Also available for sale in the virtual shop is a selection of American-made barware items carefully selected by Basil Hayden’s “Cultural Bloodhound,” Max Wastler, an expert on American style and craftsmanship who brought the two brands together. We recently met up with Wastler and a few other stylish gents, including Jack Archer of Airows and Jon Moy of Four Pins, in Maine to sample some Basil Hayden’s and see the Quoddy factory in action.
The adventure began with a special dinner at one of the country’s best restaurants, Fore Street in Portland, Maine’s Old Port. Dedicated to locally-sourced food, it’s housed in an old brick army depot overlooking the wharf. Thanks to the open kitchen, diners can watch their meat and fish being spit-roasted and wood-charred to perfection by Sam Hayward, named Best Chef in the Northeast a few years back by the James Beard Foundation.
