• 5
• Outstanding plant-based Asian food

(Disclosure: I know the chefs & owner so I'm biased) You probably wouldn't expect to find a restaurant like Arata in a small tourist town in Maine, but there it is. Chef Scott Winegard and owner Matthew Kenney have gone out on a limb and decided to do an Asian plant-based concept, and executed beautifully. I probably tried everything on the menu and loved it all, from the noodles to the bao to the salads to the korean-style chijimi pancakes. I love how Scott creates real texture and color in his dishes, it's a feast for the eyes and the tongue. If you're within an hour drive, I'd definitely recommend going out of your way to stop in, because the food is outstanding. An inventive cocktail menu featuring things like a smokey old-fashioned (using smoked soy) is the icing on the plant-based cake.