April 2010

Magic Night

Natalie’s at Camden Harbour Inn 
sparkles on a picturesque hill.

By Diane Hudson

What better place to explore the heights of culinary exploration than at beautiful Camden Harbour Inn on a warm spring night? Feeling romantic after driving up to this fairy-tale setting, with views of Mt. Battie, Mt. Megunticook, and the anchorage below, we opted without delay for the five-course tasting menu ($75 per person), an opportunity to sample some of Natalie’s signature offerings. Given a wine list with more than 150 choices, we also gladly signed on to wine pairings with each course.

The complimentary amuse-bouche, intended to stimulate the appetite, did just that. It consisted of three elegant presentations on a sparkling white plate: wasabi apple purée, Maine dulse seaweed, and caviar; a plump Pemaquid oyster raw in its shell; and a delectable cured terrine of foie gras. Taittinger Domaine Carneros Brut (‘05) made the perfect pairing, crisp with just a hint of lemon.

The first course to float in was an engaging mix of the freshest Maine crab, potato gnocchi, black truffle, and Parmesan, all balanced so as to be able to taste each ingredient to the max, enhanced by Mâcon La Roche Vineuse Sous Le Bois (‘08).

A towering collection of fresh baby greens graced our table next, with a slightly tart tarragon sherry dressing nicely balanced by a smooth, nutty, mildly sweet Napa Station Chardonnay (‘07).

What followed was most unusual–an olive-oil-poached trout that looked for all the world like a large salmon filet, pink and of that shape. Assured by our server that it is, indeed, trout, we devoured it along with its ginger sunchoke cream, radish, and mache (a French lettuce making its debut recently here, less tart than the popular arugula, although more difficult to grow). Again, a great pairing with Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse (‘07).

A taste concoction surely unsurpassed in recent memory for both of us came next: sweetbreads crisped with a potato crust, garnished with Serrano ham and Aleppo pepper egg cream. Smooth, deep, full-in-the-mouth tender, this is not to be missed (it’s offered on the regular menu as an appetizer for $10). Try it, as we did, with the light-bodied but resonant Torii Mor Pinot Noir (‘07).

And our fifth course, also available as an entree ($30), was the tour de force of this proud parade of palate-pleasers: a delectable presentation of “Duck Three Ways,” the breast, liver, and leg. Accented to the fullest with braised porcini, the moist, perfectly cooked meat sat lightly in a velvety, deep sauce. Divinely rich, this entree highlights Chef Lawrence Klang’s superior reaches and Natalie’s great good fortune to be featuring such talent. Château Greysac Medoc (‘05), a musky, full-bodied red, proved a stalwart accompaniment.

The dessert trio–chocolate gateau with dulce de leche ice cream, saffron flan, and quark and vanilla soufflé with apricot coulis–was equally unsurpassable, as were the accompanying wines: “N’ice,” an ice wine from nearby Cellardoor Vineyards, and Warre’s Otima 20-year Tawny Port.

Natalie’S, 83 Bayview Street, Camden. 
Open for dinner 5:30 to 9:30 nightly. Bar opens at 5. 236-7008