Restaurant Week in Boothbay Harbor Kicks off with the Crowning of the Claw Down Chefs of the Year!

From left to right: Mike Rovin of 94.9 WHOM,
Fiona Dunlap/People's Choice Winner,
Catherine Wygant/Executive Director of the
Boothbay Region Chamber of Commerce, Micah Jones/Judge's
pick and Lynn Archer of the Brass Compass Cafe.

Boothbay Harbor, Maine - The Boothbay Harbor Region Chamber of Commerce announces  Micah Jones of Brown's Wharf  Inn as the Judge's Choice Award in a blind judging competition for the Claw Down Chef of the Year.  Fiona Dunlap of the Newagen Seaside Inn & Restaurant was voted as the People's Choice Award winner of the Claw Down competition event that kicked off Restaurant Week in the area last night.   The Judge's pick, Executive Chef Micah's bite,  was a “Polenta & Truffle Lobster Bite” fresh lobster meat served over a sun-dried tomato and polenta cake, finished with lobster sauce and truffle oil. Executive Chef Fiona's bite was a Petite corn cake topped with native corn puree, Maine lobster, butter sauce and candied tarragon.

Attendees at the event enjoyed savory lobster bites from 17 local Chefs while sipping on wines from Central Distributors and M.S. Walkers last night at the historic Boothbay Harbor Opera House.  Each chef's lobster bite was in a blind judging contest and the attendees also voted on their choice for the Claw Down Chef of the Year.   Judges for the event included Meredith Goad, writer of the Portland Press Herald "Soup to Nuts" column; Dane Somers, executive director of the Maine Lobster Promotion Council; and Kelly Patrick Farrin, 2010 Maine Lobster Chef of the Year and chef at Primo restaurant in Rockland. Lynn Archer (a.k.a The Queen of Clubs), owner of Archer's on the Pier and the Brass Compass Cafe and winner of the "Lobster Dekkah" challenge on the Food Network Show “Throwdown with Bobby Flay,” emceed the event along with Mike Rovin of  94.9 WHOM.

Part of the proceeds of the sold out event will go to the Boothbay Region Community Resources and help the Chamber in its efforts to bolster local businesses; serve as guardian of the region’s economic well-being; advocate on behalf of area businesses; and promote avenues of tourism for the communities of Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, East Boothbay, Edgecomb, Monhegan, Newcastle, Southport, Westport and Wiscasset.

This event kicked off "Restaurant Week" in Boothbay Harbor which runs from September 22—28, 2012. Restaurant Week is a celebration of the cuisine scene in the Boothbay Harbor Region. From fine dining to casual, participating restaurants will feature special menu items, including an appetizer, entree and dessert for the special price of $24.95 per person (tax and gratuity not included).
Restaurant Week participating restaurants include:
Andrew's Harborside Restaurant
The Boathouse Bistro & Tapas Bar
Boothbay Harbor Inn
Boothbay Lobster Wharf
Brown's Wharf
Fisherman's Wharf Inn
Kalers Restaurant
McSeagull's Restaurant
Ports of Italy
The Rocktide Inn
The Tugboat Inn & Restaurant
The World is Mine Oyster

Sponsors for Restaurant Week include Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and Seagate Motel.
The Claw Down event was hosted by the Boothbay Region Chamber of Commerce as part of its 50th Anniversary celebration and in conjunction with the Maine Lobster Promotion Council's Lobster Lover Celebration (lobsterfrommaine.com) an effort to promote buying and eating more Maine lobster to support the industry. Event sponsors included:  Central Distributors, 94.9 WHOM  "Classic Hits & Today's Favorites" from "Continuous Lite Rock.", Maine Lobster Promotion Council,  Boothbay Region Greenhouses, The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor, Marshall Tent & Event Rental,  Jim Taliana, Ted Axelrod Photography, Lobster Maine, M.S. Walker Inc. and Hammond Lumber Company.