Peta 2 has their vote going on for the 2008 World’s sexiest vegetarians. Peta has their list of 2008 top 10vegetarian friendly ball parks. And examiner.com‘sBoston Vegetarian Examiner has a great list of vegetarian prix fixe menus available to ring in 2009. I’m sure that in the coming days some people are planning to start a vegetarian diet, be better vegetarians, or just choose to eat better in the coming year.
I have been vegetarian and vegan in my life not for ethical reasons, but because I’ve never been a fan of meat and dairy’s never been a fan of me. At some point, when I learned that I was allergic to dairy and soy I decided that I don’t eat enough beans and lentils to be healthy and decided to cook meat. My children eat meat, although not much because they prefer other things. I love fish and hope one day they will learn to eat seafood other than the perfect Wellfleet clams that my daughter ate off my appetizer plate at Craigie St. Bistrot (now Craigie on Main). She then asked, “Can we just ask the waiter for some more?” and I had to explain it wasn’t the kind of restaurant or food that we could just ask for some more.
Recently, the Boston Vegetarian Examiner wrote about Veg-friendly options for New Year’s Eve prix fixe dinners. I wanted to add a couple more restaurants to this list. They may not have specific New Year’s Eve menus but they do have fabulous vegetarian tasting menus.
Craigie on Main
This is one of neighbourhood gems that is not quite in our neighbourhood anymore. We went there recently and really enjoyed our meal (more about the Craigie experience in an upcoming article). It is not well advertised, but Craigie on Main does have a Vegetarian prix fixe meal that is available for $61. My children’s grandparents have dined with us there and they are both vegetarian and really enjoyed their meal. Chef Maw’s kitchen is not the kind of place where they just put together a couple sides and take out the meat from a couple dishes to get Vegetarian food. It is definitely a special night out with amazing food. Chef Maws uses the best ingredients available. I used to live not to far from Lyon and I have to say that the food at Craigie is the best French food I’ve had outside of France.
As stated on their website, “Tony Maws is a non-traditional chef – an “idealist with a kitchen” might be a more appropriate job description. His ideology: that local, seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients are intrinsically better, and that these ingredients form the most significant part of what makes great food great.”.
The non-vegetarian New Year’s Eve menu can be ogled online, and a vegetarian menu will be available but has not yet been set.
Oleana
Oleana is another wonderful restaurant that has a menu to tantalize the palate. This summer, we dined there again with grandma and grandpa who happen to be vegetarian. At the time, they had a special vegetarian tasting menu set up to support Verill Farm after their devastating fire. On their regular menu, they have a special Vegetarian tasting menu that offers so many different ingredients and flavours without overwhelming the diner. The tasting menu includes five mezze and a dessert and is available for $42.
Elephant Walk
The Elephant Walk is a French-Cambodian restaurant. It is not a fusion restaurant, but rather has a wonderful French side of the menu and a tempting Cambodian side of the menu. Elephant Walk has won citysearch’s best of 2008 for their Vegetarian Food. You can read about what makes their vegetarian options that much better on their blog. The quality of the ingredients is fabulous and they have just recently lowered their already reasonable prices for such a dining experience. They have some special menu items for New Year’s Eve and offer a prix fixe menu year-round that has a vegan or vegetarian option for each part of the prix fixe menu. They also offer a gluten-free menu at each of their locations.
Now you have a great many fabulous restaurants to choose from. You’re on your own, however, trying to get a reservation for New Year’s eve let alone a babysitter. Don’t worry though. These restaurants have great food year-round and offer their vegetarians fine dining choices year-round as well.
Bon appetit et bon année. ttyl your BFF (Boston Family Foodie)
For more info: Craigie on Main, Elephant Walk,Oleana