Little Dog Coffee Restaurant Review

Quinoa stuffed mushroom (vegan), meat and cheese tray, and iced black tea.

So Little Dog Coffee is a place that I have been going every Thursday evening to play an open mic in the beautiful town of Brunswick Maine. I was first invited there by my good friends at the DIY Basement Art Collective where I played a show, also located in Brunswick ME. My first impression as the walked in the door is that it felt like a warm and inviting place, that has open look to it. The first thing I did when I got there was check out the menu, since it was payday and I was hungry. I found out that they have a constantly changing menu, so if you find something that sounds good, order it, because it might not be available tomorrow. That first night between myself and a friend we ordered one of each of the items on the menu, and also ordered some great local beers, that night ended up being a wonderful date, that started at the coffee shop and continued from there. So after that initial experience I have been back every Thursday that I have not been on tour. Last night I decided I wanted to share my experience with the internet, and let people know how amazing this place was. So I again made directly for the counter to check out today's menu, and they had my favourite item from my first visit there, which is the quinoa stuffed mushrooms, which are a vegan item. They also had a meat and cheese tray. In addition to these temporary menu items they have a beautiful assortment of baked goods, last night I had the cowboy cookie, which was amazing. To again step back a moment here before I get ahead of myself and start talking about the food, I want to talk about the overall experience. The first thing I notice after walking in, is the wonderful open and inviting environment, which is not too overly lit, giving it a comfortable feel. The room is mostly filled with tables, perfectly functional and practical, though not the type that give many more trendy coffee shops their homey feel with mix matched tables and such, this place has a more professional feel in the main dining area. Like I said perfectly functional, and practical. But what I love and what attracts me is the area that also doubles as a stage during open mics, there is one of the most comfortable couches on earth, as well as a wonderfully comfortable cushy arm chair, and in this area there is also a wonderful coffee table, an assortment of board games and table top games. This is my favourite spot in the coffee shop, it feels so at home, and I love when at an open mic to cuddle with friends on the couch cheering on the great local artists and performers. The next thing that I notice is the beautiful welcoming staff. They are knowledgeable and very helpful with any questions about the menu or anything else relating to the coffee shop. I don't know how anyone could not just instantly fall in love with this amazing staff. Then one can not help but notice the beautiful case of baked goods, ranging from cakes and cookies, to scones and bars, pretty much anything your sweet tooth can desire, you will find an amazing freshly made item to satisfy. I am sadly not huge on sweets, or cakes, but what I have tried is absolutely amazing, and I do deeply love their cookies. I love that my friends and I are all about sharing things when we are here, which is a great way for us to sample more items. The beverages are also amazing, whether you like a nice cold or iced tea, a coffee drink of your desires, or maybe you prefer one of their wonderful selections of local beer, and beautiful wines. There is also a self-serve coffee bar, and self-serve water. Also while you are here, please be a darling and bus your own tables, there is a tub for you to put your dirty dishes. The menu might be minimalist, but that is honestly a good thing. Think for a moment about a small coffee shop, and the amount of waste a large menu unfortunately necessitates. By only offering up a few items, they keep their costs and waste down, which reflects on their reasonable prices on food items. I also love the small menu at an affordable cost, because if you and a friend want to you can honestly order one of everything on the menu, as I did with a friend my first night there. So last nights order was: Quinoa stuffed mushroom: this is one of those dishes that I have dreams about. The tastes are so delightfully balanced with the perfect amount of spice and texture. The quinoa i perfectly cooked and amazingly full of flavour, and the mushroom is also perfectly cooked with the perfect firm yet chewy texture. The dish starts with a large portabello mushroom, piled high with their amazing in house made quinoa stuffing, with some vegan cheese on the top. Everything about this dish is pleasing to the eye and palate, as well as having the most delicious smell, as it comes to your table fresh from the kitchen. There are few food items on this earth that are as amazing as this, and the fact that it is this amazingly bursting with flavour and vegan, means you can enjoy this amazing dish without any feelings of guilt that something had to die for your eating pleasure, which I know isn't important to everyone, but for myself and others who care about animals, it is nice to know that you can enjoy something this thoroughly with no feeling of guilt that another life had to suffer for your enjoyment. Meat and cheese plate: This plate, came with a wonderful mix of wonderful meats and cheeses. Now, I am always a fan of a fancy meat and cheese tray, I only wish my funds could have afforded me to purchase a bottle of wine to go with this. Everything was fresh and delicious. Unlike the previously mentioned menu item, there is much less I can say about this, other than it is what it is, a beautiful plate of meats, cheeses, and crackers and toast. I would definitely recommend this to anyone, everything on the plate is absolutely delicious, and goes perfect with a live music performance. Cowboy Cookie (not pictured), this cookie came highly recommended to me by a friend who I as sharing a table with last night. I am glad he recommended it, this might be the best cookie I have ever eaten. This is a cookie that has everything good in it, it is at first sight an oatmeal raisin cookie, but as one explores more, there is so much more to it than that...I considered telling you everything in it, but I want to leave that mystery to you. But let's just say this, those folks on both sides of the "when you bite into a cookie and discover it's raisins instead of chocolate chips" argument, well this cookie pleases you both because there is chocolate in it. I am getting hungry just thinking about this amazing cookie, and it is rare that I have that kind of response to baked goods, I am not much of a cookie and cakes person, but this cookie is one of the greatest foods that any culinary genius has ever dreamed up. I also finished off my dinner with a cup of iced black tea. Not a lot I can say here, but a very delicious cup of tea, perfectly refreshing, and everything I want from a cup of iced tea. Would I recommend Little Dog Coffee? Yes, without a doubt this is one of my favourite coffee shops in the country. I have been through many states and played in coffee shops in many of those states. This place has this welcoming atmosphere and staff that makes me feel like I am home when I walk through those doors. The staff, are some of the kindest, sweetest, beautiful human beings on this planet, they are helpful, they are friendly, they are so wonderful. The places is comfortable, and inviting. This is a magical place, with amazing food and drinks, amazing staff, they support local music, poetry, and art, I just learned that they have a game night as well. I think if I lived in Brunswick Little Dog Coffee would be a place that I spend several evenings a week at, rather than just coming up every Thursday. I do encourage you to come and visit this amazing place, try their food and drinks, enjoy one of their many events, and support local businesses like this. Honestly things like Duncan Donuts and Starbucks should not exist, when you have places like this that are better, more affordable, and support their local community.