During my honeymoon in Maine, Leah and I were blessed with the opportunity to experience some of Maine’s premier cuisine at the Hurricane Restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine. Kennebunkport is a fashionable, quaint and charming town, nestled along the rocky coast just south of Portland. The coastal town is home of the Rachel Carson national Wildlife Preserve, and is known for its long sandy beaches, rocky coastline, and for its history (dating back to 1653).
After experiencing the beaches, and the local wildlife, it’s customary for visitors to stroll the small town shops and boutiques, and then to stop at one of Kennebunkport’s many fine restaurants. Our stop was at the local favorite Hurricane Restaurant, which is located right along the main square of Kennebunkport, the Dock Square. Upon walking in, you’re greeted with a wall of fabulous wines, a small bar, and then as you venture to a table, views of the Kennebunk river come into view through every window. Leah and I found the whole scene to be a magical, and romantic spot.
Hurricane Restaurant offers fresh local seafood, locally grown produce and fine prime meats daily. In-house, Luanne MacDonald has employed a personal chef and pastry chef who customizes the menu each day with the finest and freshest product, and that came through in the rich flavors and in the quality of their seafood; but more on that later. Hurricane prides itself on top quality food as well as a diverse wine list that features over 130 selections by bottle and 60 by glass; which has won them Wine Spectator awards for over 15 years in a row.
After experiencing the beaches, and the local wildlife, it’s customary for visitors to stroll the small town shops and boutiques, and then to stop at one of Kennebunkport’s many fine restaurants. Our stop was at the local favorite Hurricane Restaurant, which is located right along the main square of Kennebunkport, the Dock Square. Upon walking in, you’re greeted with a wall of fabulous wines, a small bar, and then as you venture to a table, views of the Kennebunk river come into view through every window. Leah and I found the whole scene to be a magical, and romantic spot.
Hurricane Restaurant offers fresh local seafood, locally grown produce and fine prime meats daily. In-house, Luanne MacDonald has employed a personal chef and pastry chef who customizes the menu each day with the finest and freshest product, and that came through in the rich flavors and in the quality of their seafood; but more on that later. Hurricane prides itself on top quality food as well as a diverse wine list that features over 130 selections by bottle and 60 by glass; which has won them Wine Spectator awards for over 15 years in a row.
We had the pleasure of having the House Smoked Tuna Pastrami as a starter, which married a beautiful and rich tasting tuna pastrami with dijon aioli, shaved pecorino, red onion, and rye toast. The flavors were bursting and it was difficult to not eat each and every bite, because we knew we needed to save room for our main course and desert. For our main course, Leah had the Hurricane Garlic Shrimp, which is a fresh fettuccine entree with a large garlic clove nestled between shrimp, shallots, and finished with a white wine, garlic butter sauce that was to die for… Her words, not mine. However, I did try it and found her meal to be quite delectable.
For my dinner, I opted for their famous Mediterranean Seafood Stew, which was recommended by the fine folks over at the 1802 House bed and breakfast. While I found the meal to be very enjoyable, I was ill-prepared for how massive this entree was. The Mediterranean Seafood Stew is less of a stew and more of a tour of Maine’s seafood, steamed and placed in a large bowl. The stew included half of a Maine lobster with lots of shrimp, sea scallops, rope cultured mussels, and littleneck clams with a hint of smokehouse almond-basil pesto. The shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection, while the lobster was a bit tougher, yet still so delicious.
For desert, Hurricane’s in-house pastry chef spoiled us with the best desert of our entire trip, the Native Blueberry Pie. Topped with a creamy french vanilla ice cream, the Native Blueberry Pie was cooked to absolute perfection, with a fresh and sweet crumbling pie crust that gave way to a feast of tiny and flavorful wild Maine blueberries. To say that it was the best pie I’ve ever had is of no hyperbole, and is meant solely to give justice to the passionate art that is the Native Blueberry Pie. If you do one thing in all of Maine, try their pie!
Hurricane Restaurant
Dock Square, Kennebunkport
29 Dock Square
PO Box 1801
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
(207) 967-9111
www.hurricanerestaurant.com
If you would like to learn more about the Hurricane Restaurant, click here.
For my dinner, I opted for their famous Mediterranean Seafood Stew, which was recommended by the fine folks over at the 1802 House bed and breakfast. While I found the meal to be very enjoyable, I was ill-prepared for how massive this entree was. The Mediterranean Seafood Stew is less of a stew and more of a tour of Maine’s seafood, steamed and placed in a large bowl. The stew included half of a Maine lobster with lots of shrimp, sea scallops, rope cultured mussels, and littleneck clams with a hint of smokehouse almond-basil pesto. The shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection, while the lobster was a bit tougher, yet still so delicious.
For desert, Hurricane’s in-house pastry chef spoiled us with the best desert of our entire trip, the Native Blueberry Pie. Topped with a creamy french vanilla ice cream, the Native Blueberry Pie was cooked to absolute perfection, with a fresh and sweet crumbling pie crust that gave way to a feast of tiny and flavorful wild Maine blueberries. To say that it was the best pie I’ve ever had is of no hyperbole, and is meant solely to give justice to the passionate art that is the Native Blueberry Pie. If you do one thing in all of Maine, try their pie!
Hurricane Restaurant
Dock Square, Kennebunkport
29 Dock Square
PO Box 1801
Kennebunkport, ME 04046
(207) 967-9111
www.hurricanerestaurant.com
If you would like to learn more about the Hurricane Restaurant, click here.
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