Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro

Last updated

Green Elephant in 2018 Green Elephant (44027828385).jpg
Green Elephant in 2018

The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro is a vegetarian restaurant serving Thai cuisine in Portland, Maine, that opened in 2007 in the city's Arts District. [1] A second Green Elephant restaurant is located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. [2] Both have received critical attention for their vegetarian dishes.

Contents

History

The restaurant was opened by chef Danai “Dan” Sriprasert and business partner Bob Wongsaichua at 608 Congress Street across from the State Theatre building. Sriprasert and Wongsaichua also own Boda, a Thai restaurant that serves some meat dishes. The restaurant is named as green represents vegetarian cooking and elephants are considered lucky. [3]

A 2011 The Maine Magazine review by Joe Ricchio reported: "Sriprasert’s mother, who owned a restaurant in Thailand, taught him how to cook from a very early age ... His mother never used written recipes, and by cooking alongside her he began to develop his own personal style." [4]

In 2015, a second Green Elephant opened at 35 Portwalk Place in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the Portland restaurant closed for a month and a half before reopening. [5]

The menu is appetizers, stir fries, curries, noodle dishes and desserts. All the food is vegetarian and most is vegan. The crispy duck, the char guay teow [4] and the chocolate orange mousse pie [6] have been mentioned by food reviewers.

Reception

The restaurant does not take reservations. [7] In 2012, The Boston Globe travel writer Hilary Nangle said the restaurant "has persuaded many carnivores that going veggie does not mean sacrificing flavor." [8] In 2013, Travel + Leisure named the restaurant to its list of the "Best Vegetarian Restaurants in the U.S." [9]

In 2016, the Maine Sunday Telegram 's restaurant reviewer James H. Schwartz gave the restaurant three stars and wrote: "It’s fun, congenial and healthful, an easy place for vegetarians, dedicated carnivores – and the rest of us – to enjoy." [10] In 2016, Guy Fieri ate at the Portsmouth location and called the food "one of the best vegetarian meals I've had in a long time." [11] In 2016, the Green Elephant in Portsmouth was named Best Vegan Restaurant in the state by New Hampshire Magazine . [12]

In 2019, The Daily Meal named the restaurant to its list of "The Most Vegan-Friendly Restaurant in Every State." [13] In 2020, the Portland Press Herald 's vegan food writer Avery Yale Kamila called the restaurant Maine's "reigning vegetarian restaurant queen." [14]

In 2021, Yelp released a list naming the best vegetarian restaurant in each state and Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro was listed as the best vegetarian restaurant in Maine. [15] In 2023, a The Boston Globe travel review about traveling to Portland with children said the restaurant has "kid-friendly bites like crunchy edamame and veggie dumplings with two kinds of dip." [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuisine of New England</span> Northeastern US food culture

New England cuisine is an American cuisine which originated in the New England region of the United States, and traces its roots to traditional English cuisine and Native American cuisine of the Abenaki, Narragansett, Niantic, Wabanaki, Wampanoag, and other native peoples. It also includes influences from Irish, French, Italian, and Portuguese cuisine, among others. It is characterized by extensive use of potatoes, beans, dairy products and seafood, resulting from its historical reliance on its seaports and fishing industry. Corn, the major crop historically grown by Native American tribes in New England, continues to be grown in all New England states, primarily as sweet corn although flint corn is grown as well. It is traditionally used in hasty puddings, cornbreads and corn chowders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portland, Maine</span> Largest city in Maine, United States

Portland is a port city and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st-century relies mostly on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port is a prominent neighborhood known for its nightlife and 19th-century architecture. Despite the economic shift, the Port of Portland was still the second-largest tonnage seaport in New England as of 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsmouth, New Hampshire</span> City in Rockingham County, New Hampshire

Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmouth was formerly the home of the Strategic Air Command's Pease Air Force Base, since converted to Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boston Vegetarian Society</span> US educational organization

The Boston Vegetarian Society (BVS) is a non-profit educational organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with the purpose of promoting and supporting vegetarianism and veganism. It hosts monthly speaking events and an annual vegetarian food festival in the fall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetarian hot dog</span> Hot dog made with plant-based ingredients

A vegetarian hot dog is a hot dog produced completely from non-meat products. Unlike traditional home-made meat sausages, the casing is not made of intestine, but of cellulose or other plant-based ingredients. The filling is usually based on some sort of soy protein, wheat gluten, or pea protein. Some may contain egg whites, which would make them unsuitable for a lacto-vegetarian or vegan diet.

Cranks was a chain of English wholefood vegetarian restaurants. It was founded and owned by David and Kay Canter and Daphne Swann, and its flagship restaurant was at Marshall Street in the West End of London.

