It’s “Heaven” at Earth… at Hidden Pond Resort in Kennebunkport


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magine a cozy fi replace…dramatic low candlelight…reclaimed wood beams and natural décor…soft music…and you’re sipping cocktails made from herb infused spirits and muddled fruits


while waiting for your dinner. You’re probably envisioning your dream living room right? Well, you can have all this and more at Earth Restaurant at the Hidden Pond Resort in Kennebunk- port, Maine.


Earth is exquisite. I can honestly


say after having traveled to Europe, the Caribbean, most of the United States – including Las Vegas which claims to have the best restaurants in the world (I beg to differ) – that Earth is an experience not to be missed. To date, it ranks in the top fi ve restaurants that I’ve dined at in the last ten years of traveling. Why? Because not only is the food amazing, but so is the décor, the ambience, the staff and the property. Rarely have I seen a place that has it all. Enter Earth…


Nestled amongst balsam trees and


birch forest, Earth is the result of a vision… one that embraces community and supports relationships between the world of outstand- ing cuisine and the farmers and foragers who provide the tools with which they compose incredible meals. Earth has brought the outside in with walls built from the trees cut to clear the site – gotta love that for sustainability. Suspended high above the dining area is a beautifully preserved apple tree dotted with tiny lights that serves as the room’s chandelier. Candlelight creates a warm glow that permeates the space and as you dine overlooking the pond, a nightly outdoor bonfi re crackles and sparks to further enhance your experience. And if you happen to be lucky enough to dine outside on a warm night, don’t worry about pesky insects or chemical insect repellant. They’ve even thought of that and use lavender and eucalyptus to keep bugs away. But let’s get to the food – which will be well worth your 3 hour


drive if coming from Connecticut or just a hop, skip and a jump away if you live in Portland. After my delightful interview with Executive Chef Justin Walker and his wife, I learned that the menu changes almost daily as a result of Walker’s intuition. “Do I want


to eat this?” is a question he asks himself about each dish that’s created and prepared. Simple yet innovative, Earth’s menu focuses on farm to table freshness and seasonality. In addition to using local meats and seafood, ingredients are used from two onsite organic gardens, picked daily and incorporated into each dish. You’ll even fi nd fresh fi gs in these gardens! “The dish is a sum of all of its parts, “


says Walker. That’s how he comes up with creations that you would never think of, like Wood Roasted Meatballs with Sweet Peppers. We also dined on Roasted Hali- but with Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, Dates, Fennel and Husk Cherries. Don’t miss the Maltagliati with Poached Lobster, Chili and Fennel or the Tortelli with Fava Beans, Onion Fondue, Stinging Nettles and Black Trumpets. For cocktails, we tried the Creole Swizzle with Aged Rum, Cre- ole Shrub, Falernum, Blood Orange and Lime and the Garden Shed Shandy made with Mezcal, Ginger Liquor, Orange Juice, Lime and Pomelo Bitter. They make all of their bitters, tinctures, tea and grenadine and use only fresh juices. Some of the local purveyors they use are Breezy Hill Farm, Black Rock Farm, Browne Trading and Serendipity Ranch. Chef Walker discovered his love for cooking at an early age while preparing


holiday meals with his grandfather. Through an externship with the New England Culinary Institute, he found his way to acclaimed Ogunquit, ME restaurant, Arrows in 1998. During his tenure, Chef Walker had the honor of cooking at the James Beard House, was part of the Arrows team that earned a James Beard Award and was recognized by essentially every food related publication and in press, such as Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Gourmet and NBC’s “The Today Show”, for outstanding cuisine. It’s not hard to see why after you’ve dined at Earth, but really you might think you’re actually in Heaven.


Submitted by Dr. Diane Hindman. Earth at Hidden Pond is located at 354 Goose Rocks Rd in Kennebunkport. Visit www.earthathid- denpond.com or call 207-967-6550.


www.EssentialLivingMaine.com 9


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