Bradley Inn Cover

Bradley Inn Cover

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Summer countdown....

It' now August 20th and according to the calendar Summer has another month but we know the wind changes at the end of this week bringing with it cooler temperatures. We've already spotted leaves changing. We're not sad about Autumn's arrival, in fact we love Autumn, leaves a blaze, fires burning, pumpkin everything and sweaters. We're sad because saying goodbye to summer means saying goodbye to some of our staff - the kids, young adults is probably a better term, but to us they are 'the kids.' Good kids, hard working kids, funny kids and kids who leave with skills and the knowledge of what hard work is and the value of a dollar.

The college and high school kids work at both The Contented Sole and The Bradley Inn, waiting, bar tending, back serving, washing dishes and cooking. They work weddings, rehearsal dinners and brunches. They arrive for breakfast early and those working dinner stay late. They take pride in what they do and positive feedback makes them swell with pride and try their hardest.

The learning curve is steep and sharp. Mistakes are made, but they learn from them and all in all the guests are treated like gold.

The 'new to the industry kids' learn how to run  dishwasher, take orders, how to serve food customers, how to clear tables and  how to how to engage in meaningful conversation to make the guest feel welcome. We watch them develop and bloom and then like the flowers of summer, they are gone. It was just May!

We wish you all the very best!! Study hard, be safe and we'll miss you Griffin, Katrina, Mara, Annie, Tara, Lauren, Luke, Jacob, Alex, Annabelle, Ashlee, Jesse, Miles, Kevin, Preston, Steven and Claudia.

With love,

The sad and proud adults.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The finest ingredients makes for fine food....

As you can imagine with summer is in full swing the restaurant at the Bradley Inn is serving lots of food to lots of guests. Deliveries come rolling in, dairy, produce, seafood, duck, ground lamb, liquor and as fast as it arrives it is stowed away neatly in its proper place and then whipped into fantastic creations and gobbled up by happy diners.

Even Keel's peas and tomatoes
Yesterday I was anxiously awaiting the dairy delivery. We were out of heavy cream and crème brulee is nothing if not made with heavy cream, neither is homemade vanilla bean ice cream. The green truck pulled into the drive and in came the cartons, heavy cream, half and half and the glorious butter. I hadn't noticed before, but the butter was from Cabot Creamery in Vermont. It isn't a generic lowest cost butter and while it may not seem like a big deal, it makes all the difference.

Pemaquid Oysters
Beth & Warren's philosophy of the best ingredients and local whenever possible sets a level of quality that resonates through the staff, into the food and onto the plates of our guests. Using local ingredients which change with the season and harvesting means adapting and refining menu items or featuring a special focusing on what's in at the moment. Watching and listening to the discussions of how to use each ingredient to elevate it to its highest potential is an insight into culinary genius.

There is no microwave in the kitchen, there is no Crisco. We go through a case of eggs each week from Bowden farm in Waldoboro Maine and if we've had a run on the crème brulee or ice cream we'll need more. Smokey from Pemaquid Oysters shows up with bags of briny delights.
Sarah of Even Keel Farm comes on Fridays with bags of mixed greens in which she has edible flower petals (we LOVE edible flowers!) fresh basil, carrots, beans - all from her organic farm just a few miles away. And who could not mention the lobsters that come from Pemaquid Lobster Co-op? Nothing wows the tourists at The Contented Sole more than watching Warren or Bytza take the boat across the harbor to buy lobsters bring them back and haul them up the dock. No questioning freshness there!
Pemaquid Lobster Co-op

The best, freshest, local ingredients result in a standard of food integrity that is unmatched. We invite you to experience a delicious meal that will have you closing your eyes in delight with each bite.