{"id":4968,"date":"2011-11-25T10:14:31","date_gmt":"2011-11-25T17:14:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=4968"},"modified":"2011-11-25T10:14:31","modified_gmt":"2011-11-25T17:14:31","slug":"academe-brasserie-and-tavern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/academe-brasserie-and-tavern\/","title":{"rendered":"Academe Brasserie and Tavern"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 2011<\/p>\n

Head of the Class<\/h2>\n

By Diane Hudson<\/p>\n

Kennebunk Inn\u2019s surprising new \u201cAcademe.\u201d<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>Inspired by Cat Cora\u2019s praise for Academe Brasserie and Tavern\u2019s <\/strong>Lobster Pot Pie on Food Network\u2019s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, we slip into the newly renovated Kennebunk Inn for a taste. And we\u2019re glad we did, as the menu here sparkles with innovation.<\/p>\n

Straightaway we are bewitched by mixologist Adrian Trudeau\u2019s award-winning \u201cSage Against the Machine,\u201d a magical mix of Absolut Raspberri vodka, triple sec, St. Germain, sour mix, muddled sage, and lime ($12). Also dead-on is a competitively priced wine list from which we savored Seghesio Sonoma Zinfandel 2007, an absolute bargain at $28.<\/p>\n

Because chef\/owners Brian and Shanna O\u2019Hea\u2019s <\/strong>are Culinary Institute of America graduates, there\u2019s a scholarly trope to Academe.<\/p>\n

Menu categories reflect studious sojourns, and for a \u201cFoundation Course,\u201d nothing beats Brian\u2019s braised pork belly, served in a diminutive cast-iron skillet and glazed in a pomegranate-lime compote on top of handmade hubbard squash ravioli ($12).<\/p>\n

From \u201cHot and Cold Topics,\u201d we respond to the familiar chord the iceberg lettuce strikes against the clang of very good blue cheese and smoked applewood bacon ($8).<\/p>\n

My partner is nearly seduced into majoring in the \u201cMinors,\u201d specifically the Citrus Crab Ravioli ($21). The homemade pasta dough is subtly infused with flavors from orange, lemon, and lime, nicely complementing the fresh Maine crab and mascarpone stuffing. Topping these beauties are four large shrimp and pan-seared, saut\u00e9ed mussels in a Cointreau Alfredo sauce with just a hint of curry.<\/p>\n

But we\u2019ve promised you lobster.<\/p>\n

Academe\u2019s scrumptious take on Lobster Pot Pie ($18) exceeds our super-hyped expectations. Splendidly served in a colorful Le Creuset pot, the delectable meat from a freshly caught Maine lobster peeks out from below handmade French puff pastry and basks in a velvety cream sauce sporting just enough fresh peas and corn to heighten its flavors.<\/p>\n

For \u201cGraduate Studies,\u201d we venture into the chef\u2019s special of the evening, Brian\u2019s Sauerbraten ($28). A winter holiday toast to his Polish ancestral celebrations, the dish includes grilled kielbasa, sauerkraut, saut\u00e9ed apples, a dijon and whole-grain mustard blend, sour cream, and, best of all, horseradish, and potato perogies. Hearty fare, and a welcome change.<\/p>\n

Our \u201cPersonal Enrichment\u201d course marries apple pie with gingersnap crust with house-made maple rum raisin ice cream, a delight created by Shanna as an extra credit. Other desserts include Signature S\u2019mores, Reverse Root Beer Floats, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Volcanos. Don\u2019t enroll at Academe because your friends are going there. Go there because it\u2019s your school and your future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

December 2011 Head of the Class By Diane Hudson Kennebunk Inn\u2019s surprising new \u201cAcademe.\u201d Inspired by Cat Cora\u2019s praise for Academe Brasserie and Tavern\u2019s Lobster Pot Pie on Food Network\u2019s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, we slip into the newly renovated Kennebunk Inn for a taste. And we\u2019re glad we did, as the menu […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4968"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5058,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4968\/revisions\/5058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}