Portland East

I know I said that I would begin my blog on my west coast trip, but this weekend I was in Portland, Maine, or "Portland East" as my sister likes to call it.  Like its western counterpart, Portland, Maine is a pretty veg-friendly city.  On Thursday, my family and I went to Pepperclub, which caters to all with its varied menu.  The waitress was very helpful, indicating which breads in the basket were vegan and which were not.  I ordered a tempeh spring roll to start, which was delicious!  The sauce it came with was great, and my sister used it as a dipping sauce for her bread when I was done with my spring roll.  For my entree, I ordered tofu cakes (similar to crab cakes, which my mom and stepdad ordered) over a huge bowl of veggies in a spicy sauce.  The dish was excellent, but too large to finish.  Unfortunately, I didn't leave room for one of their vegan desserts.

On Saturday, my sister, brother, and brother-in-law indulged me with a trip to Silly's for lunch.  Like Pepperclub, there is a lot on the menu that it non-veg, but they are great for vegans and vegetarians.  They have a separate fryer for vegan entrees.  The waitress was very helpful and clear about which options were vegan and which could be made vegan.  Their menu is also very clear in terms of which dishes are vegan or can be made so.  We started off with an order of the fried pickles, which were amazing and gobbled up in minutes.  I ordered the vegan version of WeeBee Jammin' - jerk seasoned tofu, red beans and rice, vegan coleslaw, and fried plantains - yum!  My meat eating dining partners all enjoyed their entrees as well.  I snagged a buffalo fry or two from my sister (the waitress made sure they were cooked in the vegan fryer so I could sample!) - spicy and delicious!  I really wanted to try a soy shake, but I was way too full.  I'm glad my siblings were willing to make the trip.

Onward to the west!