Poland Spring Resort offers winter dining for first time in 50 years

New menu offerings at Poland Spring Resort's Mel's Hilltop Restaurant include, clockwise from upper left, grilled salmon, smash burgers with fries, Asian ribs, flatbread pizza and poutine. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

POLAND — For the first time in 50 years, Poland Spring Resort is keeping one of its restaurants open year-round, while offering outdoor enthusiasts free use of miles of groomed cross-country ski trails and direct snowmobile access.

Until now, the popular resort’s dining has been strictly seasonal, closing its Maine Inn and the Presidential Inn starting in mid-October. The Lodge remains open all year.

The view from Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant is amazing anytime of the year, but it takes on a special glow in the winter months, with the White Mountains as a stunning backdrop.

Jack Ricker, who manages the buildings at Poland Spring Resort, walks down a trail used by cross-country skiers at the Poland resort on Thursday. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

After a devastating fire in 1975 that destroyed the Poland Spring House, the resort’s pro shop was moved back to its original location, allowing for the creation of Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant, named after former owner Mel Robbins.

Poland Spring Resort owner Cyndi Robbins hired Robert Gushue as her new executive chef this year and she wants to keep him around.

“My goal was to keep my cooks working,” Robbins told The Buzz last week. “We have the greatest team we’ve ever had at Mel’s Hilltop, and I didn’t want them to leave me and go find other jobs,” she said, referring to the four cooks she employs.

Gushue is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and was the executive chef at the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn for 10 years, prior to moving to Poland Spring Resort.

Executive Chef Robert Gushue builds a smash burger at Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant at Poland Spring Resort. Gushue has changed up the menu at the restaurant, which offers unobstructed views of the White Mountains. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

He describes his food as American fusion, with appetizer offerings including pork dumplings and the chef’s take on poutine, which is served over waffle fries with roast pork and onion-mushroom gravy.

Flatbread pizzas are also a new addition at Poland Spring Resort as are smash burgers made with range-fed beef from Rock Mountain Farm in Poland. There are a few salads and other starters all under $15.

Entrees include grilled Atlantic salmon, Asian pork ribs, haddock, plus a handful of sandwiches, including a black bean burger.

The smash burger, served with waffle fries and pickle chips, is available at Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant at Poland Spring Resort. The beef comes from nearby Rock Mountain Farm and the burger is $5 on Monday nights. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer)

And there are specials. “We have a prime rib special on Thursday nights — we’ve been doing that since the middle of October — and that brings people in,” Robbins said. Fridays are all-you-can-eat fish fry and live entertainment with no cover charge.

Executive chef Robert Gushue adds sauce to the patties of a smash burger at Mel’s Hilltop Restaurant at the Poland Spring Resort. Gushue has changed up the menu and introduced fresh, new items to the menu as the restaurant opens year-round for the first time. (Libby Kamrowski Kenny/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

If the food is not enough to entice you, Robbins has added other draws.

Saturdays are aimed at families, with kids’ meals at half price and a hot chocolate bar in the downstairs pro shop, which has been converted into a dining space for the winter. Parents can bring their kids to the golf course to enjoy some sledding.

Nordic skiers are welcome to ski groomed trails that offer open fields on the golf course or through the woods on cross-country ski trails that connect to the Poland Spring Preservation Park trails next door.

Robbins is working with the Poland Sno Travelers Snowmobile Club to extend a trail right to Mel’s Hilltop later in December, weather permitting.

All of the activities are free, but you must provide your own skis and sleds.

More? Mondays are game nights run by Poland resident Tyla Davis, who is known as the Queen of Games to many in the area. Game night runs from 6-8 p.m. Smash burgers are $5 on Mondays.

Mel’s Hilltop Winter Hours:

Monday: 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

Tuesday-Wednesday: CLOSED

Thursday: 4-8 p.m.

Friday: 4-9 p.m.

Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Sunday: 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

The Buzz offers quick hits about trending area business happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact business writer Christopher Wheelock at 689-2817 or [email protected]