Day Two: Green Elephant and Mead

We woke up fairly early on Saturday morning, despite our late night Friday.  All I could think about was lunch, but breakfast had to be first.  We found a great bagel shop with a wide selection of whole grain bagels and tofu cream cheese.  The bagels were so fresh—crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside—that my husband bought a dozen to bring home with us, lugging them across the city all morning while we poked around in book stores and galleries.  We checked out of the hotel and made our way over to Green Elephant.

The restaurant was in full swing for lunch, and although there was no line, many tables were filled when we arrived.  I was pleased with the clean, olive-y-lime-y green paint job inside, and the warm atmosphere immediately made me feel welcome.  A brightly colored chalkboard boasted of all the locally made ingredients the restaurant used.

Green Elephant Chalkboard

Our waiter came quickly to our table with menus and water.  I ordered one of their hand-mixed teas; my husband opted for a glass of the locally brewed mead.

Dry Mead from Maine Mead Works, Portland

Although we had studied the menu beforehand, I took my time deciding what to order.  The crispy wontons stuffed with soy cheese and spinach, served with chili sauce was my first choice, and we decided to add steamed vegetable dumplings with a tamari dipping sauce to start.  Both appetizers were delicious.  The wontons were indeed crispy. Fresh, hot, and flavorful with the chili sauce, these were a vegan delight, although the soy cheese was undetectable.  The dumplings were good, but not particularly special; they were reminiscent of the vegetables dumplings served at my favorite dim sum restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown.

Crispy Wontons stuffed with soy cheese and spinach, served with Chili Sauce

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings with Tamari Dipping Sauce and Hot Sauce Smear

We decided to try a soup, and when the waiter came back for the order and I asked for the Asian Vegetable Stew, he gave me a look that said maybe that was not the best choice.  He recommended the Fragrant Coconut Soup with Tofu and Baby Bella Mushroom.  I looked at my husband, shrugged, and we decided to try both.  The bowls came steaming hot; the Asian Vegetable Stew was more like a soup, with a thin broth.  It was packed with greens, turnip, carrots, and a couple of pieces of fried tofu.  The flavor was outstanding.  The rich and complex broth was the perfect vehicle for the tender Asian greens.  The Coconut Soup with Tofu and Baby Bella Mushroom was thicker, but the flavor of coconut, which I really do adore, was so dominant that I could barely taste the mushroom.  This soup came in a larger bowl, but was more broth than substance.  The richness of the coconut milk was very filling.  I wondered how we would have room for our entrees.

Asian Vegetable Stew (bottom); Fragrant Coconut Soup with Tofu and Baby Bella Mushrooms (top)

The waiter seemed a little annoyed that we were not ordering everything at once.  I figured since we were trying so many things, he should be a little more patient.  My husband ordered Chines Broccoli with Crispy Breaded Soy Filet.  I had a hard time deciding and asked the waiter what he would recommend.  He was non-committal; I chose the Stir-Fry Asian Vegetables and Tofu, served with 5-grain tempeh and brown rice.

The dishes came and right away.  I thought my husband’s looked better.  The greens were bright and fresh, the cutlet was enticing in its crispiness.  Mine looked like something I could have made at home.  I tasted the tempeh.  Cold, a bit mealy.  But the rest turned out to be wonderful.  The vegetables were fresh and hot, the rice steamed to perfection.  The tofu had been lightly fried first, then left to soften in the sauce with the vegetables. The Asian flavors of the sauce were rich but not too salty.  Leaving the tempeh, I dug in.

I looked across at my husband.  He was picking at his plate, pushing the food around.

“Full?”

“Well, not really.  This just isn’t very good.”

We switched plates and I tasted his cutlet.  Bland.  Then the vegetables.  Salty.  Very, very salty, and not much else.  Although the plate was artfully arranged, the actual food was not good.  We signaled the waiter, who eventually came over.  He took my husband’s plate, offering to bring something else.  My husband declined, and I shared some of what was left from my meal.

Chinese Broccoli with Crispy Breaded Soy Filet

Stir-fry Asian Vegetables & Tofu

The other server, on her way by, noticed we were finished and offered us dessert.  We checked out the menu and decided to share the vegan pumpkin cheesecake.  We asked for two forks and a take-out box, but when we tasted what we had ordered, I knew the box would go unused.  Rich, creamy pumpkin, spiced as for a holiday pie, was mixed with what could only be the most perfectly redefined cream cheese made from tofu filled a light, flaky crust.  The top of the small slice was garnished with pepitas, and there was a dollop of vegan whipped cream on the side that was so light and sweet!

Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake with Vegan Whipped Cream

I wanted to ask to bring the rest of however much they had left in the kitchen home with me.  Or finish it up right there.  We left full and mostly satisfied, but a little disappointed in the entrees.  Will have to go back and try it again, in case they were not having their best day.

