A Little Auk: York Beach secret restaurant at the ViewPoint Hotel now open to all

YORK, Maine — Joe Lipton has described his new restaurant at the ViewPoint Hotel as “a little awkward” – mostly for its schedule, closed on Saturdays to make room for weddings.

A Little Auk opened last year only to guests of ViewPoint, Lipton’s hotel overlooking the Nubble Lighthouse. In May, Lipton opened the restaurant to the public and now looks forward to serving tourists and locals alike. A tent provides shade and cover, while seashells cover the ground to offer a seaside feel.

Lipton said he and his wife also found it fitting the sea bird known as the auk was common to the area.

The restaurant features 80 seats with a menu of shareable plates served out of a food truck that recently had a wood-burning oven installed. The restaurant is built around a 1969 Airstream featuring a wooden bar with seating.

A Little Auk also features free parking across the street behind 226 and 228 Nubble Road. It will be open this season Sunday through Friday from noon to 8 p.m. starting June 6.

Lipton said he does not plan to advertise the restaurant with a sign at first to maintain its aura as a secret spot.

“We’re hoping that this is like a hidden gem that people can get to know,” Lipton said.

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A Little Auk started out as a guests-only eatery

The restaurant is part of Lipton’s effort to make ViewPoint a top-tier resort and wedding destination. Last year, Lipton introduced new hotel rooms built into the side of the hill facing the Nubble Lighthouse, and he is also about to introduce a new spa area at the hotel.

Also, last year, Lipton and his wife, Michelle Friar, launched their first attempt at an outdoor restaurant at the ViewPoint Hotel with A Little Auk strictly for hotel guests with some special events. The couple said they were inspired by al fresco dining found in Europe, “al fresco” being an Italian word that refers to outdoor dining.

In addition to being closed on Saturdays, Lipton said he and his wife believed it was “a little awkward” that the restaurant’s viability was still being explored. They had not opened to the public officially, and they wanted to work out the kinks that come with a new outdoor restaurant.

Among those was the need to add some covering. Rain washed out days in which guests would have otherwise been outside under some sort of canopy or roof. Lipton said that led them to add their tent covering this year that keeps guests outdoors but with some protection.

A Little Auk opened to the public officially on May 17. The menu offers raw bar items and seafood like oysters, ceviche, scallops and shrimp. Sliders include ground lamb, beef smash, plant-based smash, mushrooms and Maine lobster. Beef, shrimp, tuna and vegetable boards are available with vinaigrette on the side.

Lipton said A Little Auk now makes two restaurants on the Nubble peninsula, the other being Fox’s Lobster House right next to Sohier Park. Lipton said the hope is not to encroach on Fox’s customers but to offer something different on Nubble Road. He hopes to cater to people who live in the neighborhood.

“We’re trying to cater to also the local that wants to feel like they’re on vacation without having to leave,” Lipton said.

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A Little Auk owner has plans for new restaurant at the Nevada

The new restaurant is also one of three restaurants Lipton plans to have open across York Beach at his various hotels next year. The others are at Long Sands Beach — Stones Throw, a restaurant and inn, and Lulu’s, a restaurant in the works at the Nevada Motel that will be open in June.

Lulu’s will keep with the mid-century theme that goes with Nevada’s 1950s-style construction, the motel having been shaped to look like a flybridge of a World War II battleship on which the original owner served. Tiki restaurants and décor were popular back then, and Lipton thought it would be appropriate to make a Tiki-themed restaurant on-site.

Lulu’s design will not feature stereotypical tiki elements like tribal masks but focus more on the connection between nature, food and drink, according to Lipton. The restaurant will first be open strictly for Nevada guests, but Lipton plans to go before the Planning Board to get approval for the public to come as well.

“The food is kind of, we say, Tiki taco bar,” Lipton said. “A mixture of Mexican, Polynesian, kind of infused food.”

Lipton previously owned the Inn on the Blues and Guac-N-Roll at Short Sands Beach. He said today he enjoys the pace at Long Sands and the Nubble Road neighborhood. He also said many of his staff have grown with him since he started in the hospitality business 21 years ago.

“Short Sands, it was about hustle and bustle,” Lipton said. “Our team of people that we’re working with now are married. They’re building homes … we’re all ready for bed at 9 o’clock.”

Lipton said he is “passing the baton” to some of his long-time staff with his restaurants as well. Haven Hatch, one longtime employee, has been working recently as chief operating officer, overseeing all of Lipton's operations. A Little Auk will be run by Lucy Beem, who worked at Inn on the Blues, Guac-N-Roll and Stones Throw.

“It’s kind of hard for me to leave Stones Throw, that’s been a little bit of a baby of mine,” Beem said. “I’m proud of this.”

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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: York Beach secret restaurant at ViewPoint Hotel now open to all