A Meal to Remember: Arrows Restaurant

Before heading up to Ogunquit, Bret and I did a lot of research on which restaurants we wanted to check out.  We looked online, got recommendations from our friends and fellow food bloggers, and even asked some locals once we got here.  One restaurant was named over and over again - Arrows Restaurant.  There is no way to even begin describing Arrows' long list of awards and accolades.  When the chefs are named Best Chefs in the Northeast by the James Beard Foundation, you can't help but get excited.  But what I really was looking forward to was checking out their famous garden, which is right outside the restaurant.  This garden supplies virtually all of the specialty produce for the restaurant and this is truly local food at its best.

After making reservations well over a month in advance, our date night finally arrived on Wednesday and we headed off to Arrows. 

Even though we had an early 6 PM reservation, I insisted that we get there early so that I could stroll around and take photos.  We were greeted in the parking lot by a server who had an amuse bouche of a cucumber and olive oil gazpacho.  Bret and I were both completely surprised by this but we welcomed the gazpacho as it was a hot summer evening!  Normally I'm not a fan of gazpacho but the cucumber flavor was so refreshing that I wanted more than just a small taste!

We had some time to kill before our reservation so we wandered around the garden and I nearly swooned.  This was so beautiful and I loved knowing where many of my meal's ingredients would be coming from.  I have to share some pictures with you:

We finally entered the restaurant and I was in love with the gorgeous decor in the dining room.

Bret and I were seated at a wonderful table overlooking the flower garden.  The table setting was simple but incredibly romantic.

We perused the menu and decided to splurge on the ten-course indulgence menu.  Since we weren't sure what the plates would be, Bret and I decided to meet in the middle with a bottle of rose.  Armed with the most efficient, considerate, and wonderful servers, our ten-course dining journey began.

We began the evening with their delicious garlic bread rolls.  The garlic aroma was so strong and I happily took in a huge whiff when our server approached us with the bread basket.

Our first course included two delicious Dodge Cove oysters deep fried with smoked pepper relish, house-cured bacon bits and fried sage.  The oysters had a nice crispy cornmeal-fried crust and the oyster itself was so succulent.  The bacon added a nice element to the smokey pepper relish and the fried sage added a nice crispy touch. 

Then we were onto the Arrows' "non traditional" Peking duck with tender duck breast, crispy duck skin, fried leeks, hoisin sauces, mini steamed bun, scallions, pickles, poached ginger and boiled peanuts.  The presentation was absolutely stunning and I adored that they set a pair of chopsticks with this slate dish.

Our third course was a salad of fresh garden tomatoes with fried basil-shallot salad atop a tamarind vinaigrette.  The tomatoes were so plump and juicy.  There were three kinds of basil in this salad but what stood out to me were the citrus notes of the lemon basil.  I will definitely be learning more about lemon basil when I get home! And of course the crispy shallots added a nice level of crunch to this dish. 

We moved onto some lobster, which was served two ways.  The first was a grilled Maine lobster tail and the second was a lemongrass butter poached lobster claw and knuckles.  This was served with a Thai red curry sauce.  Bret does not even like lobster and he couldn't help but adore this dish.  The grilled Maine lobster tail was simple and yet flavorful but the butter poached lobster claw stole the show and simply made you groan out loud in its tenderness.  I could eat this dish every day and never tire of it.

Our next course included more seafood with a cedar-wrapped wild salmon with house-cured bacon and mushroom ragout, whiskey roasted onion, haricot verts, and crispy potato.  This dish was so elegantly presented that it seemed a shame to break into it.  The crispy potato can only be likened to a refined potato croquette or even more simply, a tater tot.  Bret said that he could have eaten a dozen of them. 

We were then onto our meat courses and a beautifully plated lamb chop soon arrived.  The grilled lamb chop was serve with spicy coriander and paprika-spiced tomato sauce, along with a mint-parsley sauce.  By this time, I was seriously getting full and could only nibble at my lamb even though the tomato sauce was seriously addictive.

Our final meat course of the evening was of course a beef course.  We were served the most generous piece of red-wine poached tenderloin of beef with warm sauteed Swiss chard.  A sliver of the most melt-in-your mouth sauteed calves liver lay atop the tenderloin and this was accompanied with an onion marmalade.  My appetite began to fail me and I only managed to attack a quarter of the soft tenderloin.  I did manage to eat all of my liver as this is one of my favorites. 

Our server had noticed our struggling appetites and had paced the plates progessively slower as the courses began to get heavier.  He even suggested that we take a stroll through the garden, which was actually fairly customary with those enjoying one of the tasting menus.  I absolutely adored that Arrows was focused on the dining experience and not about turning tables.  Bret and I took our glasses of wine and took a few minutes to stroll around and to simply enjoy the evening.

When we returned, we moved onto the final courses of the evening.  Our cheese course included a beet relish, pitted cherry, a hard Wisconsin cheese along with thin slivers of peach and plum, and toasted brioche.  Although I was a tad disappointed about the use of a Wisconsin cheese versus one from New England, all was forgiven as I tasted the local beets, cherry, peach and plums.  The lighting wasn't the best for this photo (or the next two dessert courses) but I appreciated the simple yet elegant plating.

I ordered my favorite after-cocktail drink, which Bret always teases me mercilessly about - Bailey's on the rocks.  I don't care that it is an old lady drink; I adore it.

Our first dessert course was a frozen citrus log topped with a gingerbread cookie crumble.  The texture was fantastic - a bit more frosty and icy than a sorbet.  The gingerbread crumble added a nice spicy flavor but it wasn't quite crunchy enough for me.

Our final course was a beautiful oversized macaroon of sorts.  Two hazelnut crisps were held together with a creamy hazelnut-thyme filling.  Although we were given both a spoon and a fork, our server encouraged us to eat this with our hands like an ice cream sandwich.  The hazelnut crisp was so light and airy while the hazelnut filling with rich and decadent.  This whimsical dessert stole my heart and my only regret is not getting a decent photo of it.

Over three hours later, Bret and I walked out of Arrows feeling as if we had experienced something magical.  We have had some amazing tasting menus but this was truly something special.  By using local ingredients, everything just tasted that much fresher.  You couldn't help but really savor every flavor in every bite.  But it was more than just the food.  The decor and the gardens made you feel like you were someplace else - someplace out of this world.  And the service was always attentive but never noticed.  This was truly a one of a kind dining experience and probably the best culinary experience I've had to date.  Our meal at Arrows is sincerely a memory that I will forever cherish.

Arrows Restaurant is located at 41 Berwick Road, Cape Neddick, Maine.