Earth at Hidden Pond
Down a long, winding dirt road, nestled at the back of the secluded Hidden Pond resort, sits Earth - one of the best dining experiences I’ve had to date. There are so many things that led to this being such an amazing night but the top two were the service and of course, the food. I was drawn to Earth after seeing photos of it during my research for visiting Kennebunk… and wow. It has real “hygge” vibes, blending natural elements like wood, fire, and fur with modern elements like metal and industrial lighting.
My first time at Earth was this past February for their Ocean-inspired menu with my cousin, which I wrote about a little in my Kennebunkport post. This time I brought my boyfriend and treated him to a birthday dinner. He had never done a true pre-fixe meal before. There might have been tears of joy… shh!
There are two options for pre-fixe, three and four-course. I believe you can also add a la carte but don’t quote me on that. Earth’s menu changes every month to keep up with what is in season and what is locally available. We both opted for the four-course (duh) and replaced our dessert course with another appetizer. We’re savory gluttons over here! There were too many options in the first and second-course sections to not try as many as possible. And we are so happy we did, even though dessert did look amazing.
Our first courses were salmon sashimi and beef tartare. Both were phenomenal but I think the tartare won this round. It had teeny tiny potato chips on top and was served right in a bone! It was light and slightly citrusy with notes of roasted garlic. Everything was so fresh. The black garlic miso cream on the sashimi was delicious. I could have had a whole bowl of it.
The second round was just as amazing. We got lobster agnolotti and flank steak. Earth’s seafood sauces are incredible as I learned from their Ocean menu in February. The sauce for the agnolotti was like a sherry, lobster cream sauce and I could drink it. There were fat lobster chunks in the center too! The flank steak won this round with scallions and ponzu sauce. It was cooked perfectly and it was so unbelievably tender.
For our third course, we got Farro risotto with local mushrooms and tuna poke. The risotto was so creamy with a beautiful, rich truffle flavor and peas scattered throughout. The tuna was so fresh with a yummy poke sauce and fried rice paper on top for added crunch. We loved it. I think the risotto won round three because we both really love truffle when it’s done well.
For the fourth and final course, we got Thai seafood stew and the duck. Without question, the duck won this round. I mean, look at it! It has the perfect amount of fat, the perfect cook, the perfect crust. She’s beautiful. It was served with a plum hoisin sauce, delicious little mushrooms that melted in our mouths, snow peas, and a little crispy wonton. The seafood stew was also very tasty and just the right amount of spice with a good amount of shrimp, scallop, and lobster but it was not as unique as the duck.
The ultimate winning course was the duck! We had a nice discussion before I wrote this up and that is decidedly the winner. We loved it all. The service and the manager were outstanding. I had asked to move tables so I could have better lighting for photos and she gave us a great table. Her attention to detail throughout the whole restaurant was obvious and we were so impressed. She checked in on us multiple times and we felt so special. I wish I had gotten her name! Thank you to infinity.
Photo of the Potting Shed from Earth’s website
I can’t recommend Earth enough! It’s a very pricey restaurant but absolutely worth it in every way. It would be an amazing place to spend an anniversary or birthday, and they even have these private dining sheds that are equally as gorgeous as the main restaurant. The Potting Shed and the Painting Shed are on my bucket list! I mean, they’re swoon-worthy. Maybe for my 30th birthday <3