The surroundings are beautiful: acres of woodlands and perennial gardens are seen through the windows and French doors. The gardens are lit for nighttime enjoyment. Once inside the comfortable bar area with a piano and sofas, you can see the three dining areas. Our favorite in winter is the fireplace room adjacent to the bar. From here you can enjoy the piano player on weekends. In summer, we often choose the enclosed porch area--it's very airy and the flowers are outstanding.

The food is award-winning New England fare. The chef is very talented--he's perfected the lobster bisque and adds new twist to classic favorites. The waitstaff is friendly and knowledgeable, and they have years of experience--they'll describe food in detail and willingly make suggestions.

A nice feature offered at Clay Hill is a special for $12 added to the cost of the entrée. This includes the famous lobster bisque, the house salad of baby spinach with cranberries and walnuts, and a dessert of crème brulee. The choices never change and we never tire of them.

Entrées are priced from $18 to $28. The ones we seem to order over and over are lobster and shrimp scampi over linguine, beef filet with a wine sauce, lazy man's lobster with a boursin cheese sauce, and crispy duckling. The menu features lots of fish, and lobster is always available.

Sundays this winter brings the launch of Brunch Series. Offerings range from gospel singers to a strolling violinist to Irish entertainment. The menu is set at $22 and includes lobster bisque (again), the house salad, dessert, and coffee along with a choice of prime rib, seafood crepe, broiled salmon, chicken Alfredo, or a vegetarian delight. The crowd at brunch is a bit older, but there are also many larger groups - many families celebrating perhaps a birthday.

Make sure you have reservations. With their superb cuisine, awards from DIRONA and Wine Spectator, friendly staff, unique surroundings, affordable elegance, and entertainment, they've developed many loyal customers. You'll soon become a return guest.

You can view their menu at .

The short drive from our hotel,(Seacastles Resort), to the Clay Hill Restaurant only added to our enjoyment of the whole dining experience.

DIRECTIONS:Travel Rt l South out of Ogunquit and turn right onto Logging Road(we actually did see a man cutting up between 20-30 huge logs on the side of the road). Go 1.8 miles on this scenic but curvy, country road and turn right onto Clay Hill Road. The restaurant is on your immediate left.

From the valet who greeted us and parked our car, to the hostess who warmly welcomed us at the front door and seated us, to the waitresses, waiters, water servers, etc., a sense of comfort and hospitality enveloped us.

Their menu is varied and contains some interesting combinations of appetizers and salads as well as entrees. The Salad Maison was pleasing to the eye as well as delicious. The combination of baby spinach leaves, cranberries, and pistachios was delightful. The entrees covered the gamut from beef to chicken to seafood(lots of seafood choices). Portions were adequate for a normal appetite. However, my husband's order of the poached salmon entree could have included more lobster.

UNIQUE QUALITIES:
Staff works as a team so every member is there to see to your wants and needs.
Clay Hill Farm is a bird sanctuary and wildlife preserve.
Their small but crusty dinner rolls are a must-try. They are served on an individual basis and always warm - a nice change from a basket of cold bread or rolls.

SUGGESTIONS:When you make your reservation ask for a table by windows overlooking birdhouses frequented by fluttering, yellow, wild canaries.
Make the drive in daylight and take your camera. Allow extra time to take pictures of the gardens, terrace, and gazebo.(see pictures below)