Dinner on the East End

I love my girl's nights out.  Not that I don't love spending time with family or with my guy friends, but time with your female friends is just different.  You talk about anything and laugh ~ sometimes cry ~ would you believe I recently read an article in which it said these relationships are actually good for our health? I swear!
Last Wednesday night I met one of my closest friends (we had everyone convinced we were cousins for 30+ years) for dinner at East End Kitchen in Manhattan, located on East 81st between York and East End.  You know me ~ I'm always looking to try somewhere new and great to tell you about and this was no exception!
What was the first thing the waiter told us, after asking for our drink order or course? (I had a French Martini by the way with Grey Goose, Chambord and a splash of pineapple...so good...) He told us about the mussels prepared 7 different ways (clearly not for me) and the vegan cauliflower and roasted garlic soup!  Needless to say I got it.  It was not only incredibly creamy and comforting on an absolutely freezing night in NYC, but isn't it beautiful with that drizzle of herb-infused oil?  My friend got the fried artichokes which looked pretty amazing too.
For dinner I could have gone with the Pasta Primavera, but I've been spending too much time and money working out to want to indulge in a heavy pasta dish after that soup (I am soul cycle's newest addict), and while I love brussel sprouts, sweet potato, haricot vert, broccoli rabe AND hand cut fries (which they serve with truffle ketchup), I selected the root vegetable salad with black beluga lentils (hold the goat cheese) in a truffle vinaigrette.  Pretty to look at and so tasty.  The vegetables were perfectly cooked and struck such a nice balance with the lentils and fresh greens.  The roasted butternut squash salad with frisee, apples, pumpkin seeds and a cranberry vinaigrette is on my to-do list for my next visit.  Check it out!  (But walk or take a taxi...parking was a little tough!)