The food matches the view at Ogunquit's Hurricane.
M. Eve Elzenga
Taste & Tell
Maine Sunday Telegram

October 18, 1998

Ogunquit - The business card for Hurricane Restaurant says it all:
"Our view will blow you away-our menu will bring you back."

Nestled in the rocks at Perkins Cove, the Hurricane occupies a quintessential sea coast shanty. Small and compact, the cedar shingled building holds court over a magnificent ocean view. The dining room- one large room divided in the center by a partial wall-and the bar, are on the first floor.

The Sunday night I visited, the place was jammed. The small bar was crowded elbow-to-elbow, and people were lined up, some outside the door. Reservations are a must.

The interior of the restaurant is simple. Seafoam green and white woodwork and walls barely contain the large windows that line three sides of the dining room. There are 20 small tables dressed in white linen with votive candles. Each enjoys an ocean view. The excellent waitstaff are polished and professional, turned out impeccably in oyster and white.

The menu is as beautiful as the surroundings. Divided into soups and salads ($5 to $14), small plates-appetizers that can serve as a smaller dinner ($8 to $50)-and dinner entrees ($15 to $26), there are more than 30 items on the regular menu. A number of specials are offered each day, as well as several vegetarian selections. An excellent wine list, and wine suggestions for entrees, are presented.

After placing our order, we settled back to enjoy the outrageously good homemade sourdough bread served with olive oil. The bread had an even, chewy texture and a lovely curst.

For an appetizer, I ordered the five onion soup with a flaky golden cheese crust ($6). Spanish and red onions along with shallots, scallions and leeks were combined with chicken stock and light cream to create this mild soup. Served in a crock, the top was covered by a square of puff pastry that was filled with goat cheese. My spoon broke the delicate crust and came up filled wit the cheese, onion, pastry trio that was simply delicious.

My companion ordered the Vietnamese beef soup ($6). What a taste treat it was. Carrots, onions, pea pods, bean sprouts, tomatoes, celery, mushrooms and thin strips of beef were combined in a clear soup flavored with a bit of red pepper, basil, lemon grass, garlic and lots of other exotic spices. The colors were dazzling and the flavor addictive. This could have been our dinner.

Other appetizers include lobster gazpacho ($14), potted duck liver pate ($9) and Royal Caspian Osetra Caviar ($50).

House salads are included with all entrees. A plate of fresh mixed greens arrived, slightly over-dressed. While the buttermilk based peppercorn dressing was excellent, a lighter hand would have better flattered the greens. Also in the salad were sweet onions and a liberally dusting of pistachios.

For an entrée, I selected the fire-roasted veal chop ($26). It arrived encrusted with crushed pistachios and served with cast-seared wild mushrooms and a truffled potato pancake. The chop was more than an inch thick, fork tender and done to perfection. Abundant with succulent juices, it was enough to feed two hungry people. The flavorful truffled potato was shaped into a patty and sautéed golden. The chop was presented on top of the potatoes. Also on the plate were excellent sautéed wild mushrooms and fresh asparagus spears.

My companion ordered one of the evening's specials, oven-poached Atlantic halibut ($23). This elegant combination featured snowy white fish simmered in a gingered coconut milk broth. It was served with a purple-almost black-Thai sticky rice. The dish was topped off with chunks of fresh lobster meat. This was a dramatic entrée with flavor and texture to match. The ginger and coconut milk infused the fish and rice, ensuring that not a morsel remained on the plate. Also served was the asparagus and a beautiful garnish of parsley and red pepper.

Other entrees include chicken breast Saltimbocca ($15), lobster cioppino ($24), galantine of zucchini ($15), and rack of lamb ($22).

Desserts are mouthwatering. The seven offered on the fixed menu include semi-sweet chocolate silk pie with a vanilla bean sauce, lemon mousse with candied lemon peel and blueberry Napoleon. Three additional desserts were on the specials menu. Each is $7.

Selecting only one dessert was a tough choice, but I was more than satisfied with my key lime pie. The silky, tangy-tart filling was poured into a graham cracker crust and topped with fresh whipped cream. The consistency was light as air and heaven on the tongue.

My companion ordered one of the specials, a Pinot Noir poached sekel pear tart. Light pasty cream covered the tart crust with the delicate pear slices fanned out on top. It also was served with whipped cream. The dessert plates were decorated with imaginative and beautiful garnishes made from fruit sauces and fresh fruit.

With food this great, I'd come back no matter what the view. But I'm so glad to get the ocean too. Perhaps heaven is a hurricane?

Our bill before tax and tip and drinks was $75.

How It Rates
Food: * * * * 1/2
Service: * * * *
Atmosphere: * * * * *