My first impression driving up to Aragosta was that it felt like stepping back into summer camp—but with much better food. It’s more than just the beautifully wooded property, spanning 21 acres on the shores of Goose Cove. It’s the sense of connection, community, and unadulterated magic that only happens when someone is truly locked into what they love. Chef Devin Finnegan and her team are not only maintaining this beautiful stretch of land; they’re making it thrive. Since purchasing the property in 2019, Finnegan has planted an apple orchard, crafted an apiary, and started her own oyster farm on-site with the help of nearby Fish Creek Oysters. All this is on top of operating an award-winning world-class restaurant and preparing to release a cookbook.
Finnegan grew up in Vermont, making her way to Deer Isle at the age of 20. She worked her way through kitchens in the Blue Hill Peninsula before becoming the head chef of the Blue Hill Inn in 2010. Three years later, she founded Aragosta—Italian for “lobster”—in Stonington. She then spent the off-season staging in the kitchens of Thomas Keller and Dan Barber and traveling the world. In 2019, she found a home for Aragosta at Goose Cove. Over the coming years, she renovated the restaurant space and transformed the on-site cottages into boutique and bespoke lodgings.
The cabins are cozy, nestled within the wooded property, with just enough space between them to feel secluded but close enough to feel connected to your neighbor if you plan to share the walk down to the main restaurant. I stayed in Azalea, a hilltop cabin that yielded the most beautiful view of the cove and Isle au Haut. Each cabin is well decorated and outfitted with a kitchenette, perfect for preparing a morning cup of coffee in the included coffeemaker; plus, a bag of beans from nearby 44 North Coffee awaited my arrival. You won’t find a television inside these cabins. Instead, a record player sits casually next to a small sampling of vinyl. Most cabins also offer a porch, perfect for a post-meal digestive and some late-night stargazing.
The property operates seasonally, opening its doors to guests starting in May. The restaurant serves dinner à la carte in the spring and fall, and on Sunday evenings throughout the summer. During the peak season, the restaurant serves a multicourse tasting menu, and reservations are required. Expect ingredients that are locally sourced, whether they’re foraged, farmed, or fished. The thought and care that goes into obtaining these ingredients undoubtedly makes them all the sweeter. Produce is sourced from organic farming pioneer Eliot Coleman and Barbara Damrosch’s Four Season Farm in nearby Harborside, and the scallops are raised by Marsden and Bob Brewer, a father-son operation that is a leader in sustainable scallop aquaculture.
The courses I sampled were beautiful, featuring the ingredients you’d expect to see in Maine presented in ways and alongside ingredients you may not: wood-fired oysters served with a delicate potato ramp espuma and sorrel dressing; lobster with a smoked egg sauce, juiced apple, and a topping of squid ink tuile; and Finnegan’s now-signature lobster agnolotti. The meal ended with a birch syrup flan accented with kombu oil and spruce vinegar.
The beverage program is far from an afterthought, capable of holding its own against any of the best bars in the state. Aragosta boasts a 3,000-bottle wine cellar and a strong cocktail list featuring a sugar snap flip that I still dream of months later.
The dining room is stunning, offering sweeping views of Goose Cove, warm wooden accents, and echoes of the coast in even the smallest of details, like the capiz shell chandeliers that sit overhead. Diners looking for more privacy can opt to dine in one of two greenhouses, piloted during the peak of COVID and now some of the best seats in the house.
In the morning, guests can enjoy an included breakfast with their stay—think freshly baked biscuits and gravy, a stack of pancakes topped with wild Maine blueberries (what else?), and several strips of crispy bacon for good measure. You’d be remiss not to explore the grounds, including the Barred Island Preserve, which guests can walk to during low tide.
There is no shortage of exceptional places to eat and stay throughout this state, with national media continuing to champion our culinary scene and hospitality as among the finest in the country, year after year. The experience of visiting Aragosta backs up that praise. Its authentic hospitality, dedication to craft, and commitment to honoring local sourcing and community involvement are things that I will never forget—a true example of why visitors fall so deeply in love with Maine and its people.
