Local is a good thing

Scallops with corn and creme fraiche potatoes

Opening a restaurant is difficult, and it’s terrifying to throw open the doors and hope that people come. It’s also nervewracking to go for the first time to a restaurant owned by people who you’re rooting for.

So a weekend visit to Local 50 in Kennebunk, Maine, was especially exciting — and gratifying. Merrilee Paul and David Ross, veterans of the Boston scene, opened their first restaurant in the downtown of this Maine hamlet (that is not Kennebunkport of the Bushes). David had been chef at Lucca and Sasso; Merrilee was manager at Great Bay, among other places.

Local 50 melds a cleverly urban look with lots of locavore elements. Even Paul’s grandmother gets into the act. Merrille says Grandma has more of a garden than a farm, but that the corn, greens and other vegetables are wonderful. I can attest to that.

The food was simple, beautifully executed, and delicious, from the scallops to the corn and clam chowder to the chocolate cake. And the place on a Saturday night was rocking — with a lot of locals. Just what you want to see.