Two restaurants beyond Portland’s sturdy culinary confines are exemplary. They are 87 miles apart, the distance from Cape Elizabeth’s The Well at Jordan’s Farm to Rockport’s Nina June. They excel for one simple reason. The food at each is fabulous.
I visited Nina June in early June, and it was my first time there. I loved the place when it was the Salt Water Grill some years ago. The room was lily white then, right out of a Ralph Lauren playbook, Rockport Harbor being the perfect backdrop in this gorgeous little village as the quiet side of Camden next door. Nina June is cozier than its predecessor and more like being in a country boite rather than a “fancy” restaurant. But the food is superb under the able hands of Sara Jenkins, owner and chef. She commands her post like a general, but always calm, not rattled as every nook and cranny of her cooking talents emerge. If anyone from Maine should merit a James Beard Award, it’s Jenkins, leaving many others merely striving.
Nina June’s dining terrace overlooking Rockport harbor, photo courtesy of Nina June
