SeaGrass Bistro

So: you're going out with new friends for the first time on a Friday night.  ...What do you do?  Go To Dinner!! (And try a new place while you're at it!)  After all, food is the ultimate equalizer and a great place to establish some common ground.

We asked our friends to join us at the SeaGrass Bistro located at 305 US Route 1 in Yarmouth, ME.

Chef/Owner Stephanie Brown had just introduced her new menu on Tuesday (she changes it up every three weeks to keep things fresh and exciting) and we were intrigued by so many things immediately that it was difficult to decide exactly what to order.  Stephanie takes the time to ensure that her menu is 100% up to date and accurate on her website too, so be sure to check it out at: www.seagrassbistro.com.  Needless to say, with four of us dining, we were able to sample most everything on the menu in each category, but here's what we chose for our first courses: Cream of Broccoli soup with Cheddar, Fried Calamari, Duck Confit and last but not least, Foie Gras.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say that we were all comfortable sharing each of our plates with one another (because we did).  Here's how things broke down:

The Cream of Broccoli Soup with Shaved Cheddar was absolutely scrumptious!  Creamy, flavorful, seasoned perfectly and balanced with both flavors of broccoli and cheddar coming through in complementary fashion.  The Fried Calamari with Fresh Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette was (in Aaron's words) "unbelievably fresh and crisp".  I did sample the vinaigrette that accompanied the Calamari and I'd have to agree that it was truly amazing.  The Duck Confit with House made Pasta and Sauteed Mushrooms was in Kate's words: "to die for".  The meat was mild, sweet and a perfect compliment to the fresh pasta and mushrooms.  Alas, the Foie Gras... The last time I had such a good Foie Gras was... Wait, I can't do that to Stephanie.  It melted on my tongue like butter on a hot knife!  Pow, right in the kisser!  The flavors exploded on the palate like great Foie Gras should.  The accompanying crostini was also quite tasty (home made) although I chose to eat it separately from my Foie Gras. 

I suppose at this point I should disclose the wine of the night.  Everyone agreed on a red so.. a bottle of the 2007 Esprit De Beaucastel, Tablas Creek Vineyard, an estate grown and bottled selection made it's way to our table.  This distinctively Paso Robles blend of Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah and Counoise was a fine choice to pair with most everything we ate.  It is a fully bodied, inky, jammy, fruit-forward mouthful of joy!  There.  How was that for a description?  Strong enough to stand up to the very fatty Foie Gras, the acidity and fruit were a perfect match for both the Duck and the Calamari, and don't even get me started on how well it went with our entrees!!!

For our entrees we had the following: Kathy and Kate chose the Grilled Olive Oil Marinated Tenderloin, Aaron had the Artichoke and Shrimp Crusted Hake and I chose the Grilled Veal Tenderloin.  For as many times as I have ranted openly about the poor representation of properly prepared steaks in the Greater Portland area in the past couple of years, SeaGrass definately nailed it all the way around.  Both of the steaks were ordered to different temps and were delivered perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, wonderfully presented and were so tender that they could have been cut with a butter knife!  The Port wine reduction was quite an extraordinary sauce to accompany these beautifully prepared meats.  The Fillets were served on a bed of wilted greens with home made Bleu Cheese Puff Pastry Turnovers that were flaky, golden-brown and aromatic as well as delicious.  (Insert mental image of a big-bodied-mouthful of red wine here and you'll understand just how perfectly the wine went with it!)  Aaron's Artichoke Shrimp Crusted Hake was served with a Lemon Buerre Blanc, Green Beans and Seared Polenta Cake.  The Hake was fresh, fleshy and remarkably good in Aaron's own words. (I will make note here that he wasn't drinking the Esprit De Beaucastel with his fish for all you proper food-wine pairing conscientious individuals out there...)  In all honesty, I believe we sort of convinced Aaron to try this entree out when we ordered, but he certainly liked it immensely!  Kudos again to Stephanie and her Chefs on a job well done.  Last but not least, for my main course I chose the Grilled Veal Tenderloin with Forest Mushroom Reduction and Creamed Baby Spinach.  Wow!  I actually didn't use a steak knife on mine and was blown away at the tenderness, flavor and presentation of this entree.

Now, generally Kate and I will eat 3 courses ourselves when we dine out, sometimes opting out of dessert.  This time we chose to forgo the salad (2nd course) for the latter.  After all, homemade cannolis, chocolate creme brulee and carrot cake sounded like a perfect way to end the meal to us!  So that's exactly what we ordered, one of each (actually 2 of the creme brulees)!  I also ordered two varieties of Port wine to go with these, the Fonseca Port and a Taylor Fladgate Tawny aged in oak for 2 years.  We had a blast sipping and sharing our desserts around the table.

I'll let Kate say a few words now...



Thanks again for letting me get a word in edgewise Joe (hog!).

I will repeat what Joe said about my tenderloin.  It was cooked to perfection and seasoned perfectly!  I've been frustrated by over seasoned meats and Stephanie hit the nail on the head with this one.  We were seated in the middle of the dining room which I love because I was able to see all the activity going on around us.  The decor was very "city" and also warm and cozy.  It's misleading from the outside of the building just how big the interior is and what to expect once inside.  The tables were simple, black painted wood.  Aside from the wax that Joe spilled from the candle, I liked the clean simplicity of our table setting. I realized later in the meal that we had not been delivered bread which I found out is something that Stephanie has chosen not to do.  And you know what? I didn't miss it and in fact I'm grateful not to have filled up on bread which many of us do.  I will definitely recommend this restaurant to everyone I know.  It was a wonderful experience.



Thanks Kate!  Well, there you are everyone.  Not only did both Kate and I thoroughly enjoy our experience at the SeaGrass Bistro, but so did our friends. 

As Kate said, we'll be back again and we will spread the good word about this fabulous restaurant to all our friends and acquaintances.

We give SeaGrass Bistro 4 1/2 stars on this visit!

Until next time, Cheers!

~Joe and Kate