The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine keeps it (very) old school.
relish - dab in the quietude of Freedom , Maine , a renovated grist factory serve well as home plate base for a famed food - of - love projection accessible only by drawing : The Lost Kitchen . Reservations at this beguiling restaurant are open just once a year in April , and only obtainable via a postcard drawing ( earnestly , an actualpaperpostcard ) .
Owner Erin French set out to make a sublime lilliputian eatery with just a fistful of rescued wooden mesa , beautifully mismatch tableware — often sourced from yard sale — and the very best of the area ’s day-after-day harvest and foraging . Her unsophisticated seaport gained popularity quickly since debut in 2014 , and she ultimately shun the idea of the excessively sanitized , emotionless efficiency of online reservation system . alternatively , people from all over the country and all walking of life mark their calendars each yr to send her a postcard for the annual randomized draught .
Upon arrive , frequenter cross a footbridge over the rushing water of Sandy Stream and are greet with a deglutition to sip while entering the grinder . There ’s just a simple sideboard separating the kitchen from the dining space and a distinctive evening includes the meal unfolding over five hours . Though each Edgar Guest incur a print fare , French and her team zealously make new morsels in the hours direct up to the repast — all base on what looks safe that day .
The Lost Kitchen|Photo courtesy of The Lost Kitchen
Freedom still has some honest-to-goodness - timey constabulary nix the sale of alcohol by restaurants . However , French function a disjoined wine-coloured basement nestled withinThe Lost Kitchen ’s stone foundation of the manufactory where bottles can be purchased for the evening .
On composition , it all voice lovely , but there ’s also an intangible get-up-and-go at gambling — the culmination of the bucolic elegance integral to the pristine - yet - unfussy space , the extraordinary elbow room ingredients are honored , and perhaps most of all , French ’s irresistible authenticity .
Where : 22 Mill Street , Freedom , ME 04941Get there : About 3 hours and 20 second to take from Boston to Freedom
What to know about the postcard lottery system:
French and her team ( which includes her mom ) begin to pull mailing-card for the lottery on the 1st of every April . If your bill of fare is pull , they ’ll pass on out to set a arriere pensee — with the other recipients getting first dibs on date .
The mailing-card sender is also creditworthy for filling their take table with guest at $ 250 per invitee . If your post card is not selected , do n’t scratch . It goes into the waitlist drawing , and you may even still mail in one to be add to the 2023 calendar ( which is fully book ) .
Where to rest your head in Freedom, Maine:
Where to stay ? The Lost Kitchen ’s newly - openedCabin Stays , of course ! The exposed light beam , natural light - filled mini wonder , is a unmediated extension of French ’s belief that less is more , but it reserve well in progress . As a backup , and in keeping with TLK ’s local - is - making love mantra , you’re able to also control out local Airbnb listing like thisFreedom Camping Cottage RetreatorCharming Freedom Cabinwith its own pond .
Where to grab breakfast like a local in and near Freedom, Maine:
Well , in a perfect world , you snag a dinner party reservation during the summer when , on Tuesdays , The Lost Kitchen hosts a farmers ’ market place . There you ’ll find bracing adust goods , cheeses , fruits , and other local provision . Otherwise , steer to the local pet , Ralph ’s Café , about nine miles east in Brooks .
