The Restaurant at One of the Country’s Most Celebrated Inns

Jul 17

A Michelin Key and repeated recognition from Travel + Leisure have introduced travelers from around the world to The Norumbega. For locals, the restaurant has become another reason to visit.

Under Will Tims and Brett Haynie, the restaurant has become a destination in its own right, pairing thoughtful hospitality with a dining experience that feels every bit as carefully considered as the inn itself.

"That's maybe what we're most proud of," Will says. "This place is special, and we want people to be able to experience it."

At the center of that experience is chef Marymarcel Densmore.

Rather than offering another traditional New England menu, Marymarcel brings her Peruvian roots to the kitchen, blending Peruvian and Japanese influences with Maine seafood and seasonal ingredients. Dishes like halibut ceviche, tuna tataki, causa limeña and lomo saltado have become signatures, while herbs grown on the property find their way into the menu throughout the season.

The menu wasn't designed simply to be different.

"We wanted to introduce something to the Midcoast that no one else was doing, and have it be authentic," Will says. "Marymarcel was the perfect person to make that happen."

That same philosophy extends to the bar, where Steel Kilgore creates cocktails designed to complement the food rather than compete with it. Seasonal ingredients, herbs and flowers appear throughout the drink menu, and many are grown or foraged locally. Guests often gather around the four-seat bar simply to watch him work.

Brett smiles when he talks about the scene.

"People love sitting at the bar and watching Steel make cocktails," he says. "It's almost like performance art."

The attention to detail continues throughout the restaurant. Belfast ceramic artist Laura Keyes of Keyes Pottery created the cobalt-blue dishes used for each course. Fresh flowers are clipped from the gardens. Nothing feels overly formal, yet every element has been carefully considered.

It's easy to see why The Norumbega continues to earn national recognition as an inn. Spend an evening at the restaurant, and you'll understand that same care extends well beyond the guest rooms.