1. Seaweed Three Ways (Amuse Bouche): The best of the 3 was the delicious seaweed-stuffed rolled omelet (top left), which had a miso mayo dollop on top. The other two, the fried seaweed and the seaweed cracker, were very salty, which, of course they were, but it was an aggressive start to the meal

  2. The Cold Sea: the raw oyster topped with caviar was fresh and briny, the scallop sat upon a butter sauce with a little bit of salsa matcha on top – delicious, the crab tart was incredibly delicate and sweet, and the crab claw with brown butter bread crumbs was amazing as well. Truly a spectacular course that I will remember for a long time. The liquid nitrogen under the oyster made it feel like I was exploring a tide pool in the early morning fog.

  3. Beet Salad: adorned with various garnishes, sesame seeds, and a repurposed miso mayo from the amuse bouche, these were the best-tasting beets I’ve ever had, but this course didn’t have much of a wow-factor, which is fine.

  4. Lobster Bake: I love the idea of re-imagining a traditional lobster bake into a lobster/corn chowder with Old Bay-seasoned waffle chips as it was presented to us, though the flavor was one-note: butter. The seasoning of the chips didn’t come through as much as I would have liked, and the bowl of chowder was rich and hearty. They encouraged us to dip our chips into the chowder as a vehicle for the lobster. Good, not great.

  5. Delicata Squash: this dish was forgettable and seemed like something I could have made at home. It was fine. The fermented chili flavor was lacking. You’d be able to predict what it tasted like just from looking at the photo.

  6. Anadama Bread with Creton (served with the squash): The cornmeal-based bread was dense and crumbly, but not unpleasantly so. The creton, whipped pork fat pate of the French-Canadian variety, was quite subtle. I would have preferred a stronger pork fat flavor, but they earn creativity points for a deep cut from old New England cookbooks.

  7. Agnolotti: My favorite dish of the night. I’ve never had lobster like this before and I’ve been to Per Se, Le Bernardin, and Providence. Uniquely sweet, tender, and buttery. The best of the best of Maine’s most popular bounty of the sea. The beurre blanc upon which the pasta was sitting rounded out the dish. Truly incredible. I considered asking to pay for second serving.

  8. Pork Belly: Pretty good – there was a maple/mustard glaze, which provided a classic flavor pairing with the pork. The slice of belly was perched on a crispy sweet potato rosti which had an interesting texture. This, along with several other courses, were surprise courses that were not listed on the menu. I’m a big fan of surprises, so these were welcome.

  9. Duck: Served with a pink pear puree and a mini savory buckwheat cannoli, the duck was cooked beautifully and its skin retained a slight crispiness, which I’ve always found to be hit or miss on tasting menus. No complaints here, though I found the sweet, fruity puree to be an unconventional accompaniment and I’m not sure if I loved it with the duck. Overall, good.

  10. Wild Rice: A very interesting dish. Imagine a rice pudding custard that has a slight chew to it with the flavor of a Dunkaroo cookie. Prominent spices like cinnamon and the listed sumac gave it earthy, citrusy notes, and the slab of pear on top retained most of its texture avoiding the mushiness of poorly cooked fruits. I’m still not sure how I feel about this one.

  11. Apple Pie: Due to certain restrictions, instead of the chocolate potato, I received last week’s dessert concept, the apple pie. Sandwiched between two puff pastry wafers was an apple compote. The twist here is that the sandwich is served on top of a cheddar cheese cream. Great, I thought. I love apple pie and cheddar cheese, which is a classic New England pairing. Unfortunately, the cheese sauce tasted like the grainy, watery soup you find at the bottom of a bowl of Kraft Mac n’ Cheese. The sweet component was good. The savory component was not. A miss for sure.

  12. Buckwheat Cookie (Mignardise): The flavor was simple and decent but it literally fell apart in my hands. It was very soft.

There were some misses throughout the night, but my experience at Aragosta was truly wonderful. My dining partner and I shared a wine pairing and the friendly service and cozy space overlooking the water made for a great dinner. I used to say that Nightshade Noodle Bar was my favorite restaurant in all of New England but I’d put Aragosta right up there with them. The lobster agnolotti and the cold sea trio are on par with anything I’ve had at a 2-star Michelin restaurant. I really appreciated their creativity and commitment to delivering classic autumnal flavors and modernizing old school New England recipes. Also, no dress code!

It’s a pain in the ass to get to for most people, but I’d love to come back. We stayed on the property, which is not cheap, but the accommodations are as cozy as the restaurant. Our room overlooked the water and was about a 3 minute walk to dinner. Can’t beat that.

by RobinWilliamsBeard

1 Comment

  1. Regal-tender

    The bread to pork fat ratio is criminal. Big miss to not offer a few sliced pickles with that course cmon