Vegan at THE DALLOWAY
NYC’s newest lesbian venue and only lesbian restaurant
– I had to go of course! THE DALLOWAY. My friend was visiting from London and wanted to catch dinner and drinks tonight so off we went to SOHO’s latest talk of the town. The Dalloway, name inspired from a Virginia Woolf novel, was all that and more than I had expected. Many of my friends have already made it over there but I guess they didn’t fully paint the picture for me so I was really impressed by the entire experience. First things first, lesbian or not, the question is… is it VEGAN? I called ahead to see if they had any vegan options. I could have just eaten at Rawlicious which was only blocks away, but the person who answered the phone was incredibly nice and super accommodating.
I think I ordered exactly from her suggestions! They said they had vegan options and on other plates they could veganize. Those words are music to my ears so the reservation was made.
Mind you that it’s a Thursday night and about 17 degrees freezing. I was surprised that it was as packed as it was- from the dining and bar upstairs to the bar and lounge downstairs.
When the waiter greeted us, she asked if we were ever here before and explained the serving sizes and how best to order. That made me think… someone did mention serving sizes being small. The old me may have complained about this, but the new much more healthier me was completely full when I left so I’m happy to say that quality finally beat out quantity with me.
I ordered the Caramelized Brussels Sprout Salad and the veganized Veggie Flatbread. The waiter, Grace, was really so sweet and sensitive to my eating choices as she asked the kitchen to be sure it wasn’t problem. My salad was made to perfection. I have never before tasted those flavors combined in one salad and I am a master salad prep person. This was created with Brussels Sprouts of course, and red grapes, shallots, quinoa, arugula and truffle. It was delicious and actually hearty. Then I had the flatbread which was gorgeous when it arrived. Then I almost had a white carb heart attack thinking about the commitment I had made even before becoming vegan- to never eat white bread, white rice or white pasta. My “healthatarian” compulsion was looking me square in the eye. I forgot to ask if it was whole wheat or multi-grain. I do this often especially in sushi restaurants where I take for granted that brown rice is the norm. What to do.. eat it.. or not? Sometimes, one has to just bend a little. It was made beautifully and special for me. I ate half and I have to admit, it was worth it! I’ll take a 100 sit-up punishment for tomorrow and call it a day.
It’s not like I ate the most adorable marshmallow dessert in the world that they had left with us. That was tempting but even the vegetarians know- no marshmallows! For those of you marshmallow lovers, you can try vegan marshmallows from Sweet & Sara.
For the record, the downstairs too was equally enchanting as I watched the bartender fiercely shake up cocktails so much that it had to explain why her arms were so beautifully ripped. A new sport.. perhaps. Upstairs bartenders too- Jenna and the blond.. both beautiful and talented. As a bartender with experience in this scene, I will say it again- impressed! Thanks all for the experience and to my friend Rossana thank you too!
