98 Provence Bistro

 It's fun to get together and have something good to eat at least once a day.

 That's what human life is all about-- enjoying things.

                                 -Julia Child

Ogunquit has many fine restaurants, and is considered a Mecca for foodies. One Ogunquit restaurant favorite is  98 Provence. This French bistro is located on Shore Road on the way to Perkins Cove.  The white farm house is accented with seasonal flowers and plants. When you enter this quaint restaurant there is a cute corner bar and warm fireplace that greets you. The dining room has wide pine floors and intimate dining with table clothes and napkins reminiscent of southern France.

My neighbors from the Leisure Inn, Pam & Rich invited Michael and I out to dinner. This is our "closing weekend" at Ogunquit Beach Inn for the season. We welcomed the chance to grab a nice hearty autumnal meal with our neighbors.

I started with a "fisherman's soup" Provence style. This bouillabaisse had fresh mussels, scallops,  hearty tomatoes and spices. My main course was Chef Pierre's special Yellowfin Tuna. The server told me that the tuna was caught that morning and was fresh. The meal was served with baby carrots and shallots  from their garden. Tuna sat on top of a cabbage souffle which made the course interesting and tasty.

Provence is the type of bistro to enjoy with friends or loved ones. We arrived at 7.30 and departed  before 10 pm.  The servers are attentive and will not rush you out like many other restaurants. If you are visiting Ogunquit, 98 Provence is well worth the trip.

The Details:
98 Provence Bistro
262 Shore Road
Ogunquit, ME 03907
Telephone 207 646 9898
http://www.98provence.com/
Reservations are suggested. Ample parking. There is a private room upstairs for larger parties. Prices are moderate for Ogunquit: $18 to $40 for entree. Full bar service with a great wine selection. Dining menu available at cozy bar.

High Heel Dash, or Drag Race - Ogunquit Style...

This past Saturday was the 2nd annual Ogunquit High Heel Dash to benefit the Franny Peabody Center of Ogunquit. The Franny Peabody Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS.
There were several hundred spectators  attending in the normally quiet Perkins Cove in Ogunquit. Ogunquit's own resident comedian, Khris Francis, officiated the "race". There were 14 men and 9 women that ran in 2 inch ( 5 cm) or bigger high heels. The course was the road and  loop around Perkins Cove. The event is also co-sponsored by the Ogunquit Chamber of Commerce and part of the OgunquitFest weekend.

Winners were Lance Powers for Best Time, Dennis Dineen with the Highest Heel ( 6.25 inches, 16 cm), and the most Outrageous Costume went to Michael Zamojski. Jimmy Lucibello of the Franny Peabody Center presents awards. The term Drag Race, has a whole new meaning in Ogunquit!

Autumn pleasures-Views of Ogunquit from 10/22/2010

Autumn is the American season. In Europe the leaves turn yellow or brown, and fall. Here they take fire on the trees and hang there flaming.
                                                                              - Archibald MacLeish

Here are some random shots of Ogunquit from today, Friday late afternoon. Its a chilly day with highs only in the 40's ( 6 to 8 Celsius), and a cool breeze. Its officially the start of OgunquitFEST weekend (an autumnal festival with various events).

 During OgunquitFest, Scarecrows are everywhere!

Ogunquit's wooden drawbrige at Perkins Cove, with a blustry westerly breeze..... 

The sign leads the way to miles of sandy beaches!

Another sign greets you entering Ogunquit on US Route One from Wells!

In the heart of Ogunquit is "world famous" MaineStreet, nightclub, cabaret bar, dance bar and video bar. Theme for Halloween is A Dirty Sexy Disney.

Pumkins are aligned on Shore Road....

Best Baked Stuffed Haddock

In the cold north Atlantic waters the sacred cod and haddock thrive. Living in Maine,  haddock is plentiful and reasonably priced. Haddock has been part of Maine diet for centuries. Haddock is a white flaky fish that is mild in flavor. Haddock can be used in chowders,  broiled, baked or deep fried for classic "Fish n' Chips".
Baked stuffed haddock is the perfect autumn meal in Maine.

Here is our version of Maine Baked Stuffed Haddock Recipe.

One pound of fresh haddock
One Can of crab meat ( "lump" Crab Meat is best)
One Cup of Panko crumbs ( Japanese bread crumbs)
half stick of melted butter
Garlic
white wine
Lemon
Salt & pepper

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.
In baking dish add 1/4 cup of white wine, garlic and a "little" bit of butter. Place haddock on top of mixture. Mix Panko bread crumbs, salt & pepper,  melted butter and crab meat together and add stuffing on top of haddock. Squeeze lemon and  bake for @ 20 minutes til fish is flaky and bread crumbs are brown.

We serve this on a bed of rice with vegetables.  Delicious!

Wells National Estuarine Reserve from the Eyes of Alan Ilagan

I enjoy seeing Ogunquit and souther Maine throught the eyes of my guests at Ogunquit Beach Inn.
Blogger/writer Alan Ilagan hiked throught the Wells National Esturine Reserve at Laudholm Farm recently.

