vegan dining – 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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Vegan Dining: Julian’s

Well I’m certainly behind. I’m enjoying the last half of my April vacation and reflecting on dining experiences I had during February vacation. Funny though, the weather was a bit nicer in February.

As I’ve mentioned before, we live very close to Providence. I love (parts of) Providence. I appreciate the history, the countless veggie friendly restaurants, and the easy parking (because I’m old).

Our friends had spoken highly of Julian’s, which is right down the street from one of our other favorite spots, The Grange. We heard high praises for their brunch and drink menu. Well, we didn’t’ make it to brunch and obviously I’m not taking too much advantage of the bar these days but we were certainly not disappointed.

We decided to grab an early dinner at Julian’s on a Friday night. Julian’s is not a vegan/vegetarian restaurant but they have tons of veggie friendly options.

We started with the vegan tasting board which came with sumac cheese, eggplant -quinoa pate, root vegetable chips, squash jam, pickled veggies and naan. It was so flavorful and unique! I love apps that give you a little taste of everything. The best part was it was only $12 For our entrees Dylan order the vegan “steak and cheese” wrap and I opted for salad adding grilled tofu (which was out of this world). Dylan’s wrap was also delicious (of course he had to let me have a bite or two).

The bar menu was expansive and had a great beer selection. They even had a mock tail section which made this pregnant lady happy!

The hubby and I are in baby and house buying mode right now, so we are trying to save our money as much as possible, but we are going to have to check this place out for brunch sometime.

April 20, 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: Mister Bagel

Whoever this Mr. Bagel is I hope he’s single.

Oh wait I’m married.

I’m not a religious person but I think I came pretty close to God when I ate at Mister Bagel. First, we could not find the place for some reason. We had breakfast here our last morning in Portland, and had walked by several times. However, when it came to actually finding Mister Bagel, he was a man of mystery (mostly because we plugged “Mr.” Bagel into the gps). At this point, to my husband’s delight, I was pretty hangry but we kept searching and found it. I’m so glad we did.

As a vegan, I figured I’d probably be stuck ordering a bagel just plain (no worries I never met a carb I didn’t like) but to my delight there were TONS of vegan options. They had hummus as well as several different tofu spreads. I had not idea what to expect with the tofu spread but I order a super bagel (which was pretty much an everything bagel) with veggie spread and the hubby ordered a salt bagel with olive spread.

First of all, both sides of the bagel are the top part. How do they do that??? Is it like the Seinfeld episode with the muffin tops and there’s a plethora of bagel bottoms somewhere or are these mutated bagels? Whatever is going on there, it was awesome.

Second of all, the tofu spread was amazing. I can’t believe it was made from tofu. The texture was so similar to whipped cream cheese. I plan on attempting to recreate this at home.

This was one of my favorite things we ate in Portland. Seriously.

July 29, 2016

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Vegan Dining: Pom’s Thai Restaurant and Noodle House

It’s me again, and yes I’m still writing about our trip to Portland. When we travel it’s always nice to have a special place in mind to eat, but sometimes the best meals are on a whim.

If you’re a vegan, you know that Asian restaurants are usually pretty veggie friendly. The hubby and I were craving some Thai food our second night in Portland so we checked out Pom’s Thai Restaurant and Noodle House. I didn’t do any research on this place besides walking by it a few times over the course of our travels. We weren’t disappointed.

In addition to their regular menu, Pom’s offers an entirely vegetarian menu as well! All we had to do was ask them to hold the egg on a few dishes. We started with the gyoza which was really good. It was served with yellow mustard which I thought was strange but besides that we enjoyed the app. We were also STARVING at the time might I add…

For entrees we ordered the pad thai and a veggie stir fry dish. These were excellent. Both came with a fried tofu that resembled a chicken-like texture. You could tell the veggies were nice and fresh and the dishes were served to order. We ate ever last bite.

July 29, 2016July 29, 2016

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