Monday, April 16, 2012

Better Late Then Never?

It's been a while - I know. I'm doing a terrible job of keeping up with this blog, but I promise to try try try again to post more regularly, dear friends.

Back at the end of February, J took me to Camden, Maine for a weekend, birthday getaway and it was truly lovely. It also proved to us that we can be vegan AND go on vacation! Huzzah! Below is a little review of the many places we went for those of you looking to travel! Overall, I can tell you that Camden is an INCREDIBLY accommodating place - at the time, it seemed more so than even Portland, which is a much larger city. We can't wait to go back again next year!

J and me chilly in Camden, Maine

Harbor


Windward House Bed & Breakfast
Vegan Accommodations: 5/5 Stars
Environmental Awareness: 5/5 Stars 
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars


At the recommendation of friends, J booked two night stay at the Windward House in the Chart Room Suite right in Camden. The Inn is owned and run by Kristi and her husband Jesse who are incredibly nice and accommodating. The room was large and cozy and included a little sitting room with propane fireplace  and a jacuzzi tub! On top of it all, how excited were we to come out to breakfast on Saturday morning and find that their menu has vegan items on it - yes! They had tempeh bacon, sticky rice with coconut milk, delicious pancakes with a rum/banana sauce, orange-soy yogurt pancakes, cereals, toast, french toast, beautiful fruit cups, teas, coffees - we certainly did not go hungry! We enjoyed speaking with our hosts who were extremely personable and we greatly appreciated their attention to detail, including their interest in sustainability! J and I want to start a birthday trip tradition and we will absolutely visit again next February!!

Cappy's Chowder House

Vegan Accommodations: 2/5 Stars
Setting: 2/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars

So Cappy's is a great place to visit if you want to feel like you're a local...especially in the winter when hardly any tourists are around. We sat at one of their back booths in the darkened restaurant decorated with photos and cabin-themed chachkis. J ordered a locally made cider and I had a hot spiced rum drink. As we pondered the menu we realized there really weren't any vegan options available. The waitress came over and asked if we needed help and we explained that we were vegan and checking to see if there was anything we could eat. She was incredibly accommodating and said they could absolutely figure something out using pasta and veggies. We asked about the fries and onion rings, but they fry them in the same fryer they use for the clams and the onion rings are made using eggs. But she was so nice and really really wanted to help us out! Normally, in Portland, when we say we're vegan and can't find anything, the waitress sort of shrugs and says oh, well; so it was very refreshing to have someone actually try to find us an option! We ended up only having our drinks at Cappy's but they get high marks for trying! It's a fun local atmosphere, and we definitely recommend getting a drink there. 



Super yummy drinks at Cappy's

Robot bar!!

Cafe Mediterranean
Vegan Accommodations: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 4/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars

After our drinks at Cappy's we went up the street to Cafe Mediterranean for dinner. The restaurant is very small and has maybe 6 or 7 tables. There was only one waitress and one guy in the kitchen, which was quite impressive. We sat in a window seat that was fairly private, and watched the snow/rain coming down hard outside. J ordered the falafel and I ordered a Mediterranean sampler plate that included tabouli, hummus, salad, warmed pita, and eggplant. The food was so, so good! There are several vegan options on the menu that don't even need to be modified and I'm sure some of the other dishes could be modified too! It's nice to go somewhere and not have to make a special request though. 


J's falafel

Sampler platter

NOM!



Vegan Accommodations: Unknown
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars

After dinner at Cafe Mediterranean, we walked/half ran in the rain over to 40 Paper for cocktails. J was ecstatic that they had Maine Root and I had a a lemony-ginger drink. 40 Paper has a super fun/high-end atmosphere; very modern decor. I can't really comment on their ability to serve a vegan couple since we didn't eat there, but based on the rest of the town's accommodating behavior, I'd say it isn't out of the question. We will likely try to eat there the next time we visit!


Vegan Accommodations: 4/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars

On Saturday, J and I had a late lunch/early dinner at Fresh. The restaurant uses mainly local goods and their kitchen is open so you can watch the chef prepare your meal. As we peered at the menu, we didn't really see anything inherently vegan, but they had a nice selection of salads that we asked to modify. We asked if they could combine the Rocket Salad and Fresh Bistro Salad together but leave off the dairy and meat products, and they said, "No problem!" The chef prepared a beautiful salad with chickpeas and tons of veggies that was very fulfilling and quite yummy. We also ordered an order of their fresh hand-cut french fries which were DELICIOUS. We had planned to return to the restaurant later that night for drinks but ended up watching a movie and enjoying the warmth of our room at the Inn. 

Vegan Accommodations: 4/5 Stars
Setting: 3/5 Stars
Staff: 5/5 Stars

On our way home on Sunday, we stopped off in Freeport for a little outlet shopping and had a wonderful dinner at the Mediterranean Grill. We ordered the hummus as an appetizer and then shared the falafel entree. The food was excellent and J said he hadn't had falafel and hummus that good in a really long time. There wasn't a ton on the menu that would accommodate vegans but there is a lot for vegetarians and they're so nice there that I'm sure they'd be happy to modify things if you asked. The setting is a little open and less intimate - it's a very large open room which feels strange at lunch when the rest of the room is empty. Delicious food though! 

Vegan Accommodations: 0/5 Stars
Setting: 3/5 Stars
Staff: 1/5 Stars

Before heading to the Mediterranean Grill, we tried to have lunch at Azure Cafe in Freeport. We were seated at a nice window table in a room very crowded with close tables. As we peered at the menu it was clear that something would need to be modified or created to accommodate us. When the waitress came over I asked what they could do for vegans. She looked puzzled and asked what exactly vegan meant - "you mean like vegetarian?" I explained that vegans do not eat any animal products or by-products. She said, "Oh. The only thing you can eat, I think, is the Tomato Vodka Soup. I think that's safe." And then she walked away and stood by the waitstaff station, rather than heading to the kitchen to ask the chef. Annoyed and hungry, we bailed. 






2 comments:

  1. Aw, I'm so bummed you had a bad experience at Azure Cafe! We know the head chef through roller derby, and he is AMAZING in the kitchen, especially with personal requests. It sounds like you had a bum waitress!

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  2. Good to know! We will give it a second shot and next time be sure to tell the waitress to go to the kitchen and ask the chef!

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