I spent 24 solid hours in Rockland earlier this week for three reasons: to stay at the uniquely stylish 250 Main Hotel; to visit the very compelling Center for Maine Contemporary Art and to dine at the town’s newest restaurant, Sammy’s Deluxe.

Scenes from Rockland, clockwise: the Plaza at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art; dining room at Sammy's Deluxe and the lobby at 250 Main Hotel

Scenes from Rockland, clockwise: the Plaza at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art; dining room at Sammy’s Deluxe and the lobby at 250 Main Hotel

That Rockland is the city du jour this year is certainly understatement, wowed by both the opening of its fancy new hotel, another new restaurant opened by one of the Mid-Coast’s best chefs and the summer debut of the CMCA, which existed for years in neighboring Rockport as a sleepy little museum endowed by wealthy summer residents much like a private gallery.

Rockland has long been on the list of places to visit as a summer stopover, an old fishing village that has morphed into the forward ways of the 21st century.  It’s where tourists ogle the gleaming 19th century street scape holding an impressive row of architecturally significant vintage buildings housing galleries, high-end retail shops and a notable list of restaurants such as Suzuki, 3 Crow and Fog Bar. Sammy’s Deluxe is the newest restaurant, located at the north end of the street–a stone’s throw from the busy ferry terminal reaching North Haven and Vinalhaven ports of call.  Belfast, some 30 miles Downeast, has followed suit but not quite as prominently as Rockland.

Rockland's Main Street at dusk

Rockland’s Main Street at dusk

Rockland’s First Friday art walk is peopled with art perambulators compared to Portland’s First Friday parade that has become more street fair than art appreciation.  About every other retail storefront along Main Street is art galleries, showing some of Maine’s best contemporary works.

Anchoring the stretch at the south end is the 26-room 250 Main, a highly polished boutique hotel that opened last month.  It was developed by famed Thomaston boat and yacht builder Cabot Lyman of Lyman Morse. And was designed by Portland architect Scott Teas.  The interiors are show-stopper chic.  Miami and New York designer Jamie Wall of Thirlwall Designs curated heavily  from Italian furniture designers to  effect a conceptually vivid, edgy look.

250 Main, clockwise: Italian designed chairs in lobby; bathroom sink; blueberry scone at breakfast and the street facade of the hotel

250 Main, clockwise: Italian designed chairs in lobby; bathroom sink; blueberry scone at breakfast and the street facade of the hotel

Many of the rooms with terraces overlook the harbor offering stunning easterly views out to the islands across West Penobscot Bay.

250 Main, waterfront room

250 Main, waterfront room

The hotel also functions as an art gallery with every floor filled with an amazing collection of contemporary Maine artists; the lobby itself is a veritable showcase for even more fine art.

I checked in at midday and was wowed by the cool, sleek lines of the main-floor reception area.  An elevator takes you up to the rooms, many of which have terraces and overlook the water, and each floor gallerizes more art on display.

250 Main, room with terrace; hotel room floors with art

250 Main, room with terrace; hotel room floors with art

Soft, plush linens and bedding define the sleeping area, and the large rooms are thoughtfully outfitted   with seating areas, desk space and great walls of windows letting in the view.  The bathrooms are very plush, too, with walk-in showers and architectural accoutrements adding to the overall luxe.  Other than B&Bs, Rockland, unlike Camden, didn’t have a hotel culture.  This one makes quite a statement and is worth the trip to spend a night or two cosseted by such high-style amenities.  Room rates are moderately expensive, topping out at over $400 per night for the best rooms.

A great breakfast is included, with a buffet spread that includes robust coffee blend from Rock City Roasters and delicious blueberry scones, cereal, yogurt and fruit.

Various scenes at hotel

Various scenes at hotel

A feature that appeared recently in Bloomberg (click on link) called Maine the new Montauk.  It referred to the outrageous overtaking that now defines that once sleepy fishing village of Montauk on the Eastern End of Long Island, NY, in sheer verbosity of so-called Hamptons style.  Maine–especially its accommodations such as 250 Main, the Camden Harbour Inn, the Press Hotel and Ogunquit’s ultra-luxurious Cliff House set to open in August —offers calm and civility without loss of beauty of its more natural patina.

A few blocks from the hotel on Winter Street the Center for Maine Contemporary Art sits nestled  down the block from the Farnsworth and Wyeth Center and Rockland’s most impressive gallery, Dowling Walsh whose collection display works by Maine artists that sell for well into 5 figures.

The plaza at CMCA with Borofsky sculpture

The plaza at CMCA with Borofsky sculpture

CMCA was designed by Toshiko Mori, a famed New York-based architect who also resides on North Haven as a summer resident; she has created a space that is nothing less than awesome.

