date night – the impressionable vegan

Vegan Review: True Bistro (Date Night!)

I’ve been very fortunate this week. This week I ate at two of my favorite vegan/vegetarian restaurants. Go me!

Let’s start with Tuesday night. Dylan and I were lucky enough to have my parents want to babysit Soy Bean, so we had the evening to ourselves. I think the secret to a happy marriage is having at least one date night a month. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it’s important to have a meal with no interruptions where you can just enjoy each other’s company.

Dylan and I have been to True Bistro a few times, it was actually one of our earlier dates (he must have been feeling fancy). True Bistro is a more upscale vegan restaurant. You know it’s fancy if Dylan doesn’t wear workout clothes to it… Everything is vegan, no vegetarian options. If you plan on dining here you should be prepared to drop at least $100 because you’re going to want dessert and apps. Cocktails and mocktails are excellent as well.

The restaurant has been remodeled since we last visited (which was when I was a pregnant lady sucking down mocktails) and the initial greeting was a little awkward. When you walked into the restaurant you basically walk into a wall and don’t know which way to go, there’s no host stand. Now I worked in restaurant for years as a hostess as well as a server. Your first impression is when you walk in is the greeting. A server asked if we had a reservation (we did) then brought us to what I would assume was a manager sitting a high top who again asked us if we had a reservation. They seemed a little confused why we were there (to eat duh!).

So finally we were seated. Our server was very nice, but inexperienced. I mean, like not clearing extra glasses and cans inexperienced. Not great for my OCD, but I managed (and of course still tipped 20% as you always should, unless someone is a jerk to you).

We started with the seared cauliflower and cornmeal-crusted oyster mushrooms. I not crazy about the cauliflower dish but we’ve ordered the oyster mushrooms every time we’ve visited and it’s never disappointed.

For our meals Dylan had the temple skewers and I ordered the red-red black-eyed peas. That’s probably my favorite dish there. Its unique and has a nice spice to it. For dessert we had the cheesecake, which was amazing and recommended by our server. They really have the best desserts there.

Moving on…

The next day Soy Bean and I went to visit my brother in Watertown. We walked around Mount Auburn Cemetery (not creepy, it’s a beautiful spot with lots of famous graves!). Kiel then treated us to some delicious vegan nachos and juice at Red Lentil. I’ve done a review of Red Lentil before on here. It hold a special place in my heart since Dylan and I had dinner there after we got engaged.

What as awesome week. Only a week and a few more days of summer for this gal. I’m looking forward to everything pumpkin, foliage, and sweaters!

August 17, 2018August 17, 2018

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Vegan Dining: Sam Diego’s

So I’ve reached that awkward point in adulthood where my childhood nightmares become my happiest dreams. My husband and I are buying a house in the town where I grew up and I could not possibly be more excited. It’s close to our families, our jobs (I was commuting about two hours last year back and forth to work), and it’s located on the beautiful (well at least I think it is) south shore of Massachusetts. Fifteen year old me would find it totally lame to move back to the town I grew up in. So boring! Adult Sarah is pumped.

Thankfully, this town has diversified and opened up more restaurants and grocery stores than where available when I was a kid. I think the only restaurants in town when I was growing up was the “fancy” Italian place that served too much garlic (but can you really ever have too much garlic?) and Unos.

We plan on venturing out once in awhile, but as many of you know, buying a house means a change in the way you spend money. Frankly, I’m looking forward to cooking more. When we’re not eating Subway, my family and I have been living off of four plates and a pan the last month in anticipation for this move. I’m excited to be reunited with my Fiestaware and real wine glasses. I’m also transitioning into an awesome kitchen with more than three feet of counter space. Woot woot!

We’ve spent quite a bit of time on the south shore this year, mostly for baby’s doctors appointments, visiting family and stalking our new house, and we’ve been lucky enough to have a few dates nights here in there. My husband and I are blessed with wonderful parents that love our kids and actually WANT to spend time with them. Last week we dropped baby boy off with my parents and ventured out to the Plymouth waterfront.

There are few things in life more enjoyable than a margarita the size of your head.

