolutely fell in love with the 20-foot long cast iron stove...I am just picturing the work involved in slaving over this bad boy for a dinner party for Alva's closest 200 or so friends.     

I also could not resist a pic of the "Votes for Women" plates

We left Newport with images of quaint summer cottages in our heads...

Chateau-Sur-Mer

but wouldn't you just "settle" for one of the smaller traditional wooden homes?  Je pense que oui.

On a tasting note...

Not to be missed is Eva Ruth's Bakery, www.evaruths.com, in Middletown, Rhode Island.  A gluten-free bakery (yes, that is correct), Eva Ruth's has bar none the best pumpkin bread, EVER!  I am calling today to have some shipped to AZ.  Stay tune for our next adventure!

   

Short Summer Update

Please excuse the lack of posts this past month.  We took a 15 day trip to the East Coast and my only goal was to get through the third book of the Game of Thrones series.  With the kids now happily ensconced back in school, I have started combing through my photos from the trip and will get to work, pronto!  In the meantime, let me share with you this great poster I saw at the AVA Santa Barbara tasting room in the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara.  Cheers!

  

Tasty Grub in Disneyland

Ahh, the requisite trek to Disneyland and California Adventure.  I would be lying to you if I said I didn't also look forward to riding the bobsleds down the Matterhorn, finding the hidden treasure on Pirates of the Caribbean, or discovering the mysteries of the Enchanted Tiki Room.  The memories these invoke are priceless, and for once, dining is not the central focus.  However, on our recent trip, we enjoyed a couple of fun meals which only enhanced our overall experience.  

We stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel to have early access to the theme parks.  This hotel won me over a few years ago when, on a surprise trip to Dland, our son came down with a nasty stomach flu.  The staff went out of their way to make him comfortable by arranging for us to see the nurse, helping us get medicine for him, and providing us with passes for rides during the few hours of the day that his fever broke.  They went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure his trip was not ruined.  

The architecture of the hotel celebrates the Arts and Crafts movement of the 1900's.  The Grand Californian also has a full-service spa and several dining options, our favorite of which is the Napa Rose.  We also usually hit the Blue Bayou in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction.  The ambiance here is what we seek.  Although situated in a large building, diners have the illusion they are seated on the patio of a New Orleans restaurant in the evening, replete with Spanish moss, fireflies, and the chirping of crickets.  

But what does one do in California Adventure while waiting for your designated Fast Pass time for the new Radiator Springs Racers attraction?  Check out Carthay Circle, which is located on the second floor of the reproduction of the Carthay Circle Theatre.  The original theater has a prominent place in Walt Disney's history, as it is there that in 1937 his first feature-length film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, premiered.  Entering off Buena Vista Street, you will find yourself in the lounge area, which serves drinks and tapas.  The main dining area on the second floor features California cuisine in a decor of the Golden Age of Hollywood.  For our party of five, we enjoyed a delicious lunch in a private dining area under a portrait of Julie Andrews clutching the Oscar she won for Best Actress in The Sound of Music.  Start off with the Signature Fried Biscuits.  Stuffed with white cheddar cheese, bacon and jalapeno, and served with apricot honey butter, they are divine.  Next we ordered the Crispy Portobello Mushroom Gorditas, the Fire Cracker Duck Wings, the Ginger Pork Satay with Green Papaya Slaw and Mango Raita, the Roasted Beet Salad and the Roasted Organic Chicken Ruby Red Grapefruit Salad.  Hubby and I washed it down with a bottle of 2010 Domaine William Fevre Chablis, and we were ready to conquer California Screamin'.  Ok, maybe just Splash Mountain, but I am ok with that.  Cheers!

Interior of Carthay Circle

Our dining area was a tribute to Julie Andrews (please excuse flash)

Roasted Organic Chicken Ruby Red Grapefruit Salad

Roasted Beet Salad

Waiting for the Radiator Springs Racers ride in Cars Land

Snacking in Cars Land

I had to buy one of these for the souvenir cup

Loving it!