KENNEBUNKPORT, ME (June, 2011) - Maine's Hidden Pond has been a celebration of nature and the earth's bounty since its launch in the summer of 2008, and nature continues to be the central inspiration for its newly opened restaurant, Earth.   A collaboration with award-winning Boston chef and restaurateur Ken Oringer, Earth's menu focuses on "farm to fork" produce featuring vegetables and herbs picked from Hidden Pond's on-site 800-square foot organic Farm along with freshly caught seafood and meats sourced from local purveyors.

Internationally renowned, James Beard Award winner Ken Oringer has worked in some of the finest kitchens in the U.S., including alongside accomplished chefs such as David Burke and Jean-George Vongerichten.  Oringer has created distinct culinary experiences at his five restaurants in Boston, each showcasing an experimental and inventive cuisine that reflects his international travels and adventures.

"One of the things that really excites me about Earth is creating menus from ingredients found right outside the kitchen each morning," says Oringer. "It's all part of creating an authentic experience, serving food of great integrity in a rustic and refreshing atmosphere."  Citing local purveyors such as Sparrow Arts Farm, Harris Farm and Hidden Pond's neighbor, the Black Rock Farm, Oringer's menu items will be sourced within a fifty mile radius of the restaurant.

Menu highlights include bluefin tuna tartare with quail egg and nori emulsion; peekytoe crab toasts with avocado and French cocktail sauce; and local iced oysters with rhubarb mignonette as appetizers. Signature entrées include hand made cavatelli with English peas, pecorino and house made guanciale; wood roasted local Maine lobster cooked in the restaurant's wood oven served with green curry butter and grilled lemon; and roasted line caught black bass with English peas, garbanzo beans and black quinoa. A special "from the garden" section features heirloom vegetables such as wood oven roasted asparagus with romesco and a crispy soft poached egg and endive and radicchio with sugar snap peas and yogurt parmesan dressing.

Equally thoughtful attention has been paid to Earth's wine and cocktail menus.  Cocktails are dictated by the earth too, incorporating lemon balm, sweet cicely, and basil among other flowers and herbs. Specialty cocktails include the Ruby Port Cocktail with Niepoort Ruby Port, blood orange juice, orange juice, orange slices, simple syrup and club soda; the French Twist with Stoli, Chambord, St. Germain, fresh orange juice, grapefruit and an orange twist; and a Yuze Sake Martini with Yuzu Sake, Gin, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, lemon zest and Dry Vermouth. Wines will be available from around the world including Argentina, Australia and Chile.

Earth's décor makes the most of its setting with a soothing and rustic palette; bringing the outdoors inside with creative use of recycled tree trunks intricately woven into a wall design, a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace and an open-air patio overlooking a second on-property vegetable garden and pond. The centerpiece of the restaurant is a tree chandelier—created from the remains of an apple tree from a nearby property, the branches are intertwined with lights and dramatically hung from the ceiling.

"Like Hidden Pond itself, Earth makes the best use of indoor and outdoor spaces. Guests are literally dining in the Chef's garden overlooking a tranquil pond and the roaring fire pit," says Tim Harrington, Managing Director of Kennebunkport Resort Collection, owners and operators of Hidden Pond. "We've created cozy sitting areas with plush couches and wingback armchairs and an open kitchen for diners to see Earth's culinary team at work." 

Earth is Oringer's first restaurant venture outside of Boston. In 1997, Oringer opened Clio, serving Asian-inspired French food, then in 2002 added the sashimi bar Uni to Clio's lounge. In 2005, Oringer opened Toro, a Spanish tapas establishment and then both KO Prime steakhouse and a rustic Mexican cantina at Fenway Park called La Verdad in 2007.  In October 2009, Oringer opened COPPA, offering Italian small plates, in cooperation with Jamie and Courtney Bissonnette, with whom he had worked at Toro for years prior.

This season, Hidden Pond also unveiled 20 new bungalow cottages, the Tree Spa with three treetop spa rooms eight feet above ground, a second pool and a state-of-the-art events barn ideal for special events and corporate retreats.

Earth is open at 5:30 pm nightly.  For reservations call 207-967-9050. For additional information and reservations at Hidden Pond, please visit www.earthathiddenpond.com or www.hiddenpondmaine.com or call (207) 967-9050.  Hidden Pond is located at 354 Goose Rocks Road, Kennebunkport, ME 04046.

Hidden Pond is owned and managed by Kennebunkport Resort Collection, representing diverse luxury and upscale properties such as the newly opened The Tides Beach Club, Southern Maine's only beachfront luxury boutique hotel; the Kennebunkport Inn, centrally located in downtown Kennebunkport; the Cottages at Cabot Cove, featuring individually designed luxury cottages; and Old Fort Inn & Resort, a grand summer estate in nearby Cape Arundel.