Dufour • cocktails & provisions — Restaurant in South Berwick

🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉 HAPPY NEW YEAR SEACOAST EATERS!!!

What a year it's been!!! For our final date night of 2022, my wife and I decided to ring in the New Year at a familiar haunt, and one of our favorite restaurants, Dufour cocktails and provisions at the Stage House Inn, 224 Main St South Berwick.

Upon entering, everyone was dressed to the nines and ready for the night's festivities. The ladies looked beautiful and the men looked handsome. The stage was set for an amazing evening. We were led to our table in the bar and began looking over the cocktail menu. My wife decided on her go-to Vodka Collins(Pic 1). Fresh and crisp, it's a cocktail you just can't go wrong in ordering. I chose the Gundalow(Pic 2). The tasty libation is made with Basil Hayden Bourbon, Campari, liquor 43, Luxardo Cherry Liquor, and orange bitters. This was a great way to begin the evening. I usually get the One Night In Maine, but I was stoked about the choice I made.

As we waited for our drinks, we were brought some Focaccia with spicy oil and balsamic(Pic 3). The bread was moist and perfectly baked. I also ordered an appetizer.....just for myself. Why, because my bride wasn't interested and wanted to be sure and have room for dessert. I ordered the Oysters(Pic 4). The toppings were cocktail sauce, mignonette, and shaved horseradish. These Brunswick Oysters were so fresh and flavorful. I probably shouldn't have, but I put all 3 toppings on each oyster. I absolutely loved them. It was also a beautiful presentation.

For our main course, we both chose the same entrée, a beautiful New York Strip Steak, my wife's cooked medium and mine, medium rare (Pic 5). The steak was cooked perfectly for each of our tastes. The dish also included a carrot and squash puré with white asparagus and broccoli rabe. There was an herbed butter atop the steak, which added tremendous flavor to an already flavorful piece of meat. It was sssoooo good. My wife ordered a Tom Collins(Pic 6) for her second drink and I asked for a great red wine to compliment my steak. I was brought 2 samples and chose the Rosso di Montepulciano(Pic 7-8). It was very well balanced, had great flavor and was a perfect compliment to my steak.

For dessert, we ordered the Creme Brulee with Blueberries and Strawberry(Pic 9), decaf coffee(Pic 10) and I topped it off with a Blanton's Bourbon with a single, large cube(Pic 11). Dessert was perfectly light, creamy and the fruit was very fresh.

It was a magical evening for us. The service was out of this world, with at least 5 different people checking in with us. The atmosphere was festive, the food was amazing and it resulted in a simply unforgettable evening. Even Jennifer stopped by and asked to take a picture of us. It turned out to be a great picture of my wife and I. I'm sorry, I promised not to share it, even though I wish I could. I respect her privacy and cannot betray that. It was a perfect way for us to end an amazing year of date nights in 2022, and yet, begin 2023 with my first review of the year. I hope you find your way to Dufour in 2023 if you haven't had the pleasure. If you have already been, I hope this reminds you of how good your experience was and entices you for a return...

My husband and I went for my birthday and it was so horrible that it was comical. We made a reservation for 2 at 7:15 and were seated promptly. Our server was polite and pleasant. We ordered our apps, dinner, and drinks at the same time. We had the small charcuterie for and an appetizer, which was fine. The night was ruined where we were seated for over an hour and a half and our entrees were still no where to be found. The bar and dining room were nearly empty, with under 10 parties in th place. Finally our entrees arrived, a green salad and a burger. The salad was okay but the dressing was so overpowering that it hurt my nose from the vinegar. The burger looked fine UNTIL my husband took a huge bite to reveal it was completely RAW. So raw that it was red, dripping with juice like you'd find taking hamburger out of a grocery store package. We showed the server, her eyes grew wide, immediately apologized and removed the dish. Did not offer to leave the fries. She did offer to make another, which we declined since we had already been there for 2 hours and had to get back to the babysitter. We asked for the bill, which was nearly $70 for 2 draft beers, a wine, a salad and small charcuterie. My husband paid, and he left still hungry without dinner. I didn't even get my birthday dessert which was promised to us for "next time". Unfortunately there will be no next time for us.... I've heard great things about this place and we're so disappointed trying it for the first time. My husband is a professional chef and I was a server for over 14 years, we are industry people. We want to support local but would not recommend Dufour....

Im giving two stars to head chef that allowed a shoulder cut of beef to be used as a “Beef Wellington” Special. Traditionally and always, the center cut of the tenderloin or “chateaubriand” is used.

It was presented nicely, but the composition was completely incorrect, and this information was failed to be passed to service then to diner.

We should always question the special, because what this is saying to me is that you had extra unfavorable cuts of beef that you wrapped up in puff pastry and made to look pretty. We can also tell you had extra mushrooms because you mixed the remaining duxelles in with the side of greens.

Lastly and almost most importantly was the lack of demi-glacé or Bordelaise sauce. Which, building these flavor profiles is an art of its own.

To sum it up, I was very disappointed in the Beef Wellington.

However, the curry sauced mussels were fantastic and very well executed. The staff was great and professional, offering another dish and taking off a round of our drinks.

The atmosphere was beautiful, clean, modern, and decadent. We did get there early and were seated in the large dining hall right next to a table of six, which felt too invasive.

I really did like the restaurant, and it’s hard to find a fine dining experience locally. We will definitely be back to try more options on the menu, but definitely not for that Beef Shoulder...