Paul's 42nd Birthday Dinner at Pete & Sam's!

My partner Paul turned 42 this past Tuesday. He had to work, and we didn't have anything planned because he wasn't sure what time he'd get off. But when he learned, mid-day, that he'd be off by 5 p.m., we decided to go to dinner. He wanted to find the best meat lasagna in Memphis, so we ended up at Pete & Sam's. This is a Memphis institution, and it's been around since 1948. The sign and decor haven't changed much over the years, which is pretty cool.

I'd eaten there once before — when I was vegetarian and not vegan — and had the pasta marinara. So I assumed I'd order that again. But when we got there, our server informed me that the marinara had cheese. Damn. So I had basically two options — order a cheeseless pizza (but I wasn't in the mood for that) or order a salad and make a meal of salad, bread with olive oil, and Chianti. I did the latter and ordered the Miss Vita Salad, which was perfect with the free loaf of bread they brought out. By the way, our server was super-awesome in helping me navigate my options!

The server did confirm that their homemade Italian dressing was vegan, and this salad was SO GOOD.  Olives and pepperoncinis are my fave. I actually love simple meals like this and was kinda glad I couldn't eat the pasta. Because this meant I got to eat a whole loaf of bread for dinner.

Paul ordered lots of non-vegan stuff, so I'll spare you the details. But he was very pleased with his birthday dinner.

And I was very pleased with this glass of Chianti. I wish I remembered the brand!