Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine

Arrows Restaurant in Ogunquit, Maine is an amazing farm to table dining experience.  They are positioned on almost an acre of land, with a restored 18th century farmhouse and garden.  The farmhouse has a large dining area perfect for an event or just a luxurious meal with friends or family.  Their beautiful garden produces the majority of vegetables they use for each delectable dish.  It provides at least 15 varieties of lettuce each year, along with a wide variety of root vegetables, tomatoes, and berries.  These can all vary depending on season or the whims of the growers.  They utilize their very own greenhouse and cold frames to ensure you are provided with the freshest ingredients through out the year.  Arrows also cures their own meats and makes their own cheeses.  The founding chefs pioneered sustainable dining when they opened this restaurant.

The fine dining experience at Arrows is incredible.  You can start off with delicious small tapas from the cart, such as home pickled vegetables, deviled eggs with truffle, smoked salmon and toast, and eggplant with sesame chips.  Next you can choose one of their wonderful appetizers.  Among these are a crispy tempura Maine cod sandwich, a lobster gratin with creamed endive, gruyere cheese and toasted walnuts, as well as a mascarpone tortellini with meatballs, preserved lemon sauce and lava beans.  On the lighter side, there is always a salad available made with the fresh hand picked produce from the garden.  Help yourself to a warm radicchio and dandelion green salad with house cured bacon, fire roasted peaches and candied hazelnuts.  Also available is my favorite, the bitter sweet salad, fresh crisp endive, over a thin layer of sliced melon for just the right amount of cool sweetness, and crispy prosciutto to add that bit of salty flavor as well, deliciously balanced.

Next, you will need to choose an entree. This will be difficult as every dish sounds amazing, and Arrows offers a wide variety of proteins.  Plancha seared redfish with warm garden vegetable salad, lamb shank braised in the smoker with cherries and a grilled brochette of Maine shrimp and cod cakes with clams, lemon and ancho sauce are just a few of the choices.  There are two dishes I would highly recommend as well. The first is a grilled tenderloin of beef and oxtail pate with a delicious creamy root vegetable sauce and crispy onions.  The second is the aromatic duck, cooked perfectly, smoked in banana leaves with a curry and mango-onion sambal that makes a beautiful sweet and spicy compliment to the duck.  All of the entrees are served with aligot potatoes and fresh seared garden greens.

Dessert is an array selection of gourmet homemade sweets.  There is a trio of puddings, homemade doughnuts with espresso ice cream, and an almond cake with brown sugared peaches, thyme streusel and mascarpone ice cream.

Do not forget to pair any course with a wine from their extensive selection available or try on of the featured cocktails.  If you really want the ultimate dining experience, allow the chef to create your six course tasting menu which you can add wine pairings to.  Or indulge yourself and have the oysters on a half shell, caviar service with lemon and brioche, or try the selection of artisan French cheeses with rhubarb-strawberry compote and brioche.  Whatever you choose from Arrows, you can be sure that the the ingredients have been are as fresh as possible and your gourmet dish skillfully created by one of these incredible chefs.