Which Way the Wind Blows
by Brooks MacDonald

What a wonderful time of the year it is when spring finally arrives in Perkins Cove. Seeing all the lights in the other shops and restaurants makes us feel much less lonesome and warns us another season is just around the corner.

And if it's spring, then it's time to pen another newsletter. We're having more fun now than we've ever had because of the great people we work with. Our staff makes coming in each day a pleasure, and for that we are extremely grateful. We are very fortunate indeed.

Now, on to the subject at hand: to recap the winter and fill you in on all the goings-on at Hurricane. Lu and I attended Elisa and Dan Fennell's wedding in February. What a wonderful occasion it was. Katie Olsen hosted the event in her newly renovated house on Kennebunk Beach. She and her contractors did quite a job. Congratulations to both Elisa and Dan, as well as to Katie.

While we're at it, congratulations to Shawn Walsh and the Maine Black Bear hockey team. Not only did they win the National Championship, but they also set a tremendous example of how to do it well. They showed a lot of class when things got tough up there in Orono. The way they did it will always be remembered in this corner of the state. I hope this National Championship is as sweet for them as Michele Toth's Pastry is for us.

Our friends Ken and Daria Dolan dined with us over the Presidents' Day holiday weekend. Their radio show, Money Talk with the Dolans, is heard on over 200 stations nationwide, and they plan to broadcast the show from their house in Maine all summer. I guess that means more golf this season. I can't wait. Now, if I can get Ken to give me three a side, I should be all set. Yeah, right!

The Maine Legislature has passed a NO SMOKING law that will pertain to all Class A restaurants. That's us, folks, Class A. You'll find more information about the law and Hurricane elsewhere in this newsletter.

We had the good fortune to have Jed Steele of Steele Wines fly east from California, so we added an extra wine dinner to our series this year in his honor. Mr. Steele makes some of the best wine corked, and we are very proud to be able to pour it for our guests.

Speaking of California, Taylor and Heidi Lumia and the twins were here in April. It is always a pleasure to share a good time with them.

Lu has started taking deliveries at Provisions almost daily. She has "provisioned" us with some very tasty morsels, for sure. The new Hurricane Gear will go quickly, especially with all those new colors and styles.

Paul Brick and Eric Howton represented us at the New England Culinary Institute Career Fair this past winter. Things have changed in my 30-some years in this business. The only way to get the best kitchen people these days is to go out and recruit them. Our guys did a great job, and we're all going to benefit from their efforts.

Lu and I are off to Tucson for our annual advertising and marketing meeting with Dean and Lesley of LaughingStock Comedy Company. After that we're off to Chicago for the National Restaurant Show. I suppose a trip to Butch McGuire's Saloon will be in order. As much as we enjoy the restaurant show, no trip to Chicago is complete without seeing Mary Jo and Butch. They are first-class people all the way.

Speaking of first class... oh, never mind. The plane gets there at the same time no matter where you sit. I better close this column and get myself ready for coach.

I leave you with wonderful thoughts of summer, health and happiness with this quote:

"We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf.

-Epicures

Table for two?
It's a Date Thing, Don't Ya Know

Things are always changing at Hurricane, and we feel it's always for the better. Change is good! Our food is better than ever, our service crisper. We've added even more wine to our award-winning list, and we've prettied up this old fish shack both inside and out. Our flowers are in bloom, and we're ready for another season on the Cove.

One change you might not have noticed: We now create and date our lunch, dinner and dessert menus, daily. With the talented people we have cooking in our kitchen, we thought the only way to take full advantage of their skills was to let them get as creative as they'd like.

When you visit us, you will find many of our classic and revered dishes, but now we're also able to take full advantage of the microgrowing seasons in Maine. We produce a daily menu featuring the freshest ingredients and reflecting the peak skill level of our stellar culinarians.

At the end of your meal, please feel free to ask for a copy of today's menu. It's on the house.

Chow! Ciao! Chew! Whatever.

