Like the citadel on the mount, the Black Point Inn enjoys a seaside perch so elegantly and serenely in Prouts Neck that it also enjoins this point of land as both an exclusive summer colony as it was the inspiration for some of Winslow Homer’s greatest paintings.

The gracious dining porch overlooks gardens and the ocean beyond

The seasonal inn opens from May to October and has always had a restaurant, which, for the most part, has never been its best feature. But since the Prouts Neck Association members bought the inn some years ago, paying over $20 million for the building and waterfront land, the entire property and set up is pristine.  Originally the 1878 inn offered 85 rooms and was scaled back to a manageable 25.  The various iterations of its dining facilities, from its dour formal dining room to equally indeterminate luncheon fare—though the former oceanfront pool setting for lunch was very popular–has also seen big improvement.

The vview of the Chart Room’s dining porch at (clockwise) late afternoon,diners on the porch and dusk

The kitchen is now under the guidance of William Benner, a CIA trained chef whose resume includes stints with such culinary stars as Jeremiah Tower and Alice Waters.  While I wasn’t expecting to be impressed by the food—one has always gone to the inn’s dining venues for the setting and seaside views—what we had was thoroughly enjoyable, if not additionally  displaying moments of finesse.
There are two restaurants at the inn: The Point is the more formal room with its crisp white tablecloths and serious service in a room often populated by the staunch older summer crowd, where the women are coiffed in big helmets of hair and the formidable looking gents were either  coupon clippers or former titans of industry.

The Chart Room, which is described as a pub, is far from being a place for darts and beers.  The menu, though more casual than The Point, has many of the same dishes.  The big draw here is to sit on the porch that overlooks the sweeping strand of the bay, otherwise known as Ferry Beach (not to be confused with Pine Point’s Ferry Beach on the other side). If the weather is not suitable there’s the inside dining room that still owns the same views of the water.

We had an almost perfect table on the porch–ringside seats of the beach, though the annoying trellising on one end of the table  blocked the  view.

Our young, pretty waitress was not only friendly but knew the menu well, having tried most of the dishes offered.

Since my guest and I had barely eaten all day we ordered a plate of mixed olives to have with drinks while studying the menu.  I figured it would be just a bowl of olives but instead was a large platter of mixed Nicoise and green Tournantes with toasted sliced baguette sitting in discreet pools of fruity extra virgin olive oil, lemon peel and house-made ricotta.

Olive plate and  iceberg and  blue

A lovely looking starter of salt-roasted beets were sprinkled across a bed of arugula and held local blueberries, candied pecans, and Vermont chevre dressed in a very fruity raspberry vinaigrette. The beets were delicious though I thought more were needed and less arugula.

Another starter called Iceberg and Blue was basically a glorified wedge.  In this case it was a thick slice of lettuce topped with a tasty blue cheese dressing with dribbles of Applewood smoked bacon and cherry tomatoes.

The closest items on the menu to define it as pub fare were the lobster roll and a burger.  At lunch the menu offers more choices with plenty of sandwiches and fries.

Nonetheless we were perfectly pleased with our two entrees that were beautifully presented and carefully prepared.

The baked local Pollock was served over a dilly bean and corn salad dressed in a buttery, classic Newburg sauce.  An accompaniment of a vegetable strudel made this a wonderful main course, with the fish perfectly cooked—moist and flaky.

Baked Pollock

A prosciutto wrapped halibut was another winning entrée.  This time it was bathed in a Meyer lemon sauce napping crisp spears of asparagus and the addition of sour cream and chive spätzle in grapefruit beurre blanc, which added an acidic richness.

Halibut wrapped in prosciutto

I enjoyed an excellent vodka gimlet served in a giant martini glass and my friend chose a pleasant California chardonnay from a good list of wines by the glass.

We didn’t ponder dessert but lingered a while to catch a golden sun setting over the bay in one of the prettiest places to dine well on the coast of Maine.