Though not the most original dining conquest we went to Sam Diego’s in Plymouth and were not disappointed.

I guess it’s hard to be disappointed when you order $40 dollars worth of (mammoth) margaritas (we got good tequila okay?), but no seriously, we were not disappointed. While they have a vegetarian section on their menu they actually have a separate special menu with vegan options. You just need to ask for it. We ordered the black bean burritos and quesadilla to split.

“Special” menu. Gluten-free options were on the back as well.

The wonderful thing about Mexican food is that meat can very easily be replaced (via beans). At home when I make a Mexican based meal I usually will incorporate vegan cheese and sour cream. This meal had no vegan substitutes but we were not missing out at all. The quesadilla was my favorite, and had caramelized onions in it which gave a nice meatiness to it. Everything was really delicious, and I don’t think that’s much the margaritas talking.

The hubby and I have find Mexican restaurants pretty easy places to remain vegan when dining out. Worst case scenario, you order something with beans and hold the cheese and sour cream.

Speaking of bean dishes, once we’re all moved and settled (and most importantly have internet) I need to share my chili recipe. I can’t believe I haven’t shared it yet!

I hope you’re all enjoying the last days of summer!

August 10, 2017

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Checking In…

I can’t believe I survived March (without wine I might add). In Teacher World March is one of the longest months of the year. No vacations, no days off (though we did manage to sneak in a snow day), grades closing, and for some reason tons of meeting for us special ed teachers.

I also can’t believe I’m finally in my third trimester. I’ll be 30 weeks tomorrow and I can hardly believe it. 10 or so more weeks until I get to meet Soy Bean. It’s so exciting/terrifying!

Knock on wood, I’ve been pretty lucky with this pregnancy. I’ve been feeling great besides occasionally getting dizzy, at tiny bit of heartburn and sometimes having trouble getting up from the couch (it’s not a pretty sight). I haven’t had any random strangers try to touch my stomach and no one has preached to me about drinking caffeine. I’ve been lucky enough to have my mom take me clothes shopping and have found some nice deals myself. My sister-in-law advised me when I was first pregnant that I should make an investment in some good maternity clothes. I have to say I totally agree. When you enjoy what you’re wearing it can make your day, especially when your body is changing daily.

Now back to food. I was scrolling though the pictures of my phone I realize my husband and I have hit up some great vegan places since the last time I posted so I guess I have plenty to write about. Date nights will be few and far between once this baby comes so we are taking advantage now 🙂

April 1, 2017April 1, 2017

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Vegan Dining: The Grange

Ever since we moved to this area my husband and I have been trying to explore Providence as much as possible. It’s ridiculously easy for us to get into the city. Without traffic we can be there in about 15-20 minutes. We’re lucky to have some vegan friends that are familiar with the area and had some great recommendations for us. Our favorite as been The Grange by far.

We’ve been there a few times, including once for brunch which was outstanding (even though I was super queasy!). The atmosphere is cozy with a nice rustic feel. Everything on the menu is either vegan or vegetarian, which is always liberating. They also have a full bar and an excellent beer menu (not that I’ve been indulging lately). I did take a few smells of my hubby’s beer which is ALMOST as good as drinking it…right?

Our most recently visit to The Grange was a Wednesday afternoon over vacation. We dropped in between lunch and dinner time so the place was pretty empty which was nice. They were featuring their bar menu at the time which had plenty of options. I also appreciate that they have fresh smoothies and juices. I ordered their red juice, I could have had three of them.

Every time we visit The Grange we start off with the Sweet Chili Cauliflower. This time that we ordered it it was the best we’ve had. The peanut sauce was outstanding and addictive. I feel inspired to recreate it! It’s funny how I’ve been seeing cauliflower on menus everywhere, even non veggie places. It’s truly a versatile vegetable!

The Soy Bean and I were craving seitan so I ordered the General Tso’s Tacos. I’ve ordered this a few times, so it’s been a staple for me. The seitan was nice and juicy, it’s almost like eating real meat (almost).

