Ivy Manor exudes ‘old’ Bar Harbor

When you step into the dining room at Ivy Manor Inn, you might get the feeling that you’ve returned to old Bar Harbor. The eating area is dark and richly maroon. An ornate chandelier of flowery lights hangs in the center of the room. There are paintings and wallpaper, candles and single red roses, plates eternally set at every table, and a deep brown staircase in the hallway. Ah, Victorian elegance. It’s so civilized.

Since we are attracted to all civilized life, we recently could be found poised in high-back, upholstered chairs at this very same cradle of gentility, clinking our glasses and tasting generously from traditional French cuisine.

The eight-room, Tudor-style mansion was redesigned recently by Judi Stanley, who has a particular love for decorative English tiles. She and her husband, Bob, are former members of the professional banking world in Florida. They’ve given up all that nonsense and now are proud owners of the posh Ivy Manor in downtown Bar Harbor as well as the crafty “Country” Cheers General Store and Restaurant across the street from Pirates Cove minigolf course.

The Stanleys wanted to create a fine dining experience that would match the gracefulness of the rest of the homey business. A year ago, they opened Michelle’s in the dining room. Not long ago, it was awarded the four diamonds distinction from the American Automobile Association. Not bad for being open just one year.

One of the joys of eating at Michelle’s is that it is designed to serve a maximum of 30 guests at one time. That means no more than 12 tables.

Ergo, the menu is ambitiously fussy with precious touches such as saffron-scented broth for the bouillabaisse and sun-dried tomato butter oil on the broiled lobster.

Ergo, again, the limited space means more attention to diners.

Which leads us to Amy. She’s the type of food server you can’t really call a waitress because she’s more of a consultant, which is what you need when a menu has 26 items so rich in character that each is more like the whole novel rather than just a chapter. She, rightly, geared us first toward the Mille-Feuille of Smoked Salmon, layered with creamy chervil mousse and accompanied by tiny tart cups of beluga caviar, and second toward portobello mushrooms, a meaty starter with a hint of tamari and Parmesan.

We passed on the Duck Foie Gras perfumed with black winter truffle, Escargot Frothed in Champagne, and Crab Gallette, which Amy told us was a fave among customers.

Amy also applauded our choice of soups: warm vichyssoise with poached oysters that had the smoothness of a pastel painting of summer, and a playful Gazpacho Nicoise kicking with cilantro.

Because we were already nearing a sated feeling, and already had spent $36 plus another $33 on a buttery bottle of Murphy-Goode Reserve Fume (1996), we decided to split the warm goat cheese salad, which features a lightly crusted cake of goat cheese, walnuts and a spunky raspberry vinaigrette. The two women beside us ordered the Caesar salad for two, prepared table-side, and kindly reported that it was tasty and tangy.

By the end of the evening, we were having a lively conversation with the same two women, a mother from Mount Desert Island and her daughter from Baltimore. They shared the Chateaubriand for two, which is broiler-seared, finished in a salt crust and presented with a subtle fanfare. They loved it, they said. The mother had been to Michelle’s several times and confessed that she preferred it to other fine restaurants on the island.

Behind us, a family from Italy made a similar comment. From what they had seen of Maine restaurants, Ivy Manor was good. Compared with what they knew from Europe, well, Ivy Manor was simply mezza-mezza.

Scallops L’Ermitage, dusted with rice flour and cayenne, were slightly overcooked, even on a second try, but the Filet of Yellowtail Tuna, encrusted with black and white sesame seeds and served on a melange of fresh fruit salsa, was swimmingly delicious.

Our tastes run toward the sea, and we chose these plates from a selection that included Crab Rangoon Alaska, Halibut Croute and Atlantic Salmon, topped with a dill-infused mousseline hollandaise. If yours run toward the land, choices include Roasted Rack of Fresh American Lamb, covered with an herbed mustard crust, Oven Roast Tooway Duckling, in a Chambord sauce, Crispy Grilled Game Hen Mattone, with a bearnaise chiron sauce.

The dessert list includes a raspberry zabaglione, chocolate mousse, raspberry coulis, sorbets, creme brulee, and souffles flavored with either Grand Marnier or mocha chocolate. But don’t stop there. Chef Ryan Jones, who is 24 and a graduate of Washington County Technical College in Calais, secretly told us about a new dessert called Chocolate Bag, which he had spent four hours preparing.

We’re suckers, so we ordered it.

This is, indeed, a bag (slightly smaller than your average lunch bag) shaped gingerly from Belgian chocolate and loaded with white-chocolate mousse. It tastes like Easter. In a bag. The dish is intended for two people, but it could easily satisfy half a dozen. We did, in fact, share it with the mother-daughter team.

Most of the dishes are in the $20 to $30 range. A few are more expensive. If you have two people and want drinks, appetizers, and dessert, count on at least $100. The portions are decent, so we suggest splitting or at least reaching across the table with your fork, but perhaps not to the next table.

The Ivy Manor Inn is located at 194 Main St. in Bar Harbor.