The White Barn Inn is an award-winning hotel and restaurant located in the small luxury beach town of Kennebunkport, Maine in New England. Since 2005 the White Bar Inn has been recognized for its 5-star restaurant, the only restaurant north of New York achieving this distinction.
The restaurant is located in a quaint restored barn originally dating back to 1820. At one time, the building was used as an ice-cream parlor. The cozy dining rooms feature rustic décor with an interesting collection of antique collectible items on display. Executive Chef Jonathan Cartwright is a native of northern England who joined the White Barn Inn in 1994 and became executive chef in 1996. Chef Cartwright offers a seasonal New England inspired menu that changes every week. While elegant, the rustic atmosphere was also relaxed and enjoyable, with live piano music as a lovely accompaniment during dinner, and a wait staff that was warm and friendly, providing impeccable service throughout our evening.
We ordered a bottle of Sineann Pinot Noir 2008 from Wyecast Vineyard in the Oregon Columbia Gorge. This Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was pleasant, with bold notes of fruit, though a little less complex than we would typically enjoy with a 5-star meal.
Our amuse bouche for the evening comprised leeks stuffed with smoked salmon mousse and served on top of a beet-horseradish salad. We thought that the leeks and the salmon mousse were delightful; however these should perhaps have been served on its own, as their delicate flavors were overshadowed by the intensity of the beets and the horseradish.
We began our tasting menu with a Japanese Style Peekytoe Crab Salad with pickled cucumbers. This dish tasted very refreshing and reflected the summer season, but sadly it was also surprisingly bland. We couldn’t distinguish the sauce and the garnishes, and the effect was that it didn’t come across as very inspirational.
Our second course was Seared Salmon served on fingerling potato salad and accompanied by whole grain mustard vinaigrette. The salmon was perfectly cooked with a nice crispy skin; however both the salmon and potatoes were under-seasoned. Even the whole grain mustard lacked spiciness and did not provide a necessary kick. The flavor profile of these first two dishes was so understated that they were almost completely lacking in flavor altogether, not at all what we had expected.
Luckily, the most anticipated dish on the menu came next, in the form of Butter Poached Smoked Lobster. This was a unique preparation that was very successful. Our dishes were covered and then revealed at the table to evoke a sudden smoky aroma and appearance, the centerpiece of which comprised a morsel of tender lobster meat in a mild sweet buttery sauce. The contrasting heavy smoky flavor of the lobster and the sweetness of the butter were incredible and even shocking after the dishes before! When our plates arrived and the covers were removed, the aroma was irresistible that we couldn’t wait to start eating and dove into our plates. It was only after a few bites that we remembered to take a picture.
Our next course was the Foie Gras Raviolo served with plum compote and toasted almonds. We really loved the combination of bright fruity plum flavor and almond cream together in the compote, while toasted almonds added an excellent crunchy texture to the dish. In contrast to the first two courses which had almost lacked flavor, this dish and the one before it evoked very successful savory and sweet flavor melodies. Largely this dish was successful, thanks to this plum and almond combination. However, it must be said that the ravioli itself was overcooked and disappointing. And the foie gras in this dish was so completely absent from the taste profile that if we did not know what we were having, we could not have known it was there.
Nice in concept, but somewhat lacking in execution, we next tasted a Slow Cooked Free Range Egg with maple cream and caviar. Salty caviar and sweet maple cream gave the dish nice flavor, but the egg was barely cooked at all, resulting in a gooey liquid texture and a raw taste that seemed like it could have been improved upon.
A delicious tangy cranberry and raspberry sorbet was a welcome palate cleanser before continuing with the rest of our meal. We appreciated that the New England flavors including lobster, maple, and cranberry had slowly but surely been introduced into the tasting.
We had anticipated based on the menu for the week that our main course would be New England Quail. Instead, a change that day determined that our main course was a local Dry Aged Sirloin served with Barolo-shallot sauce and olive oil whipped potato. This may have been a local meat, but we were quite surprised that the chef had chosen to serve sirloin, and this centerpiece of our tasting menu was in fact a very standard steak, lacking any inspirational flavors. Further detracting from our enjoyment, I was very disappointed to be served two very fatty pieces that were particularly unpalatable.
The selection of European and New England cheeses was quite excellent and we chose to sample cheeses from New England, which included a triple crème, a camembert-style cheese, Corsica (a sheep milk cheese), a raw goat milk cheese, and a goat pyramid cheese which was my personal favorite. A delicious fruit chutney was a great accompaniment to all of these cheeses.
For dessert, we enjoyed a Godiva Chocolate Soufflé with White Chocolate Sauce and Strawberry Sorbet. This was delightful sweet and well prepared.
Various chocolates, candies, and biscuits were made available afterwards in profusion, as if to make up for any deficiencies with the meal itself.
Our meal at the White Barn Inn did not live up to our full expectations. We certainly enjoyed moments where local flavors were showcased in miniature, and the highlight was undoubtedly the unique Smoked Lobster presentation. On the whole, however, many dishes were either understated or unevenly executed in such a manner that we walked away from the culinary experience unsatisfied. The White Barn Inn clearly attempts to package New England flavors into refined dining, but overall we cannot recommend it due to its failure to consistently deliver on this theme.
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I am excited to share that the White Barn Inn is the tenth Mobil 5-Star Restaurant that I have visited, and I am now halfway toward my goal to share my experiences in all of the 5-Star Restaurants in America (of which there are currently twenty). It is fun to look back at this halfway point at the highs and the lows of these fine dining establishments. Please visit and enjoy my 5-Star reviews at 5starfoodie.com. The restaurants listed are ranked in order of my highest ratings, with favorites at the top, and still more to come.
Update: Mobil Travel Guide is the original rating system for the best hotels, restaurants, and spas in North America. It has provided comprehensive ratings and reviews since 1958. In October 2009, Mobil Travel Guide will become Forbes Travel Guide as a result of partnership with Forbes Media LLC. The rating system will remain consistent and the 52nd Annual 5 Star Awards for 2010 will be announced in November 2009.
