New Year's Eve, Dirty Style

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."  -Benjamin Franklin

New Year's Eve began at the very swanky 1149 East restaurant in Seekonk, MA (right on the East Providence, RI line - they also have another restaurant location in Warwick, RI). The chef prepared an amazing vegan menu just for me. It is definitely worth it to call ahead. Our server was charming and funny with a great personality. The atmosphere was very "New York City". It was clean, the bar was cool, and even the bathroom was super modern with flat screens and seating! Also, there was a band playing, so that was a lot of fun. We had lots of laughs with our friends, so with great company and a hip environment, 1149 East is a great place to kick off NYE or any other exciting evening out. Now, let's talk about the food! I know that is what you all really want to hear about!

To begin the meal you are brought a basket of fresh bread and a package of bread sticks. The ingredients were listed on the sticks, and are indeed vegan, so I dug right in. They went perfect with the red sangria pictured above. Now this is no ordinary sangria, this was like a mega sangria. The picture does not do it justice; the sangria was huge in a chalice-like glass! Great value!

The chef also prepared me an amazing salad as a starter. This was no ordinary salad, it had premium greens, roasted vegetables which included asparagus, mushrooms, onions, and the best tomatoes I have ever tasted. It was a huge salad and I ate most of it; that is great because although I am vegan, I am not a huge fan of salad. I am Dirty after all, and salad is very clean, you see. I would say that 1149 East makes a very naughty salad, in my opinion, and I couldn't have been happier.

For my entree I was served a veggie plate. The presentation was beautiful and the taste was even better. The grilled portobello mushroom was very hearty and steak-like, the sweet potato mash was delectable, and each roasted veggie had its own flavoring. It was a surprise with each bite and a flavor explosion in my mouth. Typically restaurants don't do a very good job of accommodating vegans, however 1149 East nailed it, with their brilliant chef who had all the right moves!

For dessert I was served fresh sorbet made right in house. It was mango flavor but they had two others that I could choose from. What a delight! I chose mango because after a meal, mango is said to aid in digestion.

I would definitely return to this restaurant and it definitely welcomes all walks of life. 1149 East proved to be very vegetarian friendly, and in a very gourmet way. Spot on!

We head back for cocktails, hor dourves, and to watch New Year's Rockin' Eve! Here are just a few ideas for party munchies.

-Veggie hot dogs cut into small pieces, wrapped with Pillsbury crescent rolls, and dipped in ketchup
-Tofutti sour cream mixed with a packet of vegan onion soup mix, to make yummy dip
-Chips and salsa or hummus

I served Strawberry Champagne Punch. To make this, all you need is a punch bowl, about 20oz sliced frozen strawberries that are thawed some, 2 bottles of dry champagne, and 1 liter of ginger ale. Mix it all up in a punch bowl and serve chilled! What an awesome flavor!

I hope everyone had a very nice holiday. Happy New Year! Here's to a fabulous and Dirty year ahead! For now, the Dirty Vegan is signing off.

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