The Portland Farmers Market is a farmers market in Portland, Maine, U.S., which has been in continuous operation since 1768. Since 1990, the market has been held place year-round. From May to November, it is held on Wednesdays in Monument Square and on Saturdays in Deering Oaks Park. From December to April, the winter market is held on Saturdays in the former Catherine McAuley High School building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North American Vegetarian Society</span> Charity and activist organization

The North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) is a charity and activist organization with the stated objectives of supporting vegetarians and informing the public about the benefits of vegetarianism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veggie Galaxy</span> Restaurant in Massachusetts, United States

Veggie Galaxy is a diner-style vegetarian restaurant located in the Central Square section of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossroads Kitchen</span> Vegan restaurant in Los Angeles

Crossroads Kitchen is a vegan fine-dining restaurant in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles. They have since opened locations in Calabasas, California and Las Vegas, Nevada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Makini Howell</span> American vegan chef and restaurateur

Makini Howell is a vegan chef and restaurateur in Seattle, Washington. Her flagship restaurant, Plum Bistro, is a vegan fine-dining restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Toni Fiore is an American TV host, cookbook author, and chef, focusing on vegetarian and vegan dishes.

Avery Yale Kamila is an American journalist and community organizer in the state of Maine. Kamila has written a food column for the Portland Press Herald /Maine Sunday Telegram and its affiliated newspapers since 2009.

A vegan school meal or vegan school lunch or vegan school dinner or vegan hot lunch is a vegan option provided as a school meal. The meals have become part of the menu in some public school districts. Vegan school meals most reported on by the media include those added by Los Angeles, California in 2018, Portland, Maine in 2019, and New York City in 2022. A small number of private educational facilities around the world are vegan schools and serve exclusively vegan food.

Horace A. Barrows was an American physician who practiced in Western Maine in the early 19th century, made and sold plant-based medicines, prescribed a vegetarian diet and invested in local businesses.

Henry Aiken Worcester was a Yale University alumnus, a vegetarian, and a Swedenborgian minister who worked in Maine and Massachusetts. His "Sermons on the Lord's Prayer" was published posthumously in 1850.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin Shed Garden Cafe</span> Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Tin Shed Garden Cafe, or simply Tin Shed, is a restaurant in Portland, Oregon's King neighborhood, in the United States. Co-owned by Christie Griffin and Janette Kaden, the dog-friendly café opened in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviv (restaurant)</span> Defunct Middle Eastern restaurant in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Aviv was a Middle Eastern vegan restaurant with several locations in Portland, Oregon. Guy Fieri visited the restaurant for a 2020 episode of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Although Aviv had been popular, it closed in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great Lost Bear</span> Restaurant in Maine, United States

The Great Lost Bear is a bar and restaurant in Portland, Maine, United States. Established in 1979 by Dave and Weslie Evans and Chip MacConnell, it is noted for its selection of draft craft beers.

References

  1. Brian, Kevin (June 8, 2015). "Maine's Best Restaurants for Vegetarians". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  2. Miller, Kristyn Lak (January 10, 2017). "Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro & Bar". Taste of the Seacoast. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  3. Anderson, Amy K. (September 20, 2012). "Green Elephant, Portland". The Maine Mag. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Ricchio, Joe (April 7, 2011). "EAT-April 2011: Green Elephant". The Maine Mag. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  5. Kamila, Avery Yale (May 10, 2020). "Vegan Kitchen: Are your favorite vegetarian or vegan restaurants open for takeout?". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  6. Rusley, Erika Blauch (August 30, 2013). "Good Eats | The best of Maine's healthy & vegetarian dining". The Sunrise Guide. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  7. Axelrod, Susan (July 31, 2014). "DINING GUIDE: 5 NOTABLE MAINE RESTAURANTS FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS". MaineToday.
  8. Nangle, Hilary (April 29, 2012). "10 Maine restaurants where vegetarians reign". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  9. Sarah L., Stewart (August 10, 2013). "Best Vegetarian Restaurants in the U.S." Travel + Leisure. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  10. Schwartz, James H. (January 24, 2016). "Dine Out Maine: Green Elephant in Portland". Press Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  11. Battle, Marquaysa (August 2, 2016). "Guy Fieri May Write A Vegetarian Cookbook". PEOPLE. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  12. "New Hampshire Magazine's 2016 Best of NH Winners in Vegan|!!| Vegetarian|!!| Gluten Free|!!| Outdoor Dining". New Hampshire Magazine. June 16, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
  13. Rock, Taylor (November 19, 2019). "The most vegan-friendly restaurant in every state". The Daily Meal. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  14. Kamila, Avery Yale (January 19, 2020). "Vegan Kitchen: Portland's vegan restaurant scene is red-hot". Press Herald. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  15. Doolin, Hannah (January 26, 2021). "The Best Vegetarian Restaurant In Every State". MSN. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  16. Bair, Diane (February 16, 2023). "Portland with the kids? We put it to the test. - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.