Is This The Toughest Restaurant Reservation in the U.S.?
Finding The Lost Kitchen in Rural Maine BY NINA BOYS In April 2017, chef and restaurant owner Erin French became a media magnet after her phone lines crashed. She received a reported 10,000 calls in 24 hours from diners hoping to snag a seat at her seasonal 45-seat restaurant, The Lost Kitchen. The town of Freedom, Maine – population just over 700 – may seem like an unlikely place to find one of the hottest restaurants in the world. But it happens to be French’s hometown – and dining here offers a unique culinary experience, as I was fortunate to discover last year. Lost Kitchen chef and owner Erin French. Finding your way to The Lost Kitchen, 90 miles north of Portland, sets the stage for the experience. The journey to this internationally known restaurant set in a historic grist mill takes pilgrims along winding country roads and past rolling hills lined with ramshackle farmhouses dating back generations. Upon arrival, you cross a babbling creek by footbridge, select wines...