Penobscot Meadows offers excellent food, service

With the thought of snow, and worse yet work, the next day, I asked a friend, a former student of mine, to accompany me for the next-to-the-last evening meal of the winter one recent day. I had made reservations at Belfast’s Penobscot Meadows, whose owners, Dini and Bernie Chapnick, bill as a “restaurant and country inn.”

By the time we arrived, the mercury was dropping and the air was damp and cold. What a pleasant transition to step into the inn.

A large, stone fireplace with couches pulled up close making the living room cozy and inviting. Plenty of exposed wood, large-leafed potted plants and table flowers bring out a relaxed sense to the room.

We were led to the porch dining area by Dini. Each table was neatly organized with a soft blue table cloth offset over a white one. The waitress, friendly and accommodating, brought a mildly-spicy green balsa dip with taco chips to munch on while we checked the menu.

Ordering from the menu, my companion chose the veal scampi ($16.95), top round veal rolled with ham and cheese, topped with sauteed shrimp, all in a tarragon cream and wine sauce. The tarragon was slightly heavy-handed, but did not overpower the dish.

As an appetizer, my guest had the triple sate — shrimp, pork and chicken pieces grilled on skewers and served with a spicy peanut sauce. A nice twist was a trace of cumin in the sauce.

I could not resist the coq au vin special ($19.95). In the six-onion soup the chef concocted a marvelous blend of six members of the lily family — garlic, onion, leek, shallot, scallion and chive — in a cream base that, for me, truly served up a taste of spring. The coq au vin blended a full-flavored, well-seasoned sauce with chicken that was served hot, tender and moist, not overcooked.

Each dinner came with a nicely understated three-leaf salad topped with a creamy dill dressing.

Appetizers included stuffed mushrooms ($3.95), escargots in mushroom caps with garlic butter ($5.50), and Bombay chicken in coconut and curry with chutney mustard dip ($4.50).

Other entrees include lime-grilled chicken ($13.95), champagne lobster ($19.95), lobster pasta ($15.95), pork dijon ($14.95), and three little lambs ($15.95).

Three flavors of homemade ice cream — red raspberry, vanilla and chocolate — made for a difficult choice. I ordered the red raspberry. What a fresh fruity taste, a great way to finish the meal. And for coastal chocolate lovers, Penobscot Meadows offers a vast variety of tempting desserts. My friend enjoyed a lemon mousse in chocolate wafer cups, sitting in a raspberry puree.

Although leaning to the medium to high priced side, Penobscot Meadows offered excellent food value for the dollar. And the service was superb, to boot.