Vegan day 50: Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza

Out of NYC vegan-land and into the real world… to my Mom’s favorite after-work place for “meatballs & martinis”.. or is it “martini’s and meatballs”- I guess we will lead with the martini- it’s a hot spot to go to in White Plains for $5 martini’s (on Wednesdays) with unlimited meatballs.  


They sure aren’t meatless meatballs lol- what am I to do? The last time I had dined out with my Mom, I had dragged my her out to an upscale Asian/ Japanese restaurant and it really wasn’t her thing; she always cooks something veggie for me and loves going Whole Foods shopping when I visit- it’s the least I could do! The main problem with this place is that the pizza and meatballs really do look and smell so good! This is temptation, also because it is Italian- remember I am a “pastaholic”. It’s like having an AA celebration at a local Irish pub- not cool! We actually called ahead to see if they had anything vegan– perhaps I should have explained what vegan is too. Vegan doesn’t just mean hold the cow- ohhh the terminology is getting complicated and for sure I am a pain-in-the-ass! Do you have anything vegan that isn’t pasta or white rice? No dairy right? No cheese.. no butter.. oh yeah- no eggs! Some restaurants really do try to accommodate- honestly it’s very sweet! 


Mostly all restaurants will serve vegetarian food and gluten free. I have to thank the gluten-free people for demanding allergy free foods. Restaurants have taken this seriously. This is because people with Celiac disease for example, can have very serious side-effects to the food! Most allergy situations can be uncomfortable, painful and even life-threatening, so restaurants do ask and supply information. Honestly, they are not as concerned about the vegans as much because it’s more of a personal choice.. a lifestyle choice.. lol! Seriously though, it’s almost easier to say I’m vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose intolerant. I mean no disrespect to anyone with a serious illness and the more demand for these products the better. 


Our cute and accommodating waiter said he could make us a pizza without the cheese- I asked if he could also make it without the bread.. lol I would love for major pizza places to offer a non-wheat option! So we ordered the best we could:


Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza


Salad without the cheese
Eggplant (vegan) with tomato sauce
Broccoli rabe with olive oil


Sounds good?– it was!
I did give him a hard time with the salad asking for sun-dried tomatoes or artichokes and that they must use that for the pizza. We were served a salad with tomatoes, onions, olives, chick peas, olive oil and balsamic! It was delicious- the chick peas saved the day! My fear is just being served lettuce and tomatoes!

On to the eggplant- we called ahead and they said they could do it vegan. I’m so curious if vegan just meant without the cheese. I asked again- the waiter said no eggs! I didn’t 100% believe them because it was that good! Thin-sliced eggplant piled high with tomato sauce– looked like a vegan cheese-less and pasta less lasagna! I still wanted to ask as we were leaving but I was completely over-ruled by 4 other people- one being my Mom. I just then had a flashback of how many wooden spoons my mother cracked trying to get my brothers and I to listen to her when we were young. Oh we well-deserved it – unfortunately there was no Costco’s back then because we would have had lucked out buying those in bulk! Needless to say- I didn’t ask!


The broccoli rabe was super-delicious; fresh, lightly sautéed with olive oil and garlic and not too bitter!


I made it out of there without diving into one of those coal fired pizzas- it wasn’t easy!

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