We headed to Maine this past weekend for a little getaway, and I discovered some great new places in addition to visiting old favorites.
David’s KPT located right on the water in Kennebunkport, showcases Maine ingredients with a contemporary twist, and in addition, offers a great happy hour from 3-6. We had dinner plans so we decided to go light and get the cheese plate which was a nice accompaniment to the happy hour rose´. The BBQ Pork Steam Bun with pineapple-honey BBQ sauce and Bruschetta with white bean hummus and corn & black bean relish really appealed to me too. This has always been a favorite of ours, and I’d highly recommend stopping in.
Another Kennebunkport gem is Rococo’s Ice Cream. They offer an array of artisan ice cream flavors like Banana Red Hot, Amarula Pecan, Ginger Sour Cherry Jam and Green Tea Ginger. I tried a lot of samples before deciding on Speculoos & Chocolate Pretzel on top of Horchata Rum Cake in a pretzel cone. I have to say that the Salty Sweet Cream was AMAZING and I wish I got that one too. Thankfully my husband did and he’s used to sharing (a lot).
Apparently, I’m an "eat dessert first" kind of person because we had this BEFORE going to dinner. I guess it doesn’t really matter which order things go in, as long as you get to indulge. I read a lot about Old Vines Wine Bar which is in the Lower Village so we decided to try something new and check it out. I would definitely put this place on your list because we loved the vibe, food and atmosphere. The cocktails were fantastic and the OVWB hand cut fries were to die for! They consisted of Maine potato, taro root and sweet potato fries topped with Cajun dust and served with tamarind ketchup. You’d be remiss not to get these as either a starter or side. Their cocktail list offers a lot of options like the Bee’s Knees which had Plymouth gin, honey, lemon and lavender and the On a Whimelet made with barr hill gin, lime, honey, egg whites and brandied cherries. Both hit the spot on a sunny evening by the fire pits on their patio.
While driving through Wells, ME on our way to Ogunquit, I spotted a candy shop on the side of the road that caught my eye called Perkins Cove Candies. Figured why not see what they have since we didn’t eat enough this weekend. Well let me just say that they had amazing chocolates and may take the prize for one of the BEST dark chocolate covered sea salt caramels I have ever had. The caramel was rich, soft and buttery drenched in delectable dark chocolate. The sea salt on top is what took it over the top though. It was a nice combination of small and big pieces that added the perfect amount of crunch and saltiness. Glad to see they take online orders because this would make a great gift or nice treat for yourself.
We continued down Route 1 as we headed into Ogunquit, and decided to stop and walk around the town as well as check out the beach. Apparently I can’t stop eating sugar because there was this beautiful looking chocolate shop called Harbor Candy House that was calling my name. I swear I was just going in to browse, but everything looked so good that we had to get a couple of treats (at least we try and share cutting the calories in half. Or at least attempt to;). One thing that really jumped out was the Trifection which is white, milk and dark chocolate with a layer of hazelnut butter and almond butter. I use the term “share” lightly here since my husband may have only gotten a third. They also had something called Sucre a la Crème which is described as “a deliberately brittle fudge made with brown sugar, butter and fresh heavy cream.” It was like having penuche fudge on steroids. Next time you are in the area, stop in and check out their confections and maybe try a Caramallow?? Apparently that’s their specialty and they looked deliciously decadent.
As we headed out of Maine for the weekend, we stopped at Robert’s Maine Grill in Kittery which is a farm to table restaurant and raw bar. I recommend sitting upstairs and outside to get a view of the water. They offer a lot of New England staples which pair nicely with their craft brew list featuring many local Maine brewery’s. It was hard to decide on what to get because the menu offered so many great options. You can’t go to Maine and not get seafood, so we started with oysters, clam chowder and the fish taco served with napa cabbage and cilantro lime crema. For lunch, we went with the House Smoked Turkey served on herb cranberry bread and topped with bacon, onion and goat cheese. The Haddock Rueben looked exceptional too and was served with ale braised cabbage, Swiss cheese and spicy tarter on Rye. You really can’t go wrong with either one of those sandwiches. Since we needed a little green, we ordered the Grilled Romaine Salad with bacon, romano, roasted tomatoes and sweet garlic vinaigrette. I can’t wait to try grilled romaine at home after having this. It was such a nice way to change up the lettuce routine. Robert’s Maine Grill is the place to check out if you are in or passing through Kittery. Oh and did I mention it’s right next to the Crate & Barrel outlet?!?!?!
If you are headed to the charming New England towns of Maine, I would recommend trying any and all of these places. Each one offers something unique and delicious! #mainelocalequalsgood