My husband doesn’t venture too far either when we dine at The Grange, he usually opts for the Po Boy, which he ordered and generously allowed me to sneak a couple of bits. He’s usually not a fan of mushrooms but this dish features oyster mushrooms and he loves it. I’m personally a fan of the pretzel bun.

So if you every find yourself in the Providence area be sure to check out The Grange, it’s the perfect spot for brunch, dinner, or even just apps and drinks.

January 16, 2017

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Vegan Dining: Flatbread Company

Being married for one year calls for a fancy dinner rights? Ok I’ll settle for pizza and salad, but it has to be some of the best pizza and salad I’ve ever had.

Not a problem!

Flatbread Company came highly recommended to us from several different people so we knew we had to check it out when we visited Portland.

We check into our hotel, walked around downtown Portland (in an attempt to burn off those french fries from lunch) and then put our name in at Flatbread. It’s probably a good sign when there’s a 45 minute wait on a Monday night.

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The hubby and I relaxed and enjoyed the view by the water while we waited. When we were seated we had a great spot by the windows which has an awesome view of the harbor.

I cannot speak highly enough about our experience there. The service was great, all the ingredients were organic and fresh, and there were tons of vegan options.

We started with a salad which was probably one of the most delicious and fresh salads I have ever had. It had locally grown mesclun greens and sweet leaf lettuce along with organic celery, carrots, toasted sesame seeds and Maine sea kelp. It had the perfect amount of dressing which was a homemade ginger-tamari vinaigrette. There was an option to add additional organic veggies so we opted for oven-roasted red bell peppers and organic red onions. I would eat this ever single day.

We ordered a flatbread that was a special of the evening. I’m trying to remember every delicious ingredient and I believe it had olives, tomatoes, peperoncino, some sort of green and onions. It originally came with two different types of cheese but our server informed us that we could substitute the cheese for Daiya. This was a restaurant first for us.

It was awesome and we were able to polish off most of a large flatbread. The crust was delicious. I am definitely inspired for our next family pizza night. If you’re ever in the area visit Flatbread Company for sure.

July 27, 2016July 29, 2016

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Vegan Dining: Red Lentil

The hubby and I are coming up on our one year wedding anniversary. I can’t believe we won’t be newlyweds anymore! After Dylan and I got engaged we went to dinner at Red Lentil in Watertown, MA. This week we revisited this great spot!

I love to walk, my husband…not so much. To my amazement I was able to get him to walk a ton with me on Tuesday. I love to walk especially if I know I’m going to gorge myself on food later. First we walked at a park close to our house, then I went to lunch with a friend. After that we headed out and visited the Arnold Arboretum. It was my first time there and it was beautiful. So many amazing trees, vines, and other plants. I think it will be breathtaking in the fall.

Next we headed on over to Mount Auburn Cemetery. I know I know…it’s a cemetery but if you live in the area you might now it as a popular spot to take a walk and see some amazing (and sometimes famous) graves. We paid B.F. Skinner a visit (he’s the father of ABA, not that you care to know that…) Then we headed off to dinner.

Red Lentil is a vegan/vegetarian restaurant. Everything on the menu is vegetarian or vegan but many of their vegetarian dishes can easily be made vegan. As a vegan it’s so liberating to be able to look at a menu and not have to “hunt” for something to eat!

They have a decent bottled beer/wine list as well as some awesome juices and smoothies. We ordered the french onion soup and gobi manchurian to start. We always get the gobi manchurian when we eat here. It’s amazing how versatile cauliflower can be! The cauliflower is tossed with Indian seasonings and breaded with chickpea flower and fried. It’s awesome and we highly recommend it. For our entrees the hubby order Chimichurri Seitan which was delicious. It was served with a potato and parsnip mash, chanterelle mushrooms and a shallot gravy. I ordered the Rustic Paella. It was ok. I found myself gravitating more towards eating what my husband ordered (we like to share!). I think my dish was lacking something and I could have made it better myself. I won’t be ordering it again.

Anyways, this is a restaurant we would take our non veggie friends to for sure. If you’re ever in the area make sure you stop by!

July 22, 2016July 22, 2016

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