After dipping its toes in with two successful pop-ups this winter and spring, Edgecomb’s Water’s Edge Restaurant & Bar is ready to make waves this summer.
The restaurant opened as a pop-up in December to capitalize on the business brought through Edgecomb with Gardens Aglow at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay, and then again for Valentine’s Day weekend.
Most recently a banquet and function facility by the same name, the space has been occupied by the Muddy Rudder, Bintliff’s Ocean Grille, and Davis Island Grille.
“We decided that it was time to test the community to see if another restaurant would make sense,” Midcoast Hospitality Group Vice President of Marketing Erin Stodder said. Midcoast Hospitality Group owns four local hospitality businesses, including Sheepscot Harbour Village Resort and Water’s Edge.
The restaurant has a direct view of the Sheepscot River, next to the Donald E. Davey Bridge and Route 1. Scott Larson and Bruce Harris, owners of Waters Edge Development LLC, will capitalize on the location with renovated second floor and rooftop dining areas that should be completed by early July.
“We get insane sunsets over the Sheepscot River, so we’re really excited that we’re open now full time,” Stodder said.
The menu features fresh seafood dishes along with traditional pub fare like hamburgers and poutine, riding a line between fine dining and comfort food. Stodder said that the shrimp tacos, which are topped with crispy slaw and fresh cilantro, have quickly become a fan favorite.
New chef Michael Adams described the menu as a twist on gastropub, or upscale pub, dishes. With a background in farm-to-table cooking, he plans to make connections with local farmers and incorporate as many of their ingredients as he can in the future. He also intends for dishes to come on and off the menu, and is always open to feedback from customers.
“That’s what I’ve been practicing since 1990. So long before farm-to-table was a thing in the country, I was sourcing locally,” Adams said.
Adams received formal training at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, but he said that the foundation for his culinary passion and philosophy extends all the way back to his childhood home in Hometown, Pa.
“I grew up on a farm and we grew our own vegetables and stone fruits and made our own jellies and jams,” Adams said. “There wasn’t any processed food in our house, so we basically made everything from scratch,”
Adams also grew up close to the Rodale Institute in Emmaus, Pa., which started the organic agriculture movement in the 1940s and built the foundation for regenerative farming methods.
Emmaus is also the town in which Adams earned much acclaim as the head chef at The Farmhouse, and it is where he advocated for farm-to-table cooking in the Lehigh Valley.
Adams was named Pennsylvania Preferred Best Chef of 2007 and was nominated for the James Beard Foundation’s Best Mid-Atlantic Chef Award in 2008. Adams previously worked as the executive chef of the Historic Hotel Bethlehem from 2014 to 2021.
With a few weeks on the job under his belt, Adams said that he is especially excited about the availability of fresh seafood that living in Maine provides.
“We weren’t able to get it like you can get it here in Pennsylvania,” Adams said.
Water’s Edge held a Father’s Day event featuring an all-day happy hour as well as a raffle for Red Sox tickets for all of the fathers in attendance. Stodder said a celebration is planned for the Fourth of July to accompany the Wiscasset fireworks show.
“I think there’s so much opportunity here, and really for the region, to have another restaurant, especially a year-round restaurant,” Stodder said.
The Water’s Edge Restaurant & Bar is open noon to 8 p.m., Thursday through Monday and serves lunch, happy hour and dinner. The hours may change starting July 1, as Stodder said the plan is to be open six or seven days a week with happy hour from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. The restaurant also offers takeout.
For more information, call 579-1800, go to watersedgerestaurantandbar.com, or find the business on Facebook and Instagram.
