Which Way the Wind Blows
by Brooks MacDonald

"Winter really WAS like this when we were kids," seems to be the cry here during this early-winter season in Perkins Cove. It's easy to see why. The local television stations say it has never been this white or - should I venture - this deep for a long, long time. (Never mind the jokes about how deep or what's so deep.)

Great skiing greets the New Year and we couldn't be happier for our friends in the slippery-slope business. After last winter, they certainly deserve a break. Let's hope this early bonus of abundant snow will continue for the rest of the winter.

Speaking of winter, let me share some things going on around here this season. I'll start by telling you about how our staff outdid themselves once again in supporting a local Secret Santa program. They raised a lot of money this year by donating a portion of their tips each day throughout the year, and by raffling off Katie's wonderful gingerbread house at the annual Hurricane Open House. Then they went out and purchased sheets, towels, blankets, clothing and other necessities for some very deserving local families. It all involves a great deal of work and time each year, and we're extremely proud of their efforts. They are all special people and we're fortunate to have them in our lives.

We have some new members in the Hurricane family. Please join me in welcoming Jessie Withrell, Stephanie Lockman, Raina Piligian, Eeta Sachon, Scott McCowan, Barbara Skelton and Skanlon Sittig.

Since it's the "other" season, our Chef's Night, Public Suppers and Jazz Brunch programs are now in full swing. They are all great values and if you haven't already, you should indulge yourself before the other "other" season finally arrives.

We still have a few seats available for some of our famous Wine Dinners coming up in the next few months. You'll find dates and dinner schedules elsewhere in this issue. Call soon so we don't disappoint.

Other items in this issue include: a little article on several of our favorite local establishments that have or will soon be changing hands, the inside story on Hurricane's plans for expanding our operation, a schedule of upcoming events at our little place by the sea, this issue's featured recipe and a few other things I'm sure you're dying to know.

So until next time - when you'll receive an issue of our newsletter viaboth e-mail and snail mail - I leave you with this thought: "Do it now!

Today will be yesterday tomorrow."

Provisions Pooped!
by Luanne MacDonald

Normally, I pen this item after the holiday season with an, "It was busier than ever, yada, yada, yada." Saying this has grown old for me by now and I'm sure it's old for you, too. So, while we did experience our biggest shopping and selling season ever (almost 80 gift baskets were shipped via UPS alone!), Provisions is now closed for the season. Well, sort of.

We will once again be opening before and after each Wine Dinner so we can provide you with the evening's featured wines and any other wines in which you might have an interest.

And - in what has turned out to be a very popular idea since we last chatted - we will be happy to fill orders at any time for anyone who cares to e-mail us with wine requests. And you can always shop on-line for all your favorite Hurricane gear.

Until spring - when hopefully we'll be all dug out - I wish you all a safe and happy New Year.

Cheers.

Welcoming Some New Friends

Since late fall and into the early part of this winter, several of our favorite local spots have changed hands and are now being operated by some new folks. I hope you'll take the time to get to know them as we have.

First, Dick and Kim Ackley have turned their lovely restaurant - The Wayfarer in Cape Porpoise - over to Brandi Hynes. We've known Brandi for many years. She's a wonderful chef, following in her father's footsteps. I'm sure she'll do a terrific job at one of our favorite haunts.

Secondly, please join us in welcoming Ross and Linda Thibeau to Ogunquit. They recently purchased the Colonial Hotel on Shore Road from the Sawtelle family. They are wonderful people and are a welcome addition to town.

And finally, as most of you know, Lu and I have long had an extended family in the Griffins: Rick, Martha, Lydia and Alexis. For more than 20 years the Kennebunkport Inn has been their home as well as their place of business. Over the years Rick and Martha painstakingly renovated and upgraded the Inn to where many consider it one of the finest lodging and dining establishments in all of New England. The Inn has also been the scene of many special occasions in our lives. Holidays, birthday parties, celebrations, wedding anniversaries and many other good times and memories will always be associated with the Inn, including our own wedding ceremony and reception. It has certainly been a very special place for all of us.

With the new century also come new changes for the Griffins and the rest of us. In January Rick and Martha will be passing the Inn's keys to Debbie Lennon and Tom Nil. While I'm sure it is an emotional time for the Griffins, I also know it is a special time for them as well. I'm also sure they chose Debbie and Tom because they are worthy and talented people- the type of people to whom the Griffins could entrust their long labor of love.

Please join me in welcoming Debbie and Tom to the hospitality neighborhood of southern Maine. We wish them all the success and happiness that has long been associated with that wonderful hotel.

And to the Griffins: thank you for the heartfelt memories. We look forward to making many more down the road. Oh yes, and remember:

"Retirement can be a great joy if you can figure out how to spend time without spending money."

Good luck!

Look What's Happening in the Ol' Town Today,
Tonight and Beyond

• Sunday means Jazz Brunch at Hurricane. We serve a special brunch menu and feature live jazz until 3:00 p.m. each week. We also serve our dinner menu all day long on Sundays.
• Monday night is Chef's Night at Hurricane: free appetizer, salad and dessert when you purchase one of our dinner entrées.
• Tuesday night is Public Supper at Hurricane. We serve four "old-fashioned" dinner specials, priced at just $7 each.
• Our now wildly famous Wine Dinners begin on January 18th and will continue on alternating Thursdays throughout the spring. The festivities kick off at 6:30 p.m. with an hors d'oeuvres reception, which is followed by a four-course dinner designed and paired with the evening's featured wines. Please call well in advance for reservations. These dinner dates sell out early.

