Nebo Lodge

Oysters on Labor Day, Fall Specials, & Fall Equinox Runs!

We have had a GREAT summer on the island.  The weather has been perfect and we owe a huge thank you to so many old and new friends – our diners and inn guests – for making this summer such a wonderful one.  Summer is still with us and we are making the most of it by adding two Tuesday’s in August to our dinner schedule.  In addition to our regular Wed – Saturday schedule, we’ll also be open on Tuesday August 17^th and 24^th.  Come join us!

We also looking forward to our 3rd Annual Celebration of the North Haven Oyster on Labor Day weekend with oyster specials all weekend and happy hour on the deck from 5:00 – 7:00pm on Saturday and Sunday nights with dollar oysters on the deck shucked by the amazing North Haven Oyster Company. Note we’ll be open Sunday Night of Labor Day weekend.

And many have been asking about our fall schedule. First, we are open!  Second, September on the island is probably the most beautiful month of the year.  It is quiet, peaceful, and an all around wonderful month.  The weather is still perfect for biking and sailing and kayaking, but the busy summer traffic has gone away and you are likely to have the roads and beaches to yourself.  So come for a mid-week vacation or a weekend.  It is the perfect way to extend a wonderful summer.

We also have some special celebrations coming up and we are going to continue with our Equinox Boat Service from Rockland through September for dinner runs. September is a great month for crossing Penobscot Bay and the Equinox trip is the perfect way to enjoy a gourmet dinner on North Haven and still sleep in your own bed. The summer fog is usually gone, the sunsets are gorgeous, and the air is crisp but still warm enough for a trip across the bay.

We’ll be running the Nebo Equinox Run (leaves Rockland at 5pm, returns by 9:30) on:

Thursday September 1^st

Sunday September 5^th for our 3^rd Annual Oyster Festival

Every Saturday after Labor Day Weekend in September (11^th, 18^th, 25^th)

Sunday, October 10^th for our Family-Style Harvest Supper on Columbus Day Weekend

After Columbus Day we’ll be open for dinner every other weekend with a special New Year’s celebration.  Come celebrate a cozy fall weekend on the island by the fireplace.  It is a perfect and romantic getaway.  After New Year’s we’ll close down for a bit with some special weekends like our annual Valentine’s Day dinner, and other special events and of course we’ll be back in the spring!

Call Nebo for room, dinner and Equinox reservations – 207-867-2007.  We look forward to seeing you past Labor Day!

Spring Specials, Hitching a Ride & Memorial Day Weekend Opening!

Memorial Day Opening Party!

A glorious early spring is helping us keep the renovation project, managed by A&P Construction, moving at a steady clip toward Memorial Day Weekend, when we’ll re-open our doors for dinner Friday-Sunday nights. Changes and improvements include a big, beautiful new bar, handcrafted by Pete Cabot, with lots of seating and a fireplace; a new deck and courtyard; a new entryway; a larger, more open kitchen; two expanded bedrooms with private baths; and a special surprise in the small dining room (to be revealed at an Open House from 4-6pm on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend).  Come join us!

Get here for Dinner from the Mainland or Vinalhaven!

We know getting to the island can be intimidating but it is worth it! If you are coming for the night, the ferry is easy!  Read our directions on how to get out to the island.   And, back by popular demand, we are again teaming up with John Morin and the Equinox Island Transport to provide a weekly dinner run from Rockland so you can come dine at Nebo Lodge and get back to the mainland that same night and sleep in your own bed!   We are offering this service the last two Friday’s in June, and every Thursday night in July and August.

The Equinox leaves at 5pm from Rockland and arrives on North Haven before 6pm and costs just $20 per person, round trip or $10 one-way.  Once you reach the island town dock you can take a casual walk through town, enjoy drinks on our deck, then dinner in the dining room. The Equinox will leave for the mainland again by 9pm and you can enjoy a starlit or moonlit trip across Penobscot Bay.  Call us to make your dinner reservation and be sure to mention you are planning to take the Equinox to the island and we’ll give you detailed instructions about where to meet the Equinox.

