Sea Smoke
ROCKLAND, MAINE | SEPTEMBER 2026
On the last day of summer, we settled into the oncoming fall at 19 Birch Lane in South Thomaston, Maine. After wandering the botanical gardens with seasonal welcome cocktails by Briana Betts, lacy leaves glistening with water droplets against grey skies, we gathered in the greenhouse. We listened to the patter of rain on the roof and the chatter of good conversation while the chefs stayed warm over hissing cooking fires just outside the translucent walls.
Chef Maria McGarvey of Applecroft brought us the abundance of the changing season, touched it with woodsmoke, and served a beautiful family-style feast to guests from 15 different states. Much of the produce served was grown down the road in Maria’s own garden, while the pork was sourced from friends just a few miles away. The tables were set with peachy sunflowers picked by Danielle and her daughter Noli the day before, bringing a bit of the surrounding gardens inside these cozy walls. We finished with a toast to the changing season, the fleeting abundance of this time of year, and the beauty of surrendering to whatever it may bring.
WELCOME
Bartender Briana Betts focused her cocktail menu on showcasing her favorite, fleeting moment, when summer fades into fall. She pulled the flavors of the season’s overflowing orchards into the glass, creating cocktails with local ingredients and Maine-based makers, like a fall-spiced sangria with pear and cinnamon and a spiced apple Root Wild Kombucha cocktail.
A MENU BY MARIA McGARVEY OF APPLECROFT
Maria McGarvey grows and cooks on her farm just down the road with her husband, Shane. They host their own dinners at Applecroft, sharing the bounty they grow for guests to enjoy right at the source. On this day, she created a menu from local farms, including produce from her own garden, and mixed Midcoast flavors with a kiss of woodsmoke to capture everything she loves about Maine, offering it to guests at our table.
MENU
WELCOME
Smoked Crab Macaron smoked crab, cream cheese, Irish cheddar, chive
Ribeye Tartare bone marrow aioli, ratatouille pickle, potato chip
Grilled Oyster smoked oyster butter, hazelnut, linguica, Manchego
Cocktails:
Seasons of Change Sangria red wine, Janara black walnut liqueur, shipova, pear, ginger + cinnamon topped with Root Wild spiced apple kombucha
The Late Harvest Root Wild spiced apple kombucha, shipova, pear, ginger + cinnamon
Lapo’s Negroni (0%)
TO START
Fuzzy Udder Savory Cheesecake focaccia, goat cheese, mascarpone, smoked ricotta, sunflower, pepita, red currant gelée
FIRST
Morning Dew Farms Cabbage tahini miso dressing, cabbage, pistachio, pine nut dukkah, pickled mushrooms
Wine: 2025 Saint-Peyre, Sauvignon Blanc, France
Oddbird Presence, 0%
SECOND
Black Cod kuri kuri squash, Brussels sprouts, apple, fennel slaw, cider mustard vinaigrette
Wine: 2024 Columna, Albariño, Spain
Saint Viviana Sauvignon Blanc, 0%
MAIN
Pork Loin zata'ar carrot purée, sautéed Swiss chard, chermoula, Heiwa tofu, wild mushrooms, rice noodles, crispy shallot
Wine: 2023 Nicosia 'Sabbie di Sutta' Frappato, Italy
Oddbird GSM, 0%
DESSERT
Mexican Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta smoked pear, apple, gingersnap meringue
Cocktail:
Brucato Shakerato Brucato Woodlands Amaro, espresso, ginger cold foam, cardamom
Lapo’s Shakerato, 0%
WINE PAIRINGS
Danielle paired this menu with bright, bold wines perfect for drinking on these in between days. We started with a fresh Sauvignon Blanc to cut through the gentle char and creamy tahini on the cabbage. Then, we brought out the slight sweetness of kuri kuri squash with a wonderful Albariño that sipped like the last bit of summer sunshine before pouring a delicious, berry-forward Frappato for the main course. Meanwhile, our friends at The Zero Proof offered an alcohol-free pairing for each course.
NIGHTCAP
Chef Maria’s dessert was full of fall flavors, but a far cry from pumpkin spice. Bri paired the Mexican vanilla bean panna cotta topped with gingersnap meringue with another unexpected nod to fall flavors — a shakerato cocktail made with Brucato Woodlands Amaro, the cocoa nibs and elderberry of the amaro playing off the coffee-and-ginger cold foam on top for a perfect balance to the creamy vanilla panna cotta.
SECRET LOCATION: 19 BIRCH LANE
19 Birch Lane is tucked away on a country lane on a finger reaching into the Atlantic off of Midcoast Maine, in a rural neighborhood where oyster farmers leave honor-code coolers of bivalves out on their lawns and the corner store serves early breakfast to fishermen heading out on the water at dawn.
Hidden amongst this beautiful place is this once-wedding venue that Aric and Patti are transforming into a botanical garden, fit for Mainers to explore its vibrancy in any season. We dined in a greenhouse destined to hold flowering plants through the winter, on farmhouse tables they built for their own wedding years ago.
