The Maine Event
Oysters, sourdough, strawberries, oh my
Hello from Mount Desert, Maine! It’s my first time here (a check on my summer bucket list) and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Tilden and I are visiting her wonderful aunt Ann, Frank, and their sweet dog Goose (he’s under a year so a very silly goose). We’ve spent the weekend visiting farm stands, cooking, and soaking in the views. So much of what we’ve eaten is very local which is such a treat. It’s strawberry season right now and we got oysters from a man who knew the farmer by name. I’m so grateful to have this time away (we fly back later this afternoon) and to see a new place. Writing in a log cabin as it rains softly outside is a nice change of pace.
On Thursday, paid subscribers will get more reads and an ode to dips and all their potential.
Now, let’s dive in.
Something to cook:
Julia and I cooked dinner together on Tuesday and made yogurt flatbreads with a chickpea and tomato topping (we very loosely followed this recipe), feta, and a yogurt sauce. Then we watched Almost Famous, which I had never seen! Definitely recommend if you liked Daisy Jones!
I made orzo salad and packed it for lunch (a win). One day, the container opened and the salad fell on the floor (not a win). But 2/3 isn’t bad.
On Friday night, we had an incredible dinner. Ann shucked oysters from Dorr Lobster in Ellsworth, we made a salad with local lettuce, feta, carrots, cucumber, basil from the garden and a peach balsamic vinaigrette, and we had the best radishes I’ve had from Beech Hill Farm with local butter and flakey salt. We served everything with fig and fennel sourdough from Seafolk sourdough. Ann made a mignonette to go with the oysters and the meal was top tier. Maine is a great place to be a vegetarian who eats bivalves.
For dessert, Tilden and I made a strawberry rhubarb crumble with local fruit. I based the topping on
’s apple crumble and we used a mix of local whole grains in addition to the oats. We served it with local (how many times can I say local) malted vanilla ice cream. 10/10.
On Saturday, we went slightly out of season and made squash toasts with more Seafolk sourdough, local mussels with shallots, herbs, and white wine, and salad. We shopped for groceries at different small shops and farm stands, which was an ideal activity. It was such a treat to cook with such fresh ingredients! I’m someone who loves cooking on vacation and Tilden and I love cooking together so this was a really special experience.
Something to order:
We had a team picnic to celebrate Angela’s birthday with sandwiches and potato chips from Court Street Grocers. The vegitalian is a classic for a reason, with butternut squash, three kinds of cheese, arugula, and more. Amy brought cookies from Japan that were really good.
We stopped in Ellsworth on the ride from Bangor to pick up lunch at 86 This. They have a wide array of wraps and I got the Yam I Am with black beans, sweet potatoes, pico de gallo, avocado, and chipotle crema. We also grabbed coffee at Flexit cafe where an ice coffee with oat milk was $3.08! A wonderful welcome.
If you’re going to Maine, just go to all the local markets. In addition to the ones I already mentioned, stop at Sawyer’s for edible gifts (I got local seaweed seasoning, locally roasted coffee, and local popcorn kernels). The Gallery at Somes Sound is also a must visit to see furniture and all kinds of art, presented with beautiful view. We also drove to the top of Cadillac Mountain (you have to reserve a timeslot now) and the views were stunning. My grandma gave me one of Pop Pop’s hats from Acadia National Park when I visited her so it was special to wear it there. We also took a seaside walk in Bar Harbor and visited the farmer’s market.
On Sunday evening, we had dinner at Copita in Northeast Harbor with Tilden’s uncle (loved getting to meet the whole family), which was absolutely delicious. Highlights included the crispy artichoke and mussels in a ginger broth with crispy wontons.
Something to read:
Find more to read in Thursday’s newsletter.
New York, there’s an election tomorrow! Check your polling place here and review the Soft Power voting guide before going to the polls.
I love seeing so many global plant based cookbooks
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Have a great week and thank you for being here!
xo, Abigail
Yesss! So happy to see Dorr Seafood made an appearance here! It’s where we get seafood for almost every occasion (unless it comes straight from the fisherperson).
Glad you enjoyed Maine 🦪