I love this place. Ever since I discovered their wireless internet access, I’ve gone there to work at least once a week, sometimes more. It’s homey, with overstuffed couches and a kids’ play area, and the vegetarian-friendly food is simple, fresh, and often comes from local farms. What more could I possibly want?

Oh, right. Friendly staff. Got that too.

This morning: an “everything” spelt bagel with olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, tomato, and avocado. So simple, and so delicious.

And then I stayed after chatting with my friend, and worked through lunch: A huge bowl of beans and and brown rice with red onion, cheddar, tomatoes, and avocado. (I like avocado!)

It’s so funny, you know? They bill themselves as a music cafe, a proper coffeehouse. They even have beer on tap — sip your HSA while enjoying the open mic night. But I’ve never really gone there for any of the shows. This will have to change.

On whether the short growing season in Maine makes produce more intense:

That’s a theory. Produce in Maine tends to have an extremely strong flavor…. Our plants are challenged by cool nights, a short growing season, an intensity of light in late June and July, and a lot of bugs and funguses and other attacking microbes. I did an event in Mendocino County, California… Basils were growing five feet tall. You very seldom see basil growing like that in Maine. I harvested a bunch… and I couldn’t coax any flavor out of it. [It] might as well have been lettuce.

It’s worth reading the entire interview; you certainly get a flavor (pun intended) of how people approach food here.