What a magical setting, and very good food in the bargain. Excellent! Diamond’s Edge is on Great Diamond Island, one of the islands off the Maine Coast near Portland. I mentioned earlier that there were a lot of World War II installations on the Maine Coast to deter German submarines, and the Officer’s Club seems to have been on Great Diamond, and it now houses Diamond’s Edge. It was somewhat more pleasant than my own military digs in Ft. Polk, LA, and Newark, NJ.
We went there with the complete Breul contingent — Jon, Nancy, granddaughter Charlie, and Charlie’s parents, Sarah Breul and Rob Roberge. Rob picked us up at a pier and off we went. Let me pause to say what a pleasure it was to be in a boat captained by someone who really, really knows what he is doing. Not just someone who can “hand, reef, and steer, and ship a selvagee,” and who is “never known to quail at the fury of a gail,” but who is so comfortable that in a busy bay he can leave the wheel and go back to dandle his daughter and chat with the grown ups, all with a weather eye on the sea and in the sky. It was quite remarkable.
It was a beautiful evening, and we walked through the restaurant and across the veranda, with every eye turning to Charlie.
There are few things as sure of bringing smiles to all faces as a two year old in a good mood, and fortunately, Charlie maintained a good disposition throughout, as she so often does. We proceeded to a table on the lawn that had this view —
Well, that’s just one angle. I could add lots of views. It’s beautiful whichever way you look. But I need to say something about the food, especially since I was having fun and it was a big crowd, so I missed a lot of the normal details.
We ordered, of course, and equally a matter of course with all that was going on, I didn’t keep track of everyone’s orders. I started with deviled eggs, and announced I was not about share. I do that a lot with deviled eggs.
The deviled eggs came topped with overflowing helpings of (my heart be still) crisped country ham. They were exquisite.
And at this point it will not surprise you that I chose the haddock, my preferred East Coast cold water fish, from among six different fish offered by Diamond Edge. .
Diamond Edge offers you a choice of seven different sauces, and I chose the lemon, caper, and butter sauce. It came with panko crust, which added a nice bit of texture to the sweet fish and rich sauce. The haddock came with roasted potatoes and very good grilled asparagus, and some pickles — “Quick pickles” per the menu — with the nice bite of cornichons. They provided a counterpoint to the rest fo the meal.
Everything else was well received. Rob plunged into a ribeye steak special that looked special, and Sarah started with steamed clams. They came with a very good sauce of pilsner, small tomatoes, basil butter, and leeks. Charlie, who was sitting on Mommy’s lap, loved the sauce and, apparently having been in communication with Lily, our own two year old grandchild, kept repeating “More. More. More.” Sarah had better luck holding onto to the haddock she’d ordered with, interestingly, the herb chimichurri sauce, of which she approved.
Other selections blur. Nancy T liked her watermelon and tomato salad, and noted that the cherry tomatoes were full of flavor. Nancy B’s chowder was “beautiful.” Jon B was presented with an overstuffed lobster roll graced with arugula that looked delicious. It was a great meal all around in, as I say, a magical setting.
Diamond’s Edge was just the place for our last evening in Maine. It captured the beauty of the state and the bounty of its waters to a T. Great company and great meal. You should make a point to go there.
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