Outstanding in the Field 2012
I wanted to share an amazing dinner experience that Hubby and I had on Saturday night. We attended the Outstanding in the Field event in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.
If you haven’t heard of Outstanding in the Field, it’s a nationwide tour of farm to table dinners. The OITF crew sets up a super long table on the actual farm. The day starts with a tour of the farm, followed by an evening of delicious food.
These events are widely popular and some sell out within hours of the tickets going on sale. I purchased our tickets back in March for our September dinner. I can tell you all now that we’re already looking forward to going again next year! (By the way, OITF has no idea I’m writing this post, I purchased our tickets and hadn’t even planned on blogging about the meal. It turned out to be such a great experience I had to share!)
In order to turn all this amazing local food into a meal, a local restaurant/chef is featured at each dinner. Our dinner was hosted at the Green Spark Farm by farmer/owners Mary Ellen and Austin Chadd, with chef Andrew Taylor of Hugo’s and Eventide Oyster Co, both in Portland, Maine.
We headed up to Cape Elizabeth on Saturday afternoon. Upon arriving at the farm, we were greeted by Leah from OITF. We each grabbed an Allagash White to sip while tasting a variety of appetizers. Appetizers were passed as guests mingled in an open field on the farm. I didn’t take pictures of the appetizers, but we had the following: golden beet & miso soup, Winter Point select oysters with watermelon & pink peppercorn mignonette, Caldwell Farms beef tartare with fried biscuit dough, and Eventide lobster bun with a house made mayo and dill on a steamed bun.
All of the appetizers highlighted the fresh local ingredients that were used here. Hubby’s favorite was the lobster bun. No surprise there. The steamed bun was the perfect vessel for carrying the lightly dressed lobster salad. My favorite was the beef tartare. The fried biscuit dough was heavenly.
After our first bite, we knew we were in for a treat of an evening. We lucked out and had sunny mild weather, even though the forecast had warned of clouds and rain. After about an hour, Outstanding in the Field founder Jim Denevan spoke to the crowd. He explained how OITF got started and what’s still to come for them.
Then he introduced the farmers, Mary Ellen and Austin. They gave some history about themselves and the farm and then we split into two groups for the tour. Austin told us about some of the unique produce they grow at the farm, about how the farm got started, and about life on the farm. He also showed us the cute little farm stand that they just opened in 2012.
After our tour, it was time for dinner! There is a tradition that everyone brings their own plate to dinner. This is so that everyone is contributing to the meal and it makes the table a once in a lifetime combination of faces and plates. You’re seated right next to complete strangers who you share a family style meal with.
Once we found our seats, you could hear the buzz of excitement all around. Some guests had been to previous OITF events, but everyone at our section of the big table was new to OITF. Each course was served with a wine pairing, all from Italy at our meal. We started with some homemade sourdough and hand-churned butter.
Next up came the salads. We had a mixed greens salad that was lightly dressed and another salad which was made up of compressed melons, gherkin, squash, prosciutto, and thai flavors. The curry in the spices on the melon salad was a unique twist on a classic salty-sweet flavor combination.
The next course was my favorite of the night. We had a grilled North Atlantic swordfish belly with gribiche, bean salad, black olive, and Isreali couscous. This course provided the most perfect bite of the day. That bite consisted of smokiness from the bean salad, tenderness from the swordfish belly, crispiness from the green beans, and creaminess from the gribiche. I couldn’t get enough of it. Especially the beans.
Then came a side of Caldwell Farms beef with nightshades, spilanthes, and gai-lan. It also had potatoes, an eggplant puree, and au-jus. We devoured the beef. And then a second platter at our small section of the table.
As the dinner plates were being cleared away, the sun had start to set. The OITF team brought out candles to set on the tables.
And last but not least came dessert. This course was a make-your-own sundae with corn gelato, tomato sorbet, granola, olive oil popcorn, basil syrup and corn financier. And our sundae glasses were served with a slice of heirloom tomato. I passed on the corn gelato since it had dairy in it, but piled everything else into my sundae dish. The tomato sorbet tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before. It was refreshing and had a strong tomato flavor. Paired with the crunch from the granola and the corn from the financier, it was a great ending to the meal.
At this point, those predicted clouds had started rolling in. It had been a breezey night all night long, but the wind was really starting to pick up and the clouds were looking quite full. The chef said a few closing remarks and our event was over. No one really lingered due to the storm that was rolling in, so Hubby and I headed in to Portland where we were staying for the evening.
