I love the Green Elephant restaurants in New Hampshire, and Maine. I spent a few years of my childhood in that part of the world, and it is great to know that there is delightful, cruelty free food available whenever I return for a visit. Thank you Green Elephant! New England is a physically beautiful part of the United States that offers, among other draws, whale watching, picturesque lighthouses, natural water springs in Maine that you can safely and deliciously drink from, and of course the always lovely White Mountains of New Hampshire. Nothing is better than being humbled and awed by Mother Nature, and then sitting down to an amazing meal that is animal, human, and planet friendly. 🙂
The Green Elephant is a vegetarian bistro with a ton of affordable, and mouthwatering vegan options. The Asian inspired menu combines flavors from Malaysia, China, Japan, India and Thailand, and is based on the principles of compassion, health, taste, and gratification.
I started off with the Fragrant Coconut Soup with Tofu & Baby Bella Mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onions, scallions and cilantro, and it popped with flavor, and was as wonderful as it looked (see pic below). I then had the Tofu Tikka Masala, with spinach, edamame and chickpeas in a Masala curry sauce, and it did not disappoint either. Am I lucky or what?
Typically, I wouldn’t mention tea because most teas are predictable and ordinary. Not so with the Green Elephant Tea which is hand-mixed and homegrown, and contains organic lemongrass, ginger, jasmine flowers, and ginseng. Wowee, it had me at jasmine flowers and ginseng, and it was one of the best teas that I have ever had.
My traveling partners selected the Veggie Citrus “Spare Ribs”, with stir-fried broccoli, carrots, bok choy, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions, The Pad Thai, with stir-fried small rice noodles, tofu, egg, broccoli, carrots, beans sprouts and scallion (topped with ground peanuts and raw vegetables), and the Goji Berry Herbal Noodle Soup, with rice vermicelli, goji berries, bok choy, carrots, daikon, and “spare ribs (vegan)” in a Chinese 5 spice broth that included scallions, bean sprouts, and cilantro. Everyone raved about their food, and this was the only meal of our trip where we all agreed that we LOVED our dining experience!
One of the reasons that we had such a memorable meal was because of our server Ian, who was super friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. Ian explained that what he loves most about the Green Elephant is the atmosphere, and the customers, who tend to be “really nice people to be around”. Ian is passionate about music (he plays the piano), animal rights, and our planet. He also loves to travel, and work in an environment that is “just focused on being plant-based”. Ian explained that he became a vegan about 3 years ago when he started doing research on vegan diets while staying in a backpacker’s hostel in New Zealand (during a COVID-19 lockdown). He was inspired by a lot of the people there who were vegan & vegetarian, and just “seemed really smart”. Interestingly, he started researching arguments against veganism, and the more he researched the animal, human health, and environmental aspects, the more he realized he could no longer justify NOT being a vegan! Ian loves meeting new people, and says that along with “forming and maintaining friendships, prioritizing kindness is one of his lifetime goals”. Ian refers to his relationships with others as the “currency of life”, and he looks forward to “continuing to be happy by caring for others, and enjoying our planet”. Ian was great because of his kindness, and It was obvious that he was sincere, as he bounced around the restaurant taking care of each customer, while smiling and laughing.
The bottom line on the Green Elephant in Portland, Maine? An excited thumbs up, of course! 🙂
Click here for a link to the Green Elephant in Portland, Maine website.
Click here for the Green Elephant in Portsmouth, NH website.
