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An enchanting bed and breakfast in the heart of Camden village that Fodor’s considers “An elegant and sophisticated retreat and culinary destination,” this Mansard style Victorian built in 1835 offers a unique experience in pampered luxury.
Archive for the ‘Things to do in Camden’ Category
Sunday, August 29th, 2010
 Mary Jo and I spent the afternoon and early evening exploring Belfast, Maine, a short 18 mile trip north of Camden on Route 1. Belfast is a small seaside village (population of around 7,000) and it has some very interesting stores, restaurants and scenery. A few years ago Belfast ran a “bearfest” in the village, where people decorated fiberglass bears in various ways and they were then displayed around the community before being auctioned off. There was a bear riding a bicycle, one up a telephone pole, a
flying bear, picnicking bears, hulu dancing bears and the list goes on. Every time you turned the corner, another bear appeared. The bearfest continued for three years from 2000-2002 and they are currently in “hibernation” but a newer exhibit is currently on display where the artists
use bicycles and bicycle parts. The fish bike was a favorite of ours so I had to take a picture (look for my little red convertible in the background).
Next, we crossed the large bridge over the Passagassawakeag River (try saying that!) and headed a mile up the road to Young’s Lobster Pound. We had 2 pound lobster’s on their outside patio (right on Belfast harbor) and sipped Gruet (it’s BYOB) sparkling wine from New Mexico. The seagulls sang, the sun was sinking in the sky and we had our own little moment of heaven. They do lobster’s well here.
Stay tuned for Belfast part 2 where we will explore “Darby’s Restaurant” and some of our other favorite Belfast attractions.
Posted in Art and Galleries, Driving Tour, Fun for Foodies, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
 Written by Meghan Small
The building itself is modeled after a classic New England barn framed in Maine hemlock. It’s open design and tall ceilings are perfect for their year round indoor market of vegetables, fruits and other Maine products. In addition, Farmer’s Fare has a real honest to goodness, old-fashioned butcher shop stocked with local meat and poultry. They are currently supplying all the beef for the Camden Rockland Elementary School so the students are eating local hamburgers! Not to be missed also is the café which serves breakfast and lunch daily. The long pine tables are great place to meet up with friends and enjoy a latte, pastry, soup and many other dishes made with local ingredients of course! A commercial kitchen is located downstairs that services the café and community rooms which are open to the public and used by Farmers Fare for educational classes and community events.
Anytime something new opens that we think our guests would enjoy, we post it on the blog. Farmer’s Fare, located on five acres of beautiful, organic pasture and farm in Rockport should not be missed! Their website says,  “We at Farmers Fare believe in bringing people together to share food, stories, knowledge and information. We believe in supporting our local farmers by buying the food they grow and selling it, thereby keeping our farmers on their farms and our community members healthy and satisfied.”
In addition to the building, half of Farmers Fare’s five acres of land is devoted to growing food. They plan to plant unusual crops such as heirloom and green zebra tomatoes, Italian salad greens, and long pie pumpkins. In the future, their nursery will offer new and old varieties of Maine fruits and vegetables, such as green gage plums. A wetland in the middle of the property will be used to grow plants that have been cultivated by Native Americans for medicinal aids, such as high bush cranberries and cow parsnip.
We encourage our guests to stop bury and see Farmer’s Fare for themselves. They are known to host fun community activities like pumpkin carving or ice sculpting contests. Local vendors are often present offering tastings or demonstrations! Stop by hungry so you can enjoy their delicious food! Nothing tastes like local, Maine cuisine and Farmer’s Fare does it well! Visit them online at: http://www.farmersfare.com
Posted in Fun for Foodies, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
 On Saturday and Sunday, November 14th and 15th we had our first “In the Kitchen Dinner” and it was a great success. The idea behind the “In the Kitchen Dinner Series” is to open up the kitchen and allow the guests to interact with the kitchen staff and watch the food being prepared (some guests even rolled their own sushi!).
The dinner started with a sampling plate (pictured at the left) of three pieces of sushi paired with three different “Hitachino Nest” Japanese beers. At the top of the plate is a Nigiri-sushi (finger sushi) made with Zeph’s Sous-Vide“Japanese braised” short ribs which we paired with the darkest beer, Hitachino Nest Sweet Stout. The next pairing (clockwise) was the Flash-Fried Nori and Tuna Roll with a Ginger-Wasabi Butter Sauce which we paired with the Hitachino Nest Real Ginger Brew. The third pairing was the Hitachino Nest Red Rice Ale which we served with an Uramaki roll (inside out) which was filled with spicy Maine crab meat and grilled asparagus.
After the pairing plate was cleared, guests were invited into the kitchen where we had platters of different sushi made up and Zeph (my Sous Chef) and I rolled sushi as fast as we could and barely kept up with the demand. For dessert we made some “sweet sushi,” a dish I created when we lived in Aruba for a culinary competition called “sushi dushi” (dushi is Papiamento for sweetheart). Sweet rice is cooked with coconut milk and sugar and is formed and rolled like sushi with fresh fruits. It’s a fun way to end a sushi party.
The “In the Kitchen Dinner Series” continues this winter with a great variety of tastings and pairings including: Cheese and wine with hors d’oeuvres, Dim Sum and beer, Spanish Tapas and wine, and another chance to experience our Sushi. For the complete schedule click here. Hope to see you in our kitchen!