• January 18 - Brancott Vineyards from New Zealand
• February 1 - Ahlgren Vineyards with the representatives from Winery Concepts
• February 15 - Corterra Wines with Stonestreet and Cambria Vineyards
• March 1 - Stonehaven Vineyards with Hugh Matthews and Pete Emery
• March 15 - Frederick Wildman with their Alsatian Wines
• March 29 - Vineyard Brand and Sheila Reynolds, featuring their Spanish wines
• April 12 - Robert Mondavi with Tim Clark
• May 16 - Steele Wines with Jed Steele

• Valentine's Day, as you all know, is February 14th. Even though it's a Wednesday this year, please call early as we always sell out well in advance. None of us needs to be disappointing our sweethearts especially on that day!
• Easter Sunday falls on tax day this year, April 15th. (A much nicer reason to remember that particular date, if I do say so.) Once again this year we will be featuring a special dinner menu from 11:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. for this traditional family holiday.
• Mother's Day is May 13th. Dinner will be served from 11:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m. for those sharing the day with their special mom.

The Oldest Soon Becomes the Newest

As we hinted in our last newsletter a few months ago, things could - or should we say - will be changing for the Hurricane Restaurant family.

Literally, as of this writing, we have decided to open a new restaurant in Kennebunkport. As our long-time supporters, we want to share with you our thinking - and better yet - our plans for the future.

A few years ago Lu and I started to pursue the idea of operating a second restaurant for two reasons. First, the lease with our current landlord has only four years left and the prospects for renewing have not been real clear, so to speak. Second, while we have been blessed with a tremendous staff, the potential for their growth has been somewhat stunted by the limited size of our operation.

In our pursuit of a new location several factors became apparent. The guidelines we established were really quite simple. To others they may have seemed impossible: signature location, water views, high foot traffic, aesthetically pleasing, large and well-equipped kitchen, a place meticulously and lovingly cared for and, preferably, a restaurant with a highly respected reputation. Easy, right?

Well, as a good friend once said, "Be careful what you wish for."

Over 30 years ago, I stood in a very large and busy kitchen thinking how it would be really great to become a chef. Fast-forward through all those years and I found myself in that very same kitchen once again.

After 50 years of operating and owning the Riverview Restaurant, Pat Lyna has decided she also wants to pass along the keys. The restaurant itself has been serving the public since the late 1800s. It houses an antique marble soda fountain, a candy shop and a restaurant/bar that seats about the same number of people as the Hurricane does in PerkinsCove.

It is an absolutely lovely setting (they don't call it Riverview for nothing), and it fits every single criteria we had hoped for. We're still very much in the planning stages, but when we open later this spring you can expect the same kind of quality dining experience we've been providing for the last 10 years in Ogunquit.

Many more details will soon be available on our web site. In the meantime, stop by and say hello when you're in either of our neighborhoods.

Chef's Night, or is it Chef's Night Out?

It's a well-known fact: many chefs take their weekends on Mondays and Tuesdays. It's their chance to get away from their kitchens and hot stoves, venture out to see what's going on in other restaurants and, in turn, have a little fun of their own.

Well, we thought we might have a little fun of our own on Mondays, without leaving the Hurricane or even Perkins Cove. Our chefs are sticking around on Monday evenings this winter because we're inviting all chefs, sous chefs and those aspiring to be chefs to check out Chef's Night at Hurricane.

On Monday evenings only, our chefs are showing off by offering a free chef's appetizer, a Hurricane house salad, one of our fabulous entrées and a special dessert to anyone who dines with us ? regardless of their chefly aspirations. Best of all, you only pay for the price of the entrée!

That's right: for the price of your entrée, you'll get a four-course meal. It doesn't get much better than that on a Monday night in the middle of Maine's winter! Each week our chefs will prepare a special, tasty appetizer and a unique, delicious dessert. We hope you'll enjoy them and share your thoughts about them with us. Those items with the highest raves over the course of the winter will probably find their way onto one of our future menus.

It's sure to be a lot of fun and customer feedback always serves us well. Join us Monday evenings and find out what that noise in the kitchen is all about.

Grilled Filet Mignon with a Wild Mushroom and White Bean Ribollita (Serves 4)

4 10-oz. filet mignons, trimmed of fat and wrapped with prosciutto ham 8 thick slices, hearth-baked sourdough bread, grilled.
For the ribollita:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 carrots, small dice
• 3 stalks celery, small dice
• 1 Spanish onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 cups chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and rough chopped
• 2 cups king oyster mushrooms, cleaned and rough chopped
• 1 cup shallots, sliced julienne
• 12 cups chicken broth
• 5 cans great northern beans
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Sweat together carrot, celery, onion, herbs and garlic in olive oil until carrots are tender.

2. Add mushrooms and shallots and sauté until tender.

3. Separately simmer chicken broth with 1/3 of the beans for five minutes.

4. Purée broth and beans until smooth.

5. Combine puréed beans, remaining 2/3 whole beans, vegetables and season to taste.

Grill filets for four minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

To serve:

Place bread in center of large pasta bowl. Divide ribollita evenly into bowls. Top with cooked filets and garnish with fresh herb sprigs.

Don't forget to serve a great red wine!