Rockland, Maine: Cafe Miranda.

Cafe Miranda, located in the coastal town of Rockland, Maine, may be the coolest restaurant at which I have ever had the pleasure of dining. Kerry, the owner, lovingly named the establishment after his beloved dog, Miranda. To put it mildly, Kerry is an interesting dude. He has a love of fresh food, cooking, flamingos and Elvis. And all of these passions are on display at this tiny little place on a nondescript street in Rockland. 

Hopefully you'll have made reservations because by 6:00pm this patio is packed.

The first thing you notice is the absolutely overwhelming menu that changes weekly. The side shown in this photo is just the appetizers and salads - go ahead and prepare for an ADD meltdown.





The reverse side is equally packed with entrees - or more appropriately named, a "party in your mouth."





I don't remember what the heck either The Canadian or I ordered but I know that there was some impressive calamari in TC's dish. Just look at the legs on that little guy!

Just to give you a little insight into the uniqueness of Cafe Miranda's mentality each table is adorned with a different set of random garage sale salt and pepper shakers. There are eggs, Jamacian men, teddy bears,  Mr. and Mrs. Claus, bananas, Indian elephants, and many more. 

While TC and I were eating we caught the eye of Kerry, the owner, and invited him to sit and chat with us. After filling us in on the history of Miranda the conversation somehow turned to their staff and the hiring process. He ended up sharing with us the questions potential employees must answer on the application. If I didn't already love this place, then the application really sealed the deal.

Name:

Age:

(blah, blah, blah....)

Number of beers in a 6 pack: **the answer is NOT 6. More like '5 for me and 1 for you'

If you were a car what would you be:

Mode of transportation (circle one): car, bike, thumb, shoes, flying saucer, other

If you weren't human what would you be: (rock, saxaphone, animal, ect)

What would you rather be doing right now:

Any schooling that makes a difference:

Last 3 meals:

It is said that you are what you eat, what are you: 

Seriously, try and answer those questions. It's not easy. It takes a lot of thought. Just off the top of my head, I think I would be a truck, my mode of transportation would definitely be fairy wings, I would rather be playing at the lake, if I am what I eat then I am a coffee bean or a grape, and if I weren't human I'm pretty sure I would be a tree. No wait, a bird. Or maybe an airplane. I don't really know. I'm going to have to think about this...

Anyway, next time you find yourself wandering aimlessly in central Maine go ahead and stop by to visit Kerry. It's a guaranteed good time and excellent meal.