When you’re at a precious summer colony, whether on any of Maine’s iconic islands or in coastal communities on the mainland, local dining is a key element of time well spent. On North Haven that puts you squarely at Nebo Lodge and its superb kitchen with cook Amanda Hallowell at the helm.

On Friday of July 4th weekend, the restaurant was packed to the rafters with diners on the porch, the bar room, the main dining room and several of the establishment’s private rooms sets aside for large parties. The kitchen kept pace remarkably well.

The menu has changed slightly with the addition of small plates joining the “supper” dishes on the larger menu. Though I’ve been to Nebo many times over the years my impression this time left me less keen on the cooking that night: a few dishes were lackluster but many were well up to snuff. Our party of 5 dug into a starter called Asian pork wrapper. It was an odd blending of flavors resembling a Mexican-Asian wrapper instead of a typical pot sticker that we thought it would be. The little platter of deviled eggs were, however, superb-creamy and seasoned just right. The truffled fries were crisp and done quite well, offering, delicious nibbling with cocktails.

At its best, the cooking at Nebo Lodge is very fresh, using as much as possible from island waters and fields. I was very pleased with hakurei turnip soup, pureed to a velvety smoothness and enriched with lemon, roasted mushrooms, dill, oregano and black pepper that constituted the flavor profile of its silken finish.

Main courses included a menu mainstay, chicken cooked under a brick; it was attractively perched on a bed of tender local lettuces, croutons, Turner Farm chevre, herbed mayonnaise and pickled fiddleheads.

A a generous cut of rib eye was a hearty piece of beef from Curtis Meats in Warren accompanied by roasted broccoli, Parmesan, lemon and pine nuts. My guest, though, thought it needed a better outside sear.

A rendering of Gulf of Maine halibut was spot on, beautifully prepared in a lemon cream aioli on a bed of buttery greens. Here the finish reflected perfectly cooked fish-flaky, tender and utterly fresh tasting, atop an aioli that was rich and citrusy.

A few of us had desserts, which included an excellent vanilla bean panna cotta, a very thick chocolate pot de crème with salted caramel, a dish of house-made vanilla ice cream, which one of my guests thought was the creamiest ever. Our waitress, recently transplanted from Bushwick in trendy Brooklyn, forgot to bring my affogato, which we promptly re-named iforgotit.

I’ll have another opportunity to experience Hallowell’s cooking when I attend the weekly Turner Farm barn dinner held on Thursdays throughout the summer. It’s a tremendous celebration of the island’s bounty that’s prepared for some 100 people seated in a grandly gorgeous barn. I’ve been to it before in past years and look forward to a great evening of local food and cheer.

Nebo Lodge, North Haven, Maine, 11 Mullins Lane; 207-867-2007; www.nebolodge.com

Rating: 4 stars

Ambiance: sophisticated country dining

Tables: comfortable and well spaced in a vintage dining room

Service: excellent

$$$: moderately expensive