Table Salt in Bar Harbor
When Dan and Angel Bockman arrived in Bar Harbor last fall, they were moving more than across state lines; they were moving across lives. The couple had built businesses in Nashville and were raising a young son, with another baby on the way. But when a longtime friend called about an empty restaurant space in town, the timing felt right. Within weeks, their house was sold, a U-Haul was packed, and they were bound for Mount Desert Island.
The move was fast, and not without hiccups (like a moldy winter rental that lasted all of three days) but their vision stayed clear. By January, Dan had a wrecking bar in hand, tearing out the old China Joy space. Four months later, Table Salt opened its doors.
“We didn’t know exactly what kind of restaurant we’d be until two days before opening,” Dan admits. “It could have been a souped-up diner or something more elegant. Then the food started coming out of the kitchen, and we realized: this is different.”
That difference comes from their chef, Aaron Horvath, introduced to them by a mutual friend, shortly after they arrived in Maine. He not only helped with the buildout but also brought a culinary style that balances comfort with creativity. The menu reads familiar: steak, pork chop, halibut, lobster, but each plate has an unexpected twist. Their halibut entrée, paired with rice cakes, pork belly, and bok choy, has already become a signature dish.
The bar program is equally ambitious, drawing on Dan’s background in cocktails and Angel’s creative instincts. “We still own a cocktail bar in Nashville, so we’ve learned from some of the best bartenders around,” Dan says. One of their standout drinks, the Charred Hive, features a charred rosemary sprig doused with a pour of gin, honey, and ginger: dramatic, aromatic, and instantly Instagram-worthy. Another favorite, the First Crush, pairs blueberry-infused Aperol with tequila and pellet ice, a summer crowd-pleaser.
Angel’s talent for flavor also shows up in the chocolate truffles she handcrafts in-house. Guests can order a few with dessert, or settle in for wine and chocolate pairings that she’s curated with care. “We spent hours matching the wines and whiskies to the chocolates,” she says. “It was grueling work,” she adds with a laugh.
For the Bockmans, though, Table Salt is about more than food and drink: It’s about building a life on the coast of Maine. “We wanted a place where our kids could grow up knowing the same classmates every year, with the ocean in the front yard and a national park in the backyard,” Dan says. Angel adds, “I grew up in central Maine, and when we had children, I knew it was time to come home.”
FAMOUS FOR:
Guests rave about their halibut entrée.
Behind the bar, Dan’s background in cocktails shines, especially with the Charred Hive, a gin drink finished with a dramatic flourish of flame and rosemary smoke.
And for a sweet finish, Angel’s handmade truffles are paired with wine or whiskey for a one-of-a-kind tasting experience.
ADDRESS:
195 Main St, Bar Harbor, ME
WEBSITE:
tablesaltbarharbor.com
photos: Peter Logue