Fall in Ogunquit – (Or The Day Alan Went on a Hike)

There’s a lot wrong with the title of this post. The word “hike” is not really part of my vocabulary, and the act itself is certainly not part of my repertoire. Of course it is being used lightly here (to me, a hike involves a mountain of some sort, and we were nowhere near as crazy as all that). In this instance it was more of a leisurely walk, though it covered a decent distance and several varied terrains.

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve sits a few miles up the coast from Ogunquit, so Andy and I took a drive there on our last full day (Sunday). It’s a glorious sanctuary of natural beauty, with everything from forests to marshes to the seashore.

It was late in the season, and the ferns had turned this ghostly color of the palest yellow. Mosses were one of the only vestiges of bright green left, lushly coating the fallen tree limbs and the tops of buried stones.

Chipmunks tussled all around us, as did a small red squirrel, but our most exciting brush with wildlife was when we stood beneath a canopy of tall pine trees and listened to the hooting and slight purring of an owl, sight unseen, but felt and heard, followed by the discovery of a regurgitated meal – possibly the gray fur of a mouse and the pit of a fruit.

We walk the Saw-whet Owl Trail through forests of maple, birch, and pine – and only meet a few other people along the way. For the most part it is just my husband and I, walking through the woods together, and if ever I go searching for the sublime, I’ll know where it can be found.

That kind of quiet is missing from most of my life, but I’ll see if I can recapture a bit of it here, letting the images supply the narrative for the rest of this post.
All photos, and text by Alan Ilagan. For more postings about Ogunquit and other things visit http://www.alanilagan.com/.

For more information about the Wells National Esturine Reserve at Laudhom Farm please visit http://www.wellsreserve.org/ The Wells Reserve is a beautiful nature preserve located less than 6 miles from Ogunquit Beach Inn

October Nor'easter

The mighty gale strikes the coast

as creatures great and small seek another course

while winds howl, and waves prowl,

no man or fowl can be saved from this force....

          -Gorio

 Today we had a mild Nor'easter. A nor'easter is a storm system that takes place along the coast of New England and the Canadian maritimes. These storms can happen anytime of the year, but usually occur during late autumn and winter months. Nor'easters form along the Atlantic coast with rotating low pressure winds that mix with rain from the tropics. These two systems collide and can produce massive rain, hurricane like winds, flooding and blizzards. The Blizzard of '78 and the "Perfect Storm of '91" were nor'easters

 Today's storm was mild for Maine. I ran along the Marginal Way and the waves were wild and turning. The coastal birds were still present, and the wind was cranking up. Gusts are expected to exceed 50 mph.

Coastal Maine storms evoke our need to be romantic and primal. A great combination!

Blogger/Innkeeper/Runner Greg lives and works in Ogunquit, Maine and enjoys what Maine has to offer!

Marginal Way, October 12th 2010

Even at this distance I can see the tides,

Upheaving, break unheard along its base,

A speechless wrath, that rises and subsides

in the white tip and tremor of the face.

                                        -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

  In mid October Ogunquit exhales like the an autumn breeze. The air is crisp and, the days can be sunny and bright. Foliage is ripening and ready to burst.

To some people, walking the Marginal Way is akin to a religious experience. The power of nature is omnipresent. Tides ebb and flow and are always changing the scenery.

There is always room on a bench along the trail in October.

Fast moving clouds paint the autumn sky.

Its nice to take time and exhale and watch nature at its best. The Marginal Way is truly spectacular.....

Maine by numbers

Many Mainers and visitors alike do not realize how big the great state of Maine is. It takes the same amount of time to drive to Madawasaka Maine, as it does to Washington DC from Ogunquit Maine (about 8 to 9 hours). The crown of Maine is further north than Montreal and Quebec City.
*There is 33,000 square miles in Mane
*1,300,000 population of Maine
*1300 year round population for Ogunquit
*16 Counties
*3500 miles of coastline in Maine (more than California and Florida!)
* 17 Million acres of forest
* 41 persons per square mile in Maine
* 300 persons per square mile in Ogunquit during the winter
* 6000 lakes and ponds in Maine
* 1641, Ogunquit settled by English
* 1607, first European settlement in Maine, by Frenchman Pierre Dugua at St-Croix, ME
* 1525, Spaniard Voyager, Esteban Gomez, explored and mapped Maine, naming Campobello, Saco, Casco Bay and Bahia Profundo (Bay of Fundy).
* One Syllable. Maine is the only state that is one syllable long
* 306 Miles. Route 95 in Maine
* One Ogunquit Beach Inn

Blow ye North Wind

Blow ye north wind, blow!

your breath shakes me bones,

zephyr's winds howl across the parabolic dunes

blow ye north wind, blow!

leaves dance across stone walls

as threatening winter breath flows

Blow ye north wind, blow!

your gusts shake waves

 as nautical birds look for prey

Blow ye north wind, blow!
sea grass sways as autumn  rain sweeps through

the coastal plain...

                                       -Gorio Testa



October Running.......

the sand sinks as  my feet make the rhythmic daily cycle that is my run.

my lungs breathe the cool air and exhale yesterdays sorrows.

the sun slowly rises and warms my crown.

hypnotic waves are the only sounds that fill my antenna.

wind and  spray awakens the senses from yesterdays toil.

a new day begins, and I arise like the sun with every cresting wave....
                                           -Gorio Testa