The Jonathan Borofsky exhibition on now at CMCA

The Jonathan Borofsky exhibition on now at CMCA

On exhibition now are the works of Alex Katz, Leonard Rollin and Jonathan Borofsky, whose sculpture in the entryway plaza looms like the phoenix presaging more to see inside.  His space showed the monumental works of his sculpture and prints to great effect.  The entire museum is one that you can get lost in for hours.

On a Tuesday afternoon, the day that I visited Rockland, the town was relatively quiet.   Tuesdays might be the day for us Mainers to take day trips or overnighters without encountering the battery of summer tourists; in fact, at noontime I breezed through Wiscasset otherwise under siege by miles of traffic backups on Route 1.

Sammy’s Deluxe, which opened last month, is where I had dinner that evening.  It’s a bellwether of local dining in a thoroughly home-style setting that is both comforting and visually attractive.  It’s owned by chef Sam Richman, who was the driving force behind the gorgeous food served at Salt Water Farm in Rockport.  When it shuttered last year by its owner Anne Marie Ahearn, Richman began a series of popups featuring his penchant for Mexican food.  These were held throughout the winter in barns and available spaces where Richman cooked hearty Mexican fare.

rockland sammys deluxe

When the Sunfire Mexican Grill closed earlier this year, Richman saw opportunity and opened Sammy’s Deluxe in the space.  He spruced it up a bit (gone are the sombreros that hung from the walls) and retained its no-frills but very comfortable dining room with good table seating and a commodious dining bar. The ambiance is pure nostalgia; you might think you were in a café in 1950s Rockland.

The dining room at Sammy's Deluxe

The dining room at Sammy’s Deluxe

The food is Richman’s take on home cooking, dishes that are vibrant and complex but not fancy.  One of his famous dishes at Salt Water Farm was smoked haddock, often served as a sandwich.  Here it’s presented as a first course: a neat little bowl is filled with snacks of salt-cured haddock that’s been smoked in his outdoor smoker (set up early in the day on the street in front of the restaurant); he said it’s a four-day process.  The effort shows superbly.

The fish almost has the texture of a ceviche offering delicate pieces of the haddock that are lusciously smoked but not overwhelmingly.  It’s served with dipping mustard and onion shavings to spread on crostini.  These are toasted slices of whole-grain bread made by the Skowhegan baker, Brazen Baking, which uses locally milled flour to create their extraordinarily rich, dense bread.  I ordered a separate portion  to have with my main course; it was served warm with a big smear of room-temperature  butter.  The texture and flavor of Brazen’s bread is amazing.

Sammy's bread from Brazen Baking

Sammy’s bread from Brazen Baking

That night there were 5 main courses on the menu including a Jonah Crab stew with hominy; roast chicken with Bibb lettuce, cucumbers and buttermilk ranch dressing; a big plate of sloppy joe; roast skate wings with charred broccoli and my pick–the smoked ribs with new potatoes, radishes, sour cherries and peas.

Ribs with potatoes, radshes, peas and sour cherries; smoked haddock "snacks"

Ribs with potatoes, radshes, peas and sour cherries; smoked haddock “snacks”

At first I thought it would be a take on chef Brian Hill’s peanut ribs that he serves at his Camden bistro, Francine.

But these were thoroughly Richman’s own–ribs rubbed with spices, a blend displaying prominent cumin overtones; they’re heavily smoked, producing fall-off-the-bone-tender meat.  There’s no need to use knife and fork.  Just pick them up to eat by hand.  Distinctively the ribs were served over what amounted to a vegetable salad: roasted potatoes, radishes, sour cherries and peas, the latter of which I assumed would be shelling peas out of the pod.  In fact, they were snow peas that were sautéed to emerge crisp and bright green.  Lapping up the juices with the great bread, it was a fine meal that left me well fed indeed.  But I soldiered on and ordered dessert.  I could have had a baked meringue with rose buttercream or an ice cream sandwich but chose the spiced New England pudding, which was actually a classic Indian pudding served with heavy cream and sour cherries.

Traditional New England spiced pudding with cream and sour cherries

Traditional New England spiced pudding with cream and sour cherries

The wait staff is friendly, if a bit overwhelmed by the time the restaurant filled up.  But the kitchen kept pace.  The bar offerings are minimal, offering the basics, with some specials like hibiscus margaritas and such.  I played it simple with Campari and soda on the rocks (the bar stocks gin but no vodka).

Dining area at Sammy's Deluxe

Dining area at Sammy’s Deluxe

You can get fancier meals in Rockland, Rockport and Camden, but for an evening of deluxe cooking,  this is the sort of restaurant we want to have wherever we live for its simple pleasures and great food.

Sammy’s Deluxe, 488 Main St., Rockland, ME 207-466-9059

Rating: wonderfully prepared creative home-style cooking by chef Sam Richman

Ambiance: very casual

Tables: comfortable seating in the bar and dining room

Service: breezy and friendly

Parking: on street

$$$: moderate

 

 

 

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