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Kennebunkport Festival: Food, Wine, Art
The Kennebunkport Festival, which takes place during the first week in June, is a wine festival, a food festival and an art festival, all in the destination where you can sink your toes into the meaning of the term “summer vacation.” Planning for the 2012 Festival is well underway, with some of the participating chefs already revealed! You can keep up with the latest by liking the Festival on facebook.
All of us at Captain Fairfield Inn were lucky enough to enjoy several events at the 2011 Festival. Here we share with you some of our experiences…
Pop the Kennebunks
As soon as we arrived at the William Farley Estate for Pop the Kennebunks, it became clear that this was truly a celebration of everything that Kennebunkport represents: good times with great food and drink in a beautiful location. This was no ordinary backyard party; crystal chandeliers hung from the sweeping tent’s ceiling, table upon table greeted guests with savories and sweets, and at the epicenter – a large wine bar where Cellardoor Winery was bustling to serve glass after glass of their well-crafted libations. While some guests had donned their finest tuxedos, ball gowns and costume jewelry, others appeared more nonchalant, yet all were wearing the ease of the good life in Kennebunkport. The gala paid homage to all the local treats Maine is lucky to claim, like fresh oysters still salty from the sea, robust wines, and fun music by local band Secret Service. The energy that resonated from Pop the Kennebunks is a great start to the summer and initiates all the good things to come.
- Hillary & Nate
Grand Tasting
That first bite moment. The restaurant everyone’s been telling you to try, an artfully presented dish, ingredients you love, a novel combination or preparation… You take that bite, then pause, then – “Mmm, that’s good.” At the Grand Tasting, you get to experience that moment again and again. On a sunny early summer afternoon on the porch at The Colony Hotel, overlooking the Atlantic, we meandered from table to table, sampling food from Maine restaurants and wine from national and international wineries. There were sixty restaurants and wineries, and although we didn’t have a chance to visit all of them, there are some that still linger in our minds. David’s definitely generated some buzz with their Mushroom Risotto Balls with Lobster and Truffled Microgreens. Several people told me, “You have to try those!” They were right – amazing. The Lobster Cakes from 95 Ocean were also delicious. Hmm – a trend here? But not every restaurant elected to feature fruits of the sea – there were plenty of other choices. Chef Jonathan Cartwright presented the White Barn Inn’s Crispy Braised Beef Short Rib with Sauce Remoulade (ribs from a Maine farm, Archer Angus, in Chesterville, Maine!), and Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, of Arrows, MC Perkins Cove and Summer Winter, showed off a steak with Mom’s Sauce (which they are now making available to their fans!). We also enjoyed wine tasting (many of the wines are represented here in Maine by Nappi Distributors), and liked C’est La Vie Pinot Noir/Syrah so much that we’ve added it to our wine list at Captain Fairfield. As the afternoon wore on, we had to make another lap around for some sweet samples. Gelato Fiasco, as usual, did not disappoint, and we loved Academe’s version of “Cookies and Milk.” We were pleasantly surprised to discover Black Dinah Chocolatiers of Isle Au Haut, Maine, and are considering offering their chocolates as an a la carte item at Captain Fairfield. Well, I’ve gone on long enough – but there were just so many memorable moments of sipping, sampling, and savoring at this year’s Grand Tasting.
- Leigh
Brews & Tunes
After enjoying the early part of the afternoon at the Grand Tasting, we headed over to Brews & Tunes, an event new to the Festival this year. The venue – the boatyard next to the Kennebunk River and the Pilot House Restaurant – set the scene for this nothing-fancy, laid-back summer party. Part of the yard was covered with a tent but many people opted to hang out in the late afternoon sun while they enjoyed several local craft beers from Maine and some great live music. We got there in time to catch most of the Gypsy Tailwind set (GT being our favorite Maine band), which was definitely enjoyed by the crowd of a hundred or so. Sadly, we just heard that this great up-and-coming group has broken up to pursue individual projects, so as it turned out we were lucky enough to have seen one of their last shows in Maine.
- Rob
How to Revel in the Fall in Kennebunkport, Maine
Often I find myself living in a world where things exist purely for their function – or they’re just there as I whiz by on my way to get another thing on my to-do list done. But when I see the world through the eyes of my daughter, who is now nearly 9 months old, I remember that the world is full of colors, shapes, textures, sounds, scents and flavors, and we are here to experience and enjoy it. Another thing that brings me back to this part of life is traveling.
Fall foliage at Captain Fairfield Inn
Autumn in New England is rich; there is so much to experience and savor. Of course it all starts with the New England fall foliage – vibrant hues of orange, red and gold against skies that are never as brilliantly blue as this time of year. Enjoying the foliage starts right outside our door at Captain Fairfield Inn, your Kennebunkport inn, as we are surrounded by towering elms and maples. The last week in September and the first two to three weeks in October are a good bet for peak foliage, but you can get help from the leaf peeping pros who provide Maine foliage maps, Maine foliage reports, Maine foliage blogs, and photos of the Maine foliage at specific locations.
How best to take in the scenery? May we suggest a good old fashioned bike ride. Feel invigorated and carefree as you coast along. We are happy to arrange rentals for you. Or even better, our Autumn Escape package will turn your stay at Captain Fairfield into a true autumn experience with bike rentals, a gourmet picnic lunch and suggested routes for your ride (just some of the included amenities!). If you’d rather paddle than peddle, you can try an afternoon of kayaking and enjoy the foliage from the unique vantage point of the Kennebunk River.
After your adventure, you could return to the Inn and lounge outside in an Adirondack chair while enjoying a local apple and cheese board and a bottle of wine from our boutique wine list. Maybe it has something to do with working up an appetite, but there are few things as sweet and crisp as biting into a McIntosh after a day outdoors.
No doubt that dinner is in the plans during your fall vacation. If you are staying at Captain Fairfield Inn, you can stroll into downtown, where there are several highly recommended Kennebunkport restaurants to choose from. Bandaloop, for one, is a great spot in the fall; you can take in the warm, funky atmosphere as you start off with a bowl of Bandaloop soup (changes daily but always delicious). Walk back to the Inn among the historic homes, with crackling leaves beneath your feet, the smell of wood smoke in the crisp air, the starry sky above.
There is so much of the season to enjoy in Kennebunkport, but if you want to explore more of Maine, Kennebunkport makes the perfect base for day-trips up the coast to Bath, Brunswick and Camden or inland to the lakes region. You could even plan your trip around one of Maine’s fall fairs or festivals, which show off the proud agricultural traditions of Maine and usually coincide with the harvest. Check out the Cumberland County Fair, Strawbery Banke Museum’s Fall Festival, the Fryeburg Fair (Maine’s largest agricultural fair), Eliot Festival Days, or the York Maine Oktoberfest – all within driving distance of Kennebunkport.
If you have your own suggestions for “autumny” things that you enjoy, we’d love to know! Share them with others at our facebook page. Wherever you are this fall, we hope you are able to take the time to relish the pleasures the season has to offer.
