Nine Maine restaurants attained AAA Four and Five Diamond ratings this year. The White Barn Inn in Kennebunk maintained its Five Diamond status, the highest rating that AAA bestows; there are just 67 AAA Five Diamond restaurants in North America, according the organization, which has been handing out the ratings for more than 80 years.
Maine restaurants awarded Four Diamonds this year are Back Bay Grill, Hugo’s and Fore Street in Portland; Earth at Hidden Pond in Kennebunkport; Walkers Maine in Cape Neddick; Ocean Restaurant in Kennebunkport; Natalie’s in Camden; and Primo in Rockland.
The White Barn Inn is a longtime Five Diamond restaurant, and one of just six in New England. Walkers Maine achieved its four diamond-status after being open for only a year. It was one of 22 restaurants in New England awarded Four Diamonds.
If you’re eager to try some of these places, you may have to wait. Several are on winter break. Walkers Maine will re-open March 14 with its new spring menu. Ocean Restaurant, located at the Cape Arundel Inn & Resort, will re-open March 22. Primo and Earth are seasonal restaurants. Primo traditionally re-opens on Mother’s Day weekend, and while Earth is hosting a series of special dinners this spring, it won’t re-open for the season until May.
NEW OFFERINGS
In April 2017, I spent a weekday at Le Garage, the longtime Wiscasset restaurant that closed the following Sunday, after serving the community for 40 years. The space, which has a stunning view of the Sheepscot River, has been on the market for two years. News flash: Ed Colburn, a chef with strong ties to Maine who has been working at The Daily Catch restaurant in Brookline, Massachusetts, and other Boston-area restaurants, bought Le Garage from Cheryl “Shep” Rust earlier this month.
BREAKFAST AT ARTEMESIA
Artemesia Cafe, at 61 Pleasant St. in Portland, is now serving breakfast from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday through Friday. The cafe still serves lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends.
DOBETTER CAMPAIGN
Good To-Go, a Kittery company that produces dehydrated meals for camping and backpacking, invited its customers to donate meals to a nonprofit group this year during the holidays. The company just announced that the appeal, called the “DoBetter campaign,” resulted in 768 meals being donated to Team Rubicon, a nonprofit group of military veterans and first responders who provide aid after natural disasters such as hurricanes and winter storms.
CORRECTION
A quick correction to last week’s column: Although the day-long Maine Seaweed Festival was indeed canceled in 2016, it was re-organized and relocated to Rockland from South Portland last summer as the Maine Seaweed Fair. This year, the fair, sponsored by farmed seaweed companies, is scheduled to be held at Snow Marine Park in Rockland from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 20. Admission is free, and activities will range from cooking demonstrations to educational programs. An earlier celebration of seaweed, Seaweed Week: A Food and Drink Celebration of Maine’s Kelp Harvest, is scheduled for April 26-May 4 in Portland. The week will kick off at Maine Craft Distilling on Washington Avenue, where seaweed-smoked whiskey is made.
Meredith Goad can be contacted at 791-6332 or at:
mgoad@pressherald.com
Twitter: MeredithGoad
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