When you walk into the Mediterranean restaurant at 133 Main St, there’s an immediate sense of Old World comfort married to an unassuming familial hospitality. Warm garlic and sweet, delicate seafood scents waft from the kitchen. There’s a sizzling symphony of meats and vegetables on the grill. Visually, you are greeted by a thoughtful curation of antique and modern pieces. It’s unbelievably cozy in a refined way, and it speaks to the collaborative magic behind the restaurant’s co-owners and chefs.

Beth Polhemus and her husband Warren Busteed opened the restaurant May 17 of 2023, partnering with their long-term employee and head chef (from their restaurant The Contented Sole) Florin Ungureanu, a Romanian emigrant who first came to Maine at age 20 on a J-1 visa.

Seventeen years later, Florin is a naturalized citizen, and Beth described him as being more of a family member than employee and co-worker, reflecting on how she gave him away at his wedding. “He is just an incredible human,” she said.

Chef Florin brings his bucolic upbringing and can-do attitude to the kitchen, and it’s evident in all his dishes. “I’ve just always felt I fit into kitchens and restaurants,” he said. “I grew up in rural Romania, working with my hands, working with animals.”

When Florin took a masterclass in butchering some years back, the teacher questioned where he had learned his skills. “I just told him that I had to do it on my grandparents’ farm all the time,” he laughed. “The whole farm-to-table concept — I couldn’t wrap my head around it. As long as I remember, it came from the farm and we ate it on the table.”

Chef Florin said he relishes his Maine family and being able to create dishes that are often reminiscent of his former home. “There’s a certain level of brotherhood that happens in the kitchen,” he said. “I just feel like I belong here.”

The dishes offered at Bred in the Bone vary somewhat with the seasonal offerings, but you can expect delicious balanced pastas, items such as decadent grilled breads with seafood rémoulade paired with thoughtfully prepared local seafood in herby broths. Quail — the best I’ve ever had — was a recent special. My favorite dish from the menu was a pasta with impossibly savory clusters of oyster and beech mushrooms in a cream sauce with fried sage leaves. Pro tip: don’t skip their starter dips with grilled bread.

Chef de cuisine Sarah Begin is also like family, according to Beth and Warren. She landed her first job at the couple’s hospitality project Inn Saie when she was just 14 years old, quickly making her way into the kitchen through sheer curiosity and willpower. Now 23, she takes over the kitchen during the summer and works tirelessly to feed locals and tourists alike.

“We all collaborate really well,” said Beth, noting the balance it takes to maintain consistency across services and seasons.

Self-described as a “community-based restaurant” on the restaurant’s website, Bred in the Bone came to fruition when Warren and Beth realized there was an alarming lack of economic infrastructure in Damariscotta following the early pandemic days. “We became aware there was a lot of vacant space on Main St.,” Beth said. “We’ve been doing this long enough to know that’s bad for a community … we decided we were going to do something good.”

That good begins with reducing food waste and repurposing scraps and ends with feeding the hungry. Beth said they started a composting program in town in partnership with Scrap Dogs, inviting other local restaurants to join, collectively repurposing tons of waste each season. The restaurant kicks off an annual giving season to benefit food pantries, and they maintain a partnership with non-profit Veggies to Table. The couple, along with Florin, also fed hundreds of people for free out of their food truck Salty Boyz during the pandemic, all a testament to their dedication of being good neighbors. Beth said, “At this point in my life, it’s about community, taking care of people. I want people to come in and never leave.”

Now, the team is meeting with other business owners and individuals to create a permanent way to feed locals who may be pushed out of unstable SNAP benefits, or simply need some extra help. “I feel like the need to feed people is never going away,” Beth said. “It would be nice to create a solid infrastructure of restaurants that can give. That’s the next thing we’re focused on.”

FAMOUS FOR:
Beautifully plated, seasonal ingredient-infused seafood dishes.

ADDRESS:
133 Main St in Damariscotta, ME

WEBSITE:
bitbmaine.com

photos by Aaron Snow
words by Freyja Grey