May 15, 2008

Restaurant review: Cherry Tomato

By Stan Dyer

This is my third review of Cherry Tomato. I like to review places, (especially places I like), more than one time because you just cannot be certain that one, lone visit completely represents an accurate view of what occurs at an establishment on a consistent basis. I do not want to tell readers a place is great only to discover it was just great when I was there, but not always for others. A consistently good product at a fair price is what I look for. Cherry Tomato is proving it can provide that.

Although this visit was not as perfect as other visits, I still feel comfortable referring people to this restaurant. It is an adorable restaurant in a cute, historic area of Denver. The place is small, (since it used to be a drug store), and there is some "bumping" around, but it is not so small that you feel like you are sharing your table with your neighbors. The food is good and a diner can choose from entrees as inexpensive at $9.95 or as extravagant as $22.00. There is a good variety to suit all tastes and all budgets.

This time, we started our meal with an Insalata Felese advertised as "big enough for dinner", and it was. We shared one, but most people would find the portion ample for dinner. Priced at $8.95, it was a better value than the Caesar for two priced at $10.95. Besides, if you are vegetarian, the Caesar at this restaurant is the real deal and uses anchovy past in the dressing. Our salad came with arugula, olives, gorgonzola, tomatoes, carrots, onions, cucumbers, and pine nuts. Topped with a light dressing in just the right amount, it was a very tasty way to start our meal.

I usually have the Eggplant Parmagiano when I come here, and this time was no exception, but this one was not as good as some I have had in the past. Priced at $9.95, it is still good and still one of the best Eggplant Parmagiano values around. We also tried the basic spaghetti with the Arrabiata sauce. We appreciate that the restaurant offers four varieties of pasta served with a choice of seven sauces including a number of vegetarian options for $10.95. Considering recent trends, those are good prices and the homemade sauces are very nice..

The service was good in some aspects, but a bit too much in others. I am uncomfortable with a waiter reaching over my plate to fill my wine glass, having my water glass filled every time I take a sip, or my silverware being replaced with every course. It is good service and service enough to fill the initial glass after opening the bottle, to ask before refilling water, and to understand that the two forks in the place setting are enough for most people. I just want my waiter to be there when needed, be timely and be efficient. Servers should assist the experience, follow the cues and always be ready at the next step. That's it.

Notes on the Cherry Tomato: 1) They recently started home delivery. 2) The lasagna is good, but being a vegetarian I avoid it since some guests have reported being unable to distinguish the vegetarian version from the non-vegetarian version and feared the wrong one was served. 3) They open for dinner only from 5:00 p.m. to 10:p.m., except on Sundays when they stay open until 9:00 p.m. 4) They are closed on Mondays as many restaurants are. 5) The head chef is Tom Felese 6) The quarters are close. 7) Parking is primarily on 23 rd avenue, and they ask that you do not park on neighborhood streets.

On this visit, I rate the Cherry Tomato an "A-", mostly due to the overzealous wait staff and the Eggplant not being quite as I remembered. Additionally, there were some health department issues last November that now seem to be cleared up. You can investigate for yourself at Denver's Department of Environmental Health/Restaurant Health Inspection Reporting System at www.denvergov.org To view a full menu including prices, visit the restaurant's website at www.cherrytomatodenver.com

Cherry Tomato is located in Park Hill on the northwest corner of 23 rd and Dexter, right next door to Spinelli's Market. They open at 5:00 p.m. daily for dinner except on Monday when they are closed. They stay open until 10:00 p.m. nightly except Sunday when they close at 9:00 p.m. The address is 4645 E. 23 rd Avenue, and the phone is 303-377-1914. Give it a try!