Bentley’s Saloon
Arundel, Maine
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| Bentley's Saloon, Arundel, Maine
It’s official - riding season has begun. On our first ride of 2014, we took a Friday night cruise in the area as the sky was getting pretty dark with the threat of rain. It felt so good to be out on the road with the wind in my face. However, an hour into our ride that familiar rumble brought my attention back to the fact we had ridden right into dinnertime. The age old question of where to eat changes a bit when you are all “leathered up”. Obviously, the tradition is to go to the nearest “biker bar” and grab their version of fried this or fried that, with nary a fresh vegetable in site. We had seen the postings that Bentley’s Saloon in Arundel had hired a “real chef” and there was a brand new menu, but isn’t that what they all say? Bentley’s is 4 miles down the road from my place in Kennebunk, and with threatening skies; it was the most logical place to stop. Much to my surprise when we walked in there was a sign touting the Friday night specials, and the first thing on the list was a fish taco. Okay, now you have my attention, I’m not even kidding when I say I got a little excited. Then we looked to our right and saw a real kitchen where there was once just a mid-range fry station. We even went over to check it out and were hugely impressed with the line, the cleanliness, the lighting; even copper pillars in front of the windows. Things are looking up as far as I can tell, and then I see a man in a chef’s jacket. Really, at a biker bar? Now I’m really excited to see what’s going on! Let me see this menu, I hope it’s more than the usual eight biker bar options. Well, look at this will you, a REAL menu; with real fresh food choices and lots of them. Dancing the happy dance, woot woot!
Check this out; Cedar Roasted Salmon Fillet, fresh salmon fillet roasted on a cedar plank for a subtle smokey flavor topped with fragrant herb butter. Served with our smashed red potatoes and farm fresh vegetables. Yes, I just about fell off my stool! The “NO THROTTLE” Burger, a Fresh-made Veggie burger of black beans, green pepper, sweet corn, cumin & our sweet chili sauce on a bulkie roll. And then, because you can smell the smoker doing it’s magic, Smoked Spare Rib Platter of succulent pork spareribs seasoned with our secret rib rub then slowly smoked over hickory coals. Finished with our maple BBQ sauce over an open flame to give ‘em a sweet caramelized coating. Served with Boston baked beans, Maine coleslaw and maple cornbread muffin. Okay, you had me at smoked over hickory coals! You get the idea, that we’re not talking your usual “Biker Bar” fare by any stretch of the imagination.
I’m still thinking about that fish taco special as it will tell me a lot about the creativity of the chef. When I order it from Dakota, our server; she asked if I wanted the Chipotle fish sauce, oh heavens yes! For one of my sides I ordered the Maine coleslaw because I’m a bit of a coleslaw snob, and this too will be a great insight into our chef. Often it’s the little things that create the whole experience. My partner ordered a “CHEIF” burger that sounded good on paper, with sauteed sweet onions & peppers on a fresh baked bun (yes it said that) with smoked bacon and pepperjack cheese. Wow, that sounds delish too!
While we’re sitting there, the chef is out checking on meals recently delivered and so I waved him over. I introduce myself as a bit of a “foodie” and that I’m very impressed with what we have seen so far with the renovations of the kitchen and with the looks of the menu. Chef John Hughes introduced himself (I’d already read about him prior to coming) and asked what I’d ordered. I told him & he says, “oh just that” like it was no big deal, but to me it was huge! Last year I would not have even considered having dinner there, so I was super excited.
Not too long after, out came our baskets of food. Knowing what the volume is at Bentley’s, I was not expecting china and real silver. We’re talking 1000’s of people that go through this place on any given weekend day, so ease of cleanup it crucial. My first comment was that of excitement about the salsa - FRESH ingredients including corn with a nice tang of lime and just a hint of heat, very good. Next I had to try the chipotle fish sauce, yuuumo! And finally the cole slaw test, freshly made, seasoned just right, nice and moist but not runny; a perfect
Maine coleslaw. Three out of three - and my partner said the baked beans were “excellent” as well. So let’s dig in and see what we’ve got. The fish was lightly battered and fried placed on a bed of chiffonade spinach, tomatoes, jalapenos, green peppers and sweet onions all served in a fresh warm tortillas. Let put it all together; salsa, fish sauce and have that first bite. Oh man, this is great! I look over at my partner and he’s just taken a bite of the “CHEIF” and he let out something akin to a groan. I asked if it was as good as it looked and he said
“better”.
With that, we devoured our meals in no time at all and decided this was the kickoff to Food on the Open Road. Weekly I’ll be sharing our eating experiences as we tour the state on two wheels. This may very well be the start of some food wars among the various “Biker” stops throughout the state. I can even see a challenge or two coming up . . .
Until next week, stay safe and never ride faster than your Angel can fly~
MJ
Maine Food Frenzy
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