Photo by Kevin Couture
Dan Sriprasert
The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, Portland
Anyone who has a problem with vegetables needs to visit The Green Elephant in Portland. It doesn’t matter if your hate affair with healthy fare came from Gerber baby food trauma or looking at limp canned beans in the school lunch trays. Walk into The Green Elephant, open your mind, order anything on the menu. (Have a drink first if you need to; they sell wine and beer.) Dig in. You will find yourself falling in love with broccoli and bean sprouts, peppers and carrots, yes, even that tasty anchor the menu calls “soy meat,” thanks to the inspired leadership of chef/co-owner Dan Sriprasert.
First or early food memory: Being a child in Thailand, and waking up every morning to the smell of the amazing curries that my mother makes.
Family influences on your style and taste: My mother is a fabulous cook. She taught me to always use fresh ingredients and to experiment with different spices.
Where you studied and/or apprenticed: My formal education was in computer engineering (Thailand) and graphic design (Seattle). Everything I know about cooking comes from my family and from lifelong, hands-on experience.
When you realized you really were a chef: When I opened my own restaurant. It was then that I realized “I’m doing this!” and that it wasn’t a hobby anymore.
Pivotal career move: When I discovered that cooking was my true passion, despite having studied in other arts. It was then that I decided to open a restaurant.
Places that inspire you as a chef: The local farmers markets inspire me the most, as they provide the base of our meals.
Things that keep you growing professionally: Reading cookbooks of all sorts. They encourage me to try out different techniques from chefs from around the world.
Your favorite restaurant (besides your own): Clementine in Brunswick.
Other professionals you admire most: David Thompson. Even though he isn’t Thai, he is excellent at Thai cooking and is knowledgeable in Thai food history.
Your new favorite ingredient: Fresh, local fiddleheads.
Longtime favorite ingredient: Coconut milk.
Your least favorite job-related task: Peeling and cutting onions is definitely my least favorite task.
Ways you’ve become smarter businesswise: By remaining open-minded to everything and by paying attention to customers (my own and patrons of other establishments) to figure out what works best for them.
Favorite night of the week at your restaurant: Sunday. It’s a relaxed and fun night before a day off.
What you would want your last meal to be: A homemade meal from my mother. What it was specifically wouldn’t even matter.
The last time you really impressed yourself in the kitchen: When I made an Indian curry that my staff absolutely loved!
Pet peeve when visiting other restaurants: Overly loud customers, or waiting too long for a meal.
Memory of a great meal you had in Maine: The first time I ever ate lobster. It was with my family in the backyard, seven years ago.
Something you’d like to learn or study: To play guitar and to surf.
What a perfect day off looks like: Going to eat in Chinatown, either in Boston or NYC.
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The Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro
608 Congress Street • Portland
www.greenelephantmaine.com
207-347-3111
Hours:
Lunch: Tuesday–Saturday 11:30 am–2:30 pm
Dinner: Tuesday–Saturday 5 pm–9:30 pm
Sunday dinner 5 pm–9 pm
Specialties:
Asian-inspired vegetarian cuisine
Accolades:
The Portland Phoenix: Best Vegetarian Restaurant; Chocolate Lovers’ Fling: Best Mousse; Maine. magazine review April 2011.
First-timer’s tip:
Save room for dessert.
Sample menu item:
Siamese Dream Curry Noodle: rice noodles, snow peas, carrots, red peppers, tofu, soy meat, fried shallots, cashews, and spinach in a coconut curry soup. $15
Directions:
Take Exit 6A/Forest Avenue off of I-295 in Portland. Follow Forest Avenue to Congress Street. Take a right onto Congress.
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