We had a great time at our Outstanding in the Field dinner. It was fun to meet some new people who were passionate about food while enjoying an amazing meal outside on the perfect late summer evening. I highly recommend checking out the events for 2012 – you can see there are still some locations that aren’t sold out yet. I also recommend signing up for their mailing list so the you can get the notification about when tickets go on sale for 2013. I know Hubby and I are planning to attend at least one meal next on next year’s tour.
I know Outstanding in the Field is coming to Allandale Farm here in Brookline tonight (with chef Tony Maws from Craigie on Main)! We have our CSA through Allandale, but thought it would be to tough to do the dinner on a work night and wanted a good excuse for a weekend in Portland. If you’re going tonight – have fun!
One Year Ago: How to Dice a Peeled Peach and Strawberry Peach Basil Bars
Two Years Ago: Goat Cheese Cake with Peach and Blueberry Topping and Fig, Goat Cheese, and Caramelized Onion Crostini
Three Years Ago: Blueberry Peach Muffins and Shrimp with Cilantro Pesto
Five Years Ago: Spice Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
Thank you so much for sharing Jen! I completely understand where you’re coming from and how you feel…do nice things for yourself
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 8:50 am
You do the same Fiona
Thank you so much for sharing. This is UNREAL. My husband Jeff ran the Boston Marathon this year, and I spent the day traveling around on the T watching the marathon with my in-laws. We ended the day just a block from the blast sites – I shared my story here: http://decoratethis.blogspot.com/2013/04/bittersweet.html; Jeff’s story here: http://iwasbornready.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-2013-boston-marathon.html.
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:05 pm
Thank you so much for sharing your and Jeff’s stories. What a day you guys had. I’m glad you’re safe.
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
I added these links to the body of the post.
It definitely does help to put some words together. And I feel the same way- even though I was volunteering at the 10k, i can’t help but wonder why wasn’t i volunteering at the finish line so I could’ve helped?
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:10 pm
I agree – it was therapeutic to write this up.
Thanks for sharing Jen. I haven’t lived in Boston for 4 years now, but my husband and I had a similar reaction. We both wanted to get “home” to the city we love, a city that becomes part of your being no matter where you go next.
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:11 pm
I’m glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Living in Boston leaves such a strong impression…
I’m a longtime reader, first time commenter. First I want to give you big virtual hugs regarding the events in Boston. Your feelings are no less valid, no less important. My heart goes out to you. Also, I want to say, welcome to Cincinnati! I live east of the city and am a transplant from Seattle. Cincy is growing on me, and slowly but surely I’m starting to tell people that I’m from Ohio not Washington. 🙂 Best wishes to you and thank you for sharing.
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:14 pm
Jen – thanks so much for commenting. I realize that at some point I’ll say I’m from Ohio, but the events of this week just my my heart tied even tighter to Boston…
I’m so glad all of your Boston people are safe. I can completely relate to your feelings of helplessness, I felt the same way after 9/11. It’s hard to be away from family and friends and a city that you love when tragedy strikes.
Big hugs for you and your crew.
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:14 pm
Thanks Jene. I’m sure it’s very similar to how you felt around 9/11.
I feel the same way–Boston was my home for four years of college. I love that city. I feel like it is MY city. I wish I was there, locked in with friends, watching the news and hugging them. I feel so helpless on the other side of the state, so far away.
As soon as I’m able I’m going to the city and having a moment in the Common before heading to all my favorite places. My heart aches for the city, I wish I was there.
beantownbaker — April 19th, 2013 @ 4:15 pm
I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who feels this way. We are trying to make plans to get back to the city sometime soon as well.
Oh I so know how you feel.. I live in Michigan. I’ve been here for almost 10 years, and I still call Boston home. It’ll always be home to me. You’re not alone!
beantownbaker — April 21st, 2013 @ 6:07 pm
Glad to hear I’m not the only one. I definitely think Boston will always feel like home to both me and Hubby.
I know exactly how you feel – I am a 2004 graduate of Virginia Tech. I was at work when the April 16th incident happened in Blacksburg, and I felt SO far away, and SO hopeless – the only place I wanted to be was in my beloved Blacksburg.
To make matters worse, I flew to Missouri the next day (for work) for 3.5 weeks. It seemed that the people out there had ALREADY moved on from the tragedy – it just made NO sense to me. I cried most of those 3 weeks, and since I was out there by myself it was a struggle.
I have always loved Boston, and I know that that community will love and support one another, just as Blacksburg did (and still does). It was the sixth anniversary this past Tuesday, and with everything happening in Boston, and the thoughts of VT and Blacksburg, it was an extremely long and tiring week.
Stay strong.
beantownbaker — April 22nd, 2013 @ 11:46 am
That sounds like a horrible situation for you in the aftermath of the VTech tragedy. Thanks for the kind words and for sharing your story.