Ultramar — Restaurant in Kennebunkport

We stumbled upon Ultramar this past late spring when a group of 4 of us stayed the week leading up to Memorial Day. Not being our first time (have been coming for many many years) to the area, we kind of have a lay of the land. Noticing the change in venue, it peaked our interest to investigate after stopping to take in the sites of a sun set over Cape Porpoise. The atmosphere was the first thing we noticed. How things had changed from the previous restaurant to what Ultramar has become. We sat at the bar and ordered a round of drinks, we quickly found out that the bartender was a true master of his craft. Being an Old Fashion connoisseur, he present us with one that is in my top 5. The other drinks selected also won the applause of the rest of our party. A conversation then lead to making some reservations for later in the week. Our next visit for dinner did not disappoint as well. A wonderful waterside table that allowed us to enjoy each others company as well as a picture perfect sunset made the evening special. Our waiter was a young man that was from the area, he was very knowledgeable in the food and drink being offered, and even shared stories of camping on the islands just off the point of Cape Porpoise. All the meal courses that were prepared exceeded our expectations. The chefs had truly set the hook of having us back on our return trip over Labor Day week. As the months went by, my wife and I learned that our soon to be son in law was going to purpose to my daughter on the point of Cape Porpoise, o e of her favorite spots. Knowing that there was only one place to celebrate with dinner and that was Ultramar. We made reservations for 12, having to break into two groups of 6. We under the restaurant limitations during their busy times, so we were fine with. This is where things went south…Both groups were sat at the same times, each table having their own waiters / waitress. Our table was one chair short and we stood there very awkwardly waiting. Nobody returned so we went to a table that had just been vacated and took one of their chairs. The waitress was friendly, shared the drink wine selections, provided some water. She then took our drink order and did not come back for at least 30+ minutes. She finally returned with drinks, and proceeded to take our order for apps and dinner. We could see that our other table was well ahead of us in there service due to that 30+ minute lapse. I don’t know if the question about their bourbon list is what threw everything off, but it was frustrating. The food was again over the top as it arrived in the various waves, and there was zero complaints from what was coming out of the kitchen. The disappointment comes from the lack of attention we were getting from our waitress. Wine glasses left on the table that we were not using causing limited space, lack of water service, and when finished with dinner only half the table being cleared. We then faced another extended wait to the point of our other table being completely finished and present a bill (which our table picked up). We never had the opportunity to enjoy an after dinner drink or dessert and just asked for the bill so we could leave together since some of us drove together. We received the bill from the hostess quicker than anything else that night which seemed a little off. We paid both bills and made our way out, I stopping at the hostess stand to offer a “ Bravo Zulu” (a job well done) to the chef and their staff as every part of the meal was excellent. However we were not very happy with the waitress and lack of attention we received. He listened to the input, but I’m not sure how it was received. This was a special night for our family with the engagement of our daughter, to for all of us to break bread, share stories and laughs at a fabulous restaurant. Will we go back…probably will, but wanted to share...

Everything about this experience was superb. We were warmly greeted by the hostess upon entering. I had booked our reservation at the bar and she asked what side we prefer. Having not dined there before, we choose water side. The bartender visited us immediately to say hello and take our drink order. We spent a little time exploring the menu. I ordered a Paloma and my husband ordered an IPA. I love a good Paloma and this was hands down the best I had while in town. Then we dove into food. When we have a date night without the kids, we spend time on as many courses as possible to fully experience a restaurant of the expected caliber and Ultramar did not disappoint.

We started with a half dozen oysters which were very fresh and cleanly shucked. We also ordered the ceviche which that night was halibut. Very very good. Recipe was simple and not overdone. Classic flavors and I loved it!

When we looked up from our finished plates we realized the other side of the bar, which had full view of the restaurant and water, had opened up. I really struggled with asking if we could slide over, bc I appreciate and understand how daunting planning seating can be, but I headed to the hostess who was not annoyed at the question at all. A couple minutes later the manager came right over too and was so gracious about having us slide down. For the rest of the night we were able to take in the panoramic views of the water and the beautifully designed restaurant.

From there we ordered the squid dish and a heirloom tomato salad. And by this point I had moved on to a glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc as they did not have a Sancerre by the glass offering which I quickly forgot about anyway bc the wine and food had my full attention!

The squid was cooked perfectly and the salad was the perfect, light paring for it.

We both agreed to order the Seafood Mixed Grill for Two for our dinner. I didn’t think I would enjoy this as much as I did to be honest. This meal selection was more in line with my husband’s preferences than mine, but wow was I wrong! I tried everything on that plate: scallops, branzino, seafood sausage, etc. ! By the way, what a creation. Never in my life have I had a seafood sausage. I loved it. One of the bartenders asked our thoughts on it and mentioned there had been feedback on dryness. That was a non issue for me. If I wanted a greasy sausage or greasy seafood, I would have dined somewhere else. The sausage was a delight. A very fun experience for sure. Also the sausage that we ordered (herb, lemon, began with a letter S) was fantastic on everything on the plate. Highly recommend.

When I thought I could not manage another bite, my husband heard some sort of dessert with bananas foster ice cream on it and before you know it, it was in front of us!

So naturally I needed an espresso martini. Because at this point, why the heck not!?

I should also mention that the kitchen was fast and the food was served at the right temp every time and paced perfectly lending the orchestration of a fantastic dining experience.

We absolutely loved our time here and will be back again next year! Definitely the highlight of our trip. We also dined at their sister restaurant, Luca (The lost Fire) with our kids as is our annual tradition, Earth, The Boathouse, and Via Sophia —- Ultramar was our favorite!

See...

It first started when we got a text saying our table was ready when we got to the door it was locked. And the place wasn't even open yet, we were told we had to wait ten more minutes. When we finally got in, we ordered the muscle appetizers which were amazing. I even wanted to make a martini out of the sauce. I had ordered the lollipop chops with mushroom buttersauce for my birthday dinner, my wife ordered the seabass. When they came out my chops were so cold that the mushroom butter sauce wouldn't even melt. I sent the dish back to warm it up and all they did was melt the buttersauce.The meat was still very cold. So I sent it back again for the second time. When it came back out it was still cold. So I asked if we could start over and order two new plates for myself and my wife. My wife hadn't eaten hers because she was waiting for me to get mine and hers got cold, they said ok took our plates away and never brought hers back, but brought my plate. We waited about 15 minutes before we said anything. And the manager said "she said she was all set with her meal" which isn't true. We where never asked if she wanted it to go or anything they just took her meal away. We ended up paying for our appetizers and drinks but never ate. Horrible experience won't be back ever.

Sincerely, Two very unhappy customers who should have been compensated in some type of way instead of leaving...