We can also transport dinner guests across the Thorofare from Vinalhaven any night we are open.  Just let us know you need a ride when you make a dinner reservation.

Book Early & Save!

In celebration of our renovations and this beautiful spring, we are offering some special discounts for early bookers. Make a room reservation before June 1, 2010 for this spring, summer or fall and save 15% off your lodging!  Plus, book a room for three nights and get a complimentary dinner for two with our amazing appetizers, main courses, and desserts. (excluding alcohol and tip)  Spending several nights on the island dining on our amazing local food, biking our quiet roads, relaxing, and exploring the island could be the perfect getaway you need this summer!

Free Cocktails for Critics!

Tell the world what you think of Nebo Lodge and get a free drink for your troubles…now that’s an offer you can’t refuse!  Just write a review (it doesn’t have to be favorable, just honest and tasteful, please) of Nebo Lodge and post it on Google, Trip Advisor, bedandbreakfast.com or bnbfinder.com.  Then print out a copy and bring it to our bar for a free glass of wine, a beer or cocktail* on us!

* Some exclusions apply.  Think 50 year old whiskey…

Crispy Kale!

When we first discovered kale cooked this way, on an outdoor patio, accompanied by a juicy flank steak and an amazing glass of red wine, we couldn’t get enough of it. Three of us devoured a sheet pan of the crispy, salty, melt-in-your mouth roasted leaves in what seemed like seconds, and in that moment we knew it had to be a regular on the Nebo menu.

That first batch was made with the traditional curly kale you usually find in grocery stores (or garnishing hotel buffets in the 1980s). Winterbor, Ripbor, Starbor are different varieties of this kind of kale, and because it’s so widely available, it’s what we imagined we would use at Nebo. But then the Turner Farm (the island farm where much of our produce comes from) showed up with some other beautiful varieties, and we started serving those as well—mainly Red Russian and Toscano, which I think is almost the same as Lacinato, which I often find and buy at Whole Foods. This latter variety emerged as my favorite for the way it cooks as much as the way it tastes.

We were thrilled at the response this seemingly unique appetizer received, and indeed there were times when we couldn’t keep up with demand! We nibbled it in the kitchen and knew we’d had enough when our tongues started to feel tenderized by all the salt. It was only toward the end of the summer that we started to hear requests like “Could we make the kale with less salt” or even with “no salt.” I have to admit that at first we pooh-poohed these comments, saying “it’s meant to be salty—that’s the point.” But though its beauty is its likeness to potato chips, I started to worry that maybe we weren’t preparing it very consistently. So we started some internal experiments in which we started measuring the salt for the first time. Lo and behold—the perfect version calls for a LOT less salt than we were usually using.

We regret that some of our customers got bowls that were just too salty last summer, and if you were one of those people, let us know and we’ll send out a complimentary bowl of the new and improved recipe for you to taste test. Just to be clear, we still like it salty, and we’re using more olive oil than we did before, but we think it’s a big improvement and we thank all the people who had the courage to speak up and let us know when it wasn’t right!

So, without further ado, here’s the recipe for the “perfect” crispy kale:

1 bunch lacinato or toscano kale (though any variety will do)
olive oil to fully coat all the leaves
¼ tsp kosher salt (if you have to use table salt, just use a bit less)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear kale from stalks onto a standard-size cookie sheet or into a 9×13 roasting pan. Drizzle olive oil over it and toss with your hands to fully coat each leaf. Sprinkle salt over and toss again to make sure there are no pockets of salt. Kale should fully cover pan surface and should only be 1-2 leaves “deep.” Roast for 12-15 minutes, till kale is dark, almost black, and fully wilted—it should be crispy, not soft, and there should be very little green left.

Scoop off the pan and into a large bowl to serve. Surprisingly it’s great the next day, so feel free to make lots. Our daughter, Hella, loves it!