In an ideal food society, we wouldn’t have to raise questions as to where chefs and owners got their produce, meats, and grains. It would be pretty much assumed that the meat was from down the road, the veggies were purchased from the farmer’s market, and the grains were grown and harvested in the flatlands somewhere else, across state. Specialty items would be ones shipped in from other states known for that item ("Maine Lobster," "Florida Oranges"), and the real expensive ones would be international ingredients ("New Zealand Lamb," "Italian Olive Oil"). Imported ingredients today are coveted, but nothing right now is more expensive than naturally raised meat from a local farm.

Restaurants that have taken the more costly road have benefited. Advertising local meats and veggies has become a PR draw for even the state’s most popular restaurants. Fore Street puts farms’ names right under the item on the menu; Hugo’s has their list on the bottom of their menu, Arrow’s and Primo have gained international fame for growing their own. All of those places — and now we can add Kennebunkport’s Bandaloop to the ever-growing list — use local ingredients because of their dedication to the local farms, and not least of all because it’s becoming pretty hip to do so. So, other restaurants jump on the bandwagon.

It’s a bummer when the right choice has to become trendy before people start making it.

But real chefs, like the ones at the restaurants listed above, originally made those decisions for another big reason: it makes their food taste better. Grass-fed, free-range cows produce steaks that have a deeper, slightly gamier flavor. Fresh butter lettuce from the back garden is sweet and velvety, local grains keep their essential oils and smell like real whole wheat.

Bandaloop’s owners, Scott and Bridget Lee, are convinced that laughing, dancing, good local food, and wine are keys to a successful life. Never has a food writer agreed with an owner more (throw in beer and I’ll move in with them), but the food writer was also a bit let down with the owner’s menu. This restaurant was recommended to me by a reader (I listen to you, I really do!), and I can see why it has caused a buzz in the Kennebunkport area. It’s in a cozy nook overlooking Dock Square, with exposed crossbeams and a nice little loft for seating above the open kitchen. It’s what most would call "eclectic," painted with bold reds and decked with funky artwork, and little knick-knacks cleverly punctuating your mid-dinner gaze — like a human skull in the rafters. Hey-o!

It was immediately clear that Scott Lee brings a wide range of passions to the table, with across-the-board choices from Vermont Cheddar Quesadillas to Organic Tempeh with Thai green Curry Sauce. Items like the Fresh Avocado Timbale, a small tower of chunky avocado with lime vinaigrette served alongside strips of sesame lavash, display originality, but make appetizers like the Pear and Gorgonzola salad seem tired. Then again, the Steamed Mussels in garlic-Dijon cream sauce was a rich change from the white-wine and lemon broth that seems to pop up everywhere else.

Entrees presented the biggest problem of the night. It wasn’t so much the specials, one of which we ordered, or the house pasta selections, both of which were vegetarian and appealing, but their mix-and-match sauce and protein section. It makes up the bulk of the dinner options, so you have a hard time getting around it if designing your plate doesn’t appeal to you.

There are nine proteins presented, three steak/pork items, three seafood, two vegetarian, and one chicken. Then there are eight sauce variations, from a Thai Green Curry to Blackberry Merlot sauce. My problem is this: What if the combination you choose really sucks? Organic Farmed Salmon Filet with Creamy Roasted Garlic Gravy? Wolfe’s Neck Farm Hanger Steak with Miso-Lime Tamary Broth? Would your server tell you so?

Also, your choices are served with "appropriate starch and vegetable." I got a vegetable medley and some sort of mashed potato with my All-Natural Ribeye with a (cold) Ruby Port Pink Peppercorn sauce. The steak was a thin one, so my medium-rare order arrived well done. The special, Citrus-Crusted Salmon with Asian Slaw and Chinese Mustard Vinaigrette — I didn’t quite understand the worldly delineations — featured a nice, well-cooked cut of fish, the slaw, and a neat little pile of orange-scented rice which was completely dominated by the scent or sesame oil.

Desserts were nice: Deep Dish Brownie Sundae and Vanilla Cheesecake with Ginger-Blueberry sauce.

Bandaloop’s dedication to using local and natural ingredients should be applauded and exemplified. But those carefully crafted flavors should be allowed, at least once in a while, to stand by themselves. That’s what you’re paying for, after all, and curry, lime, and ginger are all too powerful ingredients to sling with a heavy hand. It’s a simple case of eclecticism gone a bit too far, a world-sized net cast over local waters. This restaurant could be great; it’s just got to reel it in.

Andy King can be reached at dinnerwithandy@yahoo.com