Provisioned for the Season
by Luanne MacDonald

Sure as the first tulip of spring arrives, so does Lucien and his UPS truck. It seems like that big brown truck is at my door every day. You can imagine the look on my husband's face. But I've told him, "Honey, if I don't stock it, I can't sell it. And you know how much you liked the check I wrote to the restaurant during the slow season." That always gets him.

We expect a banner year at Provisions, so we've added many new items to our inventory. We'll be featuring more Maine-made products than ever this summer. Among them will be maple syrup sugared off in Skowhegan. It's the freshest I've ever tasted. The sap was still in the tree on St. Patrick's Day! We'll also have Tub Cheese from Fryeburg, Captain Mowatt's Canceaux Sauce, all the good stuff from Stonewall Kitchens, and, of course, the wonderful salsa from Guzman's of South Portland.

Provisions is fashioning a whole new line of clothing with terrific colors for the summer season. As always, we'll be cellaring some of the best wines from around the world.

You'll see why we might be the smallest in size, but one of the busiest li'l gift shops on the coast. Please stop by and say hello. A trip to Provisions will make us both happy.

Can you say "Pretzel Joys?"

al-location, al-location, al-location
by Paul Brick

It is said the key to a successful business is location, location, location. Well, this spring all we keep hearing from our wine suppliers is, "allocation, allocation, allocation" - or what wines go where and who gets them.

Enough already!

We have been searching high and low, north and south, for wines that are not highly allocated. We've had great luck with the help of some helpful suppliers. When we set up our Wine Dinner Series last fall, we looked for new and exciting wines that were good, available and affordable. We weren't asking for much!

Thanks to Phil Newell and Alex Krause of Bonny Doon, Pete Emery of Concha y Toro and Tim dark of Robert Mondavi, we were able to find a number of tremendous wines with good supplies and reasonable prices. Mondavi's Fume Blanc and Bonny Doon's Roussanne are great summer wines. Bonny Doon's Ca' del Solo II Farfalla Charbono is a unique bottle of red that tastes wonderful with a little chill on it. A glass of Concha's Amelia Reserve Chardonnay served with a delicious piece of fish from our culinary department is a small slice of heaven.

Gary Shaw brought our attention to the wine selections of Eric Solomon. Solomon scours the south of France for small, independent producers of quality wines - ones without any corporate backing - and brings them to the attention of the rest of the world.

What's the point? As you may know, we change our wine list with great regularity - 37 times last year. It will probably be a few more times this year, if you believe the doom-and-gloom forecast from our suppliers.

But we're ready. There may be some unfamiliar names on our list, but they just add to the mystery and excitement of the wine world. Be brave, try the Charbono - no relation to Sonny - or maybe a glass of Roussanne with that dozen oysters. Let us know what you think.

Horseradish Encrusted Atlantic Salmon with a Warm Chopped Citrus and Baby Spinach Salad (Serves 6)

• 4-inch piece fresh horseradish root
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 6 8-oz. pieces fresh Atlantic salmon filets
• 2 tablespoons grape seed oil

Grate horseradish, add olive oil and mix well. Pat salmon dry and encrust with horseradish mixture on the flesh side. (Please not that it works better thi way rather than on the skin side.) Chill for one hour.

For the salad:

• 1 grapefruit
• 3 oranges
• 1 blood orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1/2 cup canned mandarin oranges (in syrup)
• 6 cups baby spinach, washed and spun dry

Peel and section the grapefruit, oranges, blood orange, lemon and lime and chop in half-inch pieces. Add the mandarin oranges, retaining the liquid.

For the dressing:

• 1/2 cup Mirin (Japanese sweetened rice wine, available at specialty food stores)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, minced
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients with retained citrus liquid.

Place 2 tablespoons of grape seed oil in a hot cast-iron skillet. Place salmon filets in skillet, horseradish side down. Sear for three minutes or until the horseradish is a golden brown. Reduce heat to medium, turn salmon and cook for 5 to 7 minutes - depending how well you like your fish cooked.

Remove fish, add fruit and dressing to skillet and warm through. Add spinach to wilt. Place salad mixture in the center of a warm plate and place the fish on top. Enjoy!