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Things to do in Camden | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
 This winter we are offering a number of specialty dining experiences to excite your palate.
Lighter Fare – Monday & Tuesday Evenings - “Bistro” nights are back! We are going to change things up a little this year by alternating our weekly menus between French Bistro and Italian Trattoria fare. Available every Monday and Tuesday evening all winter long.
Save the Airfare! – Travel to foreign lands this winter without ever leaving Camden. Join us for our series of specialty “ethnic” five-course dinners featuring some of our favorite foods from a variety of exciting destinations.
In the Kitchen Dinner Series – Join Chef Michael Salmon and his team in the kitchen at the Inn for an evening of mingling, beverage pairings or tastings and plenty of great food. Click here to read more.
Upcoming Holiday Menus – Review upcoming Holiday menus here.
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Holidays, Things to do in Camden | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009
 A few weeks ago I went out with a group of mushroom enthusiasts and we came across a patch of beautiful black trumpet mushrooms (Craterellus fallax) also known as “black chanterelles.” Black trumpets can be very difficult to see, since they grow on the floor of hardwood forests and they blend in beautifully with the dried leaves that blanket the ground. Once you find one, and your eyes know what to look for, you are bound to find many more. Black trumpets are very thin and fragile so it takes quite a few to amount to anything, but WOW, do they pack in an enormous amount of flavor. If you are fortunate enough to find some, I recommend you saute some finely minced shallots in a hot pan with a little butter until translucent, add the cleaned black trumpets and saute for a few minutes (you always want to cook wild mushrooms thoroughly) to cook through. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.
Posted in Fun for Foodies, Mushrooms, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
 My friend Sharon and I went foraging for mushrooms last Saturday and she has written about our adventure on her blog “delicious musings.” It’s a nice story with some great pictures from our exploration of the Maine forest.
Click here to read about our mushroom hike on her blog.
Posted in Fun for Foodies, Mushrooms, Things to do in Camden | 1 Comment »
Sunday, September 27th, 2009
Mary Jo and I recently took a weekend trip aboard our sailboat into Penobscot Bay and did a little island and shoreline foraging. On shore we collected wild blueberries, chanterelle mushrooms and raspberries. We waded along the shoreline at low tide and collected mussels and sea urchins. Dinner that evening started with sea urchin roe, followed by steamed mussels, seared New York strip steaks with sauteed Chanterelle mushrooms and vanilla ice cream with island berries.
Posted in Chef Michael Salmon, Fun for Foodies, Mushrooms, Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
Saturday, August 15th, 2009
 As a foodie, I have an avid fascination for mushrooms. Local foragers ring my doorbell several times a week to tempt me with the forests latest offerings which often make their way onto the nightly menu and generate conversation and rave reviews from our guests.
I have been foraging mushrooms in the Maine woods for many years for what a mycologist (a biologist that studies fungi) would consider “choice edible” mushrooms. Choice edible mushrooms are those that are most sought after by chefs and are somewhat easily identifiable such as: morels, chanterelles, hen of the woods, black trumpets, puff balls, chicken of the woods and oyster mushrooms. Beyond this list of edible mushrooms, I have difficulty identifying anything else I find in the woods, which is a shame since there is a whole world of edible mushrooms out there that I should be part of. Thus, I have signed up for a mushroom identification class “Mushrooming for the Serious Enthusiast” with local mushroom expert Greg Marley. Now, into my third class, I am feeling more comfortable with my fungi friends and learning the proper techniques to positively identify mushrooms. This is the cardinal rule of edible mushrooms – “Never eat a mushroom unless it is positively identified as edible” (source: Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America) or you could get very sick and even die. So stick to the mushrooms you know, or educate yourself if you would like to dive into the unknown.
In the next few months I will be blogging about my mushroom experiences, sharing information about different species and sharing recipes, techniques and tips on preparing mushrooms. So stay tuned and happy (and safe) foraging. Also, Greg Marley publishes a great mushroom email newsletter so Email him and request to be put on his list.
Posted in Dining at the Inn, Fun for Foodies, Mushrooms, Things to do in Camden | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
In the August 2009 issue of Martha Stewart Living, Martha writes about the “heavenly” hiking in Maine. Her house is located in Seal Harbor, on Mount Desert Island, the home of Acadia National Park. Acadia is known internationally for it’s wonderful network of hiking trails through (as Martha writes) “…rocky cliffs, gentle meadows, sand and rocky beaches, and dense evergreen forests.” In addition to the great hiking in her back yard, Martha dedicated a full page to hikes in other areas of Maine and lists Camden’s Mount Megunticook in her top ten. We happen to agree with her, so pack your hiking boots on your next visit to Maine and we will send you on your way with a map to Camden Hills State Park…you may even run across Martha on the trails!
Posted in Press, Things to do in Camden | 2 Comments »
Saturday, July 4th, 2009
 Join us Labor Day weekend 2009 (September 4th, 5th, & 6th) for a celebration of Camden’s maritime heritage and living traditions. When it comes to a community party the crews, captains, craftspeople, business owners, residents, neighbors, and visitors really know how to have a great, family-friendly time in one of the world’s prettiest harbors.Tour the historic Windjammers in Camden Harbor, watch the lobster crate races and enjoy a day of fun filled activities at the Camden waterfront. This is one of the busiest weekends of the summer, so make your reservations now!
Posted in Things to do in Camden | No Comments »
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