We went from Green Elephant directly to Maine Mead Works.  This tiny mead brewing plant lies on a quiet street on the outskirts of the city.  We were greeted by an enthusiastic woman who gave us samples of each type of mead the company makes, then a tour of the brew tanks, hold barrels, and a preview of next year’s mead flavors.  We left with four bottles of mead— two dry, one lavender, and one cranberry.  We headed home, relaxed, full, and happy.

Our Own Kind of Fun, Day One

I squeezed in a seven mile run before finishing up some work and packing my overnight bag.  My hubby was still glued to his computer trying to wrap up some work of his own when I came in from my run, not packed, either.  Planning a romantic getaway is easy, but actually getting out of the house is hard.  Once we get going, though, we completely surrender to exploring and having our own kind of fun.  For us, this is the restart of the old days, the days I refer to as B.C.— that is, Before Children.

We arrived in time for the 3 p.m. check-in at the Hilton Garden Hotel in Portland, ME, then enjoyed a very late lunch at Passage to India, choosing from the vegan selections and practically rolling out the door, stuffed with cauliflower pakoras, vegetable samosas, pumpkin soup, and salty mango pickle.  With a little more than 24 hours to spend alone together and explore this tiny Maine city, we plunged in head-first.

We ventured into shops and galleries in the area known as “Old Port”, ooh-ing and ah-ing over local artisan clocks, cutting boards, pottery and glass.  We found shops packed with Indian imports, reeking of patchouli, strewn with statues of Indian gods.   There were upscale clothing stores, the windows dressed with gorgeous dresses, coats, and sweaters, situated next door to vintage clothing shops and thrift shops sporting bargains for any budget.  There were lots of tattoo parlors, perhaps more tattoo parlors than hair salons.  Along the waterfront where we were staying, the cobbled sidewalks were lined with tourist gift shops filled with ‘made in Maine”  merchandise.   For every shop, there were at least two restaurants.

Part of this little pre-Valentine’s Day getaway was about exploring vegan restaurants.  Portland seems to be a mecca for them—some restaurants are exclusively vegan, but almost all the restaurants we investigated offer vegan options.  We researched before we left, madly  Googling to plan where we would eat.  We chose ahead, but decided to keep our minds open in case we came across something that looked spectacular but was not available to check out online.  I was especially excited to try Green Elephant, completely vegan and with an extensive, intriguing menu.  We definitely wanted to return to Nara, not in walking distance, but worth the short drive over to the airport.  A previous trip revealed vegan sushi like nowhere else other than my own kitchen.  We could not wait to go back and try it again, ready for the delicious sweet potato tempura rolls, the tofu dumplings, and their special house blend tea, a mixture of corn and barley— refreshing, naturally sweet, and a perfect foil for tamari and wasabi.

We visited the Portland Museum of Art, free to the public on Friday evenings.  On the way, we watched a snowboard and ski jump demonstration set up right in the middle of one of the city squares.  A huge crowd gathered around a brightly lit ski jump, and dozens of young men took their turns at flying down the short slope, then lightly landing on rails and grinding their snowboards or skis.  They executed perfect 360s and 540s, flips, and jumps, landing softly at the bottom in a shallow pile of snow.  We craned our necks to see as many tricksters as we could, then pressed on in the bitter cold to the museum.  Clean, bright, and filled with beautiful statues and paintings, this museum, though small, was worth the cold night hike.  We walked around together, hand in hand, gazing at works by Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, N. C. Wyeth and Vincent Van Gogh.  Modern and classical pieces hung side by side and we compared and contrasted, dreaming about which pieces we would like to have in our home.

We left the museum, shivered our way back to the hotel, and drove to Nara.  We were not disappointed.  We were served a Bento box style appetizer, on the house, of little bites.  Sweet and spicy pickled cucumber, roasted potato drizzled with a sauce reminiscent of hoisin, marinated bean sprouts, fish cake and zucchini tempura, (fish cake for the hubby), and lightly steamed broccoli preceded crispy hot, lightly fried tofu dumplings

Crispy Fried Tofu Dumplings

Sweet Potato, brocolli, and asparagus maki; marinated tofu inside out maki

and tangy-spicy Kim-Chi.  Then, kappa maki (Japanese gourd, sweet and chewy), tempura maki with sweet potato, broccoli, and asparagus, and marinated tofu maki, also sweet, with slender slices of tofu marinated in a sweet and tangy sauce, inside out, and garnished with black sesame seeds.  We ordered a large sake, but the tea was so delicious I barely touched the warm, dry rice brew.

Back at the hotel, live music was on my hubby’s mind.  While he checked out the local Phoenix to see where we might go, I closed my eyes for a power nap.  By the time he decided on a venue, I was recharged with my second wind.  We went to Bull Feeney’s, an Irish pub with a live band on the second floor and hung out for an hour listening to a pretty terrible band ruin a lot of great classic rock.  Fun, though.  Lots of locals getting drunk and doing their best to groove to the band’s ineffectual attempts at the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith.

We returned to our hotel and made it an especially good end of the evening, celebrating our early Valentine’s Day like the honeymooners we are at heart.  We fell asleep wrapped together, free from our real-life responsibilities, dreaming of the next day and our upcoming visit to Green Elephant.