Hurricane Restaurant — Restaurant in Kennebunkport

I first want to start by saying: my fiancé and I travel often and enjoy trying new places. We have a lot of experience in recent service industry constraints and like to go out of our way to help others understand how recent changes can affect what we all may be used to when dining out. I would say 95% of the time nowadays we will make reservations because it helps restaurants with limited staffing organize the flow of their restaurant. When you see empty tables, this can mean the restaurant does not have the amount of servers to accommodate seating the entire restaurant. When we popped in to the Hurricane this visit we did not make a reservation as we were visiting the area and hadn’t originally planned of eating. We parked in the back and walked through the restaurant which seemed very busy. We asked the hostess if there was any walk in availability. She seemed frustrated to a point of being unprofessional like we were throwing a wrench in her plans and it made us feel slightly unwelcome. Yet she was able to quote a 45 minute wait which we completely understood. She took our number and committed to reaching out once something was available. About 30 minutes later they called with a bar high top which we were happy to take. Once we returned they actually were able to fit us in to a regular table with a view of the water. (Foggy but still beautiful) We were welcomed with fresh ice water and then our server introduced herself and listed to specials. For drinks we ordered a Hurricane Fruitini and a Cucumber melon drop. Let’s start with the Cucumber melon drop because it definitely stole the show. It was Cucumber Infused Tito’s Vodka, Fresh Watermelon Juice, Simple Syrup, Lemon Juice with a Sugared Rim. Absolutely delicious and a great balance of flavors. The fruitini was not our favorite. With a drink that highlights a spirit infused with fruit, I would have hoped for a better vodka then a well brand. This drink uses Ice Pik Vodka infused with Pineapple, Strawberry, Raspberry, Blueberry. Priced at $14 in line with the other martini drinks, this is the only drink using the well vodka and is a branded Hurricane drink. Not a drink I’d have on the menu unless maybe upgrading to a better tasting vodka. On the other hand, I ordered the special which was a berry something but used Hornitos gold and silver tequila with plum and raspberry juices I believe. This tasted very tequila forward without a spirit burn balanced by the juices. High five the one that came up with this special. Ok dinner was amazing. I ordered the beef tenderloin which had mash and asparagus. Perfect mid rare temperature and very flavorful cut. Portions were a good size not overwhelming. My fiancé got the baked chicken over a cheesy risotto and asparagus. Both the chicken and risotto were executed perfectly. Juicy flavorful chicken breast with a prosciutto sauce. Parents had fish and chips and fish tacos. Fish cooked perfectly and was fresh and delicious. We couldn’t decide on desserts so ordered the peanut butter bread pudding and then the key lime and caramel ones to go. That bread pudding was breathtaking and I could eat it daily. Service overall was great. Our server was attentive and helped us make decisions on things. She was very helpful. Overall we had am amazing experience. My last recommendation is that there are rude people out there. Don’t let your smile be lost for the customers that care the most. Keep up the great work and we appreciate all the service industry workforce’s hard work and...

During my honeymoon in Maine, Leah and I were blessed with the opportunity to experience some of Maine’s premier cuisine at the Hurricane Restaurant in Kennebunkport, Maine. Kennebunkport is a fashionable, quaint and charming town, nestled along the rocky coast just south of Portland. The coastal town is home of the Rachel Carson national Wildlife Preserve, and is known for its long sandy beaches, rocky coastline, and for its history (dating back to 1653).

After experiencing the beaches, and the local wildlife, it’s customary for visitors to stroll the small town shops and boutiques, and then to stop at one of Kennebunkport’s many fine restaurants. Our stop was at the local favorite Hurricane Restaurant, which is located right along the main square of Kennebunkport, the Dock Square. Upon walking in, you’re greeted with a wall of fabulous wines, a small bar, and then as you venture to a table, views of the Kennebunk river come into view through every window. Leah and I found the whole scene to be a magical, and romantic spot.

Hurricane Restaurant offers fresh local seafood, locally grown produce and fine prime meats daily. In-house, Luanne MacDonald has employed a personal chef and pastry chef who customizes the menu each day with the finest and freshest product, and that came through in the rich flavors and in the quality of their seafood; but more on that later. Hurricane prides itself on top quality food as well as a diverse wine list that features over 130 selections by bottle and 60 by glass; which has won them Wine Spectator awards for over 15 years in a row.

We had the pleasure of having the House Smoked Tuna Pastrami as a starter, which married a beautiful and rich tasting tuna pastrami with dijon aioli, shaved pecorino, red onion, and rye toast. The flavors were bursting and it was difficult to not eat each and every bite, because we knew we needed to save room for our main course and desert. For our main course, Leah had the Hurricane Garlic Shrimp, which is a fresh fettuccine entree with a large garlic clove nestled between shrimp, shallots, and finished with a white wine, garlic butter sauce that was to die for… Her words, not mine. However, I did try it and found her meal to be quite delectable.

For my dinner, I opted for their famous Mediterranean Seafood Stew, which was recommended by the fine folks over at the 1802 House bed and breakfast. While I found the meal to be very enjoyable, I was ill-prepared for how massive this entree was. The Mediterranean Seafood Stew is less of a stew and more of a tour of Maine’s seafood, steamed and placed in a large bowl. The stew included half of a Maine lobster with lots of shrimp, sea scallops, rope cultured mussels, and littleneck clams with a hint of smokehouse almond-basil pesto. The shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection, while the lobster was a bit tougher, yet still so delicious.

For desert, Hurricane’s in-house pastry chef spoiled us with the best desert of our entire trip, the Native Blueberry Pie. Topped with a creamy french vanilla ice cream, the Native Blueberry Pie was cooked to absolute perfection, with a fresh and sweet crumbling pie crust that gave way to a feast of tiny and flavorful wild Maine blueberries. To say that it was the best pie I’ve ever had is of no hyperbole, and is meant solely to give justice to the passionate art that is the Native Blueberry Pie. If you do one thing in all of Maine,...

I was so excited to try this restuarant based on the many good reviews and especially so that it was for Mother's Day and it seemed just the place to celebrate a special occasion. Needless to say, based on the low rating, that was absolutely not the case. The service was not friendly, nor attentive. We did not even get a greeting from our server, just, "what would you like to drink?" I should have ordered two wines because when she brought our appetizers she pretty much ran away before I could order another and didn't return. After 15 to 20 minutes, I grabbed a busboy (who was clearly displeased that I had) to ask for water refills and to grab our server for us. It was still another five minutes before she came to the table. That, however, was not the worst part. The food was ridiculously bad. Not only lacking in quality and quantity but cooked terribly. The lobster chowder was thick and gluey and had clearly been scraped from the bottom of a stock pot that had been sitting for a long while. Other than three small pieces of lobster dropped on top of the chowder, it had zero lobster flavor. The filet was medium well on one side, medium rare on the other and super tough. The halibut was overcooked, barely room temperature and came with little to none of the promised mushroom sauce. The asparagus was complete mush and entirely inedible and the au poivre sauce had fresh peppercorns that had not been sauteed long enough and burnt the hell out of my daughter's mouth. To add insult to injury, my chair was uneven, shifting up and down to the left or right every time I shifted my weight to cross my legs or readjust, which I had to do frequently as the chairs are pretty hard. So, I also had a sore arse after the way too lengthy process of dining here. It was sincerely one of the worst dining experiences ever and I dine out frequently. It is almost laughable - how much was off or wrong - but having to pay the check for 280.00 for a party of four with only two glasses of wine and terrible food, any laughter dried right up (just like my halibut). What an incredible disappointment for what was to be a...