Green Elephant - Portland, Maine

I enjoy vegetarian cuisine, often preparing vegetarian entrees at home, and occasionally ordering them when I dine out. So the idea of the Green Elephant, an "Asian influenced vegetarian bistro" had immense appeal. Located at 608 Congress Street in Portland, the restaurant was completely full - with several patrons waiting for tables - on the Saturday afternoon we dined.

We settled into our table and commented how light and airy the restaurant seemed. Tall plate glass windows provide plenty of natural light, one wall is faux whitewashed brick, the other is painted grass green; the floors are light bamboo, while the tables have blond butcher block tops. Funky details, like ornate chandeliers over two of the tables, larger than life forks, spoons and knives painted on the wall towards the rear of the restaurant, and a cloth wall hanging featuring dozens of forks and spoons lend to the fun, yet contemporary atmosphere.

We ordered tea while we perused the menu, and were surprised when mugs with tea bags arrived. While we were expecting fresh brewed, the organic green tea was excellent, and an additional carafe of hot water was brought to the table for self serve refills.

We steered clear of the menu items that featured soy products flavored to taste like meat or dairy. I prefer to either eat the real thing, or go without. "Soy cheese", "soy ham," and "soy tuna" simply don't hold any appeal. Fortunately, there were plenty of menu options that did.

We decided on the Vegan Deep Fried Vegetarian Spring Roll ($5) and the Vegan Roti Canai ($6). The spring roll was excellent. A crisp, light, flaky wrapper held shredded carrots, cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, and was served with a tangy dipping sauce. The Roti Canai, a flat, Indian-style pancake was a bit greasy, and the accompanying yellow curry dip - though wonderfully flavored - was on the thin side. The sauce, which held tiny chunks of carrots, just ran off the flatbread, despite my various efforts to either spoon it on top, or soak the bread.

The Steamed Vegetables with Peanut Sauce, also vegan, was an assortment of perfectly cooked broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, corn, snow peas, carrots and green beans, served with a side of nutty temeph and brown rice ($9). Peanut sauce is one of my favorite Asian splurges, but the Green Elephant's version was a bit "gritty" for my taste; I missed the coconut milk used to create a creamier texture in the more traditional preparation. We finished the entree, but likely wouldn't order it again.

The same cannot be said of the Tofu Delight ($9). Chunks of tofu were stir fried with snow peas, carrots, zucchini, corn, bell pepper, onion, egg, celery, scallions and creamy yellow curry sauce. A lettuce leaf held the side of mashed buttercup squash; the side of brown rice added a slightly nutty flavor to the dish when mixed in with the vegetables and curry. This dish, along with the Spring Rolls, were the highlights of our meal and a reason to return.

Don't go to the Green Elephant expecting fish, beef or chicken options, or you will be sorely disappointed. I recently ran into a traditional "meat & potatoes" woman who had just dined at the Green Elephant. She met a friend for lunch there, not knowing it was a Vegetarian restaurant. To her surprise, she loved the Crispy Wontons, stuffed with soy cheese and spinach, and was proud of herself for trying a single piece of "soy ham" before deciding to focus on the vegetables and rice instead.

The same owners of the Green Elephant own Bangkok Thai, also on Congress Street. In a recent comment on that post, one of the owners, Bob, writes:

Opening a new restaurant from the ground up [Green Elephant] has been a wonderful learning experience for us. We have put our hearts into every aspect of this restaurant from the recipes, to the presentation of the food, to the decor, to the staff. Everything is our own creation and vision, and by doing so we have created something that we truly like. We now understand that we must go back and apply our selves in the same way to Bangkok Thai. We know we must change and there are many exciting plans in the works.

If Bob and his partner, Dan put the degree of effort and care into Bangkok Thai, that is so apparent in the execution of the Green Elephant, it should be a stand-out among the area Thai restaurants. In the meantime, the Green Elephant fills a void in the Greater Portland restaurant scene; for vegetarians, vegans and those seeking an alternative to traditional Asian cuisine it is a fine choice for an affordable lunch or quick bite before a movie.