Fourth of July in Winter Harbor

Although today is overcast, rainy, windy and just downright lousy weather, yesterday, the day we celebrated national independence, was gorgeous with perfect temps, beautiful clouds stretching beyond the horizon everywhere you looked and brisk business at Gerrish's. (photo: Susie and Alex.)

A week or so ago Lois, one of the cafe semi-regulars who lives in Rhode Island most of the year, was in the cafe sipping a cappuccino when she overheard a gentleman ask me (like I would know anything) if we knew what an Eccles' cake was. Naturally I replied no, sorry. Nor had Susan heard of such a pastry. After he left Lois came up to me, introduced herself and said she knew what an Eccles' cake was: puff pastry wrapped around a fruit filling usually of currants and raisins. Well lo and behold she brought us one from Rhode Island to try! What a sweetheart! The pastry was nice and flaky and the general consensus by the kitchen was that the filling seemed to remind us of a jelly doughnut. Thanks Lois!

Well as I said the day kept most of us busy. The kitchen was hoppin' as well. The other day Susie, Rosemary and I rode into Ellsworth to have dinner and pick a few things up for the store. Among the items we picked up was a small Weber tabletop grill and Rosemary spent a large part of the Fourth out back behind the cafe grilling up baby back ribs and hangar steaks. She's also got crab cakes in the deli case as well as a number of her great salads. She's got plenty of other grilling ideas waiting in the wings. What a great concept for such a place as Winter Harbor: providing grilled food to go! (photo below: Rosemary at work.)

Susie's lemon trifles and apple streusel custard are selling very well as is her brioche. Of course the standards of scones and muffins and coffee cakes sell out pretty much every day it seems.

Later in the evening a group of us from the cafe met up out at Schoodic Point to see if we could see any of the fireworks from Bar Harbor. We did catch a glimpse of the fireworks at Southeast Harbor (we think) but they looked to be about an inch and a half high from our vantage point. The wind was up and the sky very overcast so the trip turned out to be a bust -- but it was good for us all to chat about something other than the cafe in a venue other than the cafe, if you get my drift.

And speaking of Schoodic, here are just a couple of images I took from there recently:


The Fourth was also our last day of closing at 5 pm. Beginning today (Thursday) we stay open until 8 pm. And speaking of staying open we will, however, be closed for an hour Friday afternoon from 3-4 for a staff meeting.