Restaurant review: The Appaloosa Grill
Advertised as "The Oasis on the Mall", this may not be too far from the truth. While trolling for new, different and unusual places to dine, we happened upon this place right on the 16 th Street Mall. After noticing a number of good vegetarian options on the menu posted on the door, we decided to go inside and sample their wares.
There is no doubt that this restaurant, (like so many others in the area), caters to the meat-eating sector of the community more than anything else, but, unlike some of the others, it still offers good selections of vegetarian foods for the non-carnivore in the crowd. On the menu are at least three vegetarian appetizers, three vegetarian sandwiches and one vegetarian entrée. They also offer soups and salads, but I did not inquire whether or not the soup du jour was or ever is vegetarian. On this visit, we tried the Crispy Eggplant Sandwich and the Falafel Pita. There is also a "house" Black Bean Burger, but we saved that for another visit. We also started with the Hummus Platter appetizer.
The Hummus Platter was decent. This was yet another version and another recipe for a standard Mediterranean appetizer. In this version, the Hummus is creamier and smoother than I am used to. Also, the Falafel was rather soft and "gushy" throughout and had the distinct addition of curry I have never before witnessed in Falafel. Good Falafel is almost crisp on the outside with a softer texture on the inside, but not "gushy". People who like curry may or may not like the addition, but I can take it or leave it. For me, the Falafel and the Hummus by which all others are judged comes from Mona's in New Orleans. On the Mona's scale where Mona's is a ten, Appaloosa's variation comes in at six or six point five for both the creamy Hummus and the gushy Falafel. I did, however, both enjoy and approve of the tabouli that came with the platter as well as the fresh vegetables and the pepperoncini. I like pepperoncini that is crisp and spicy but not too bitter. The pita served along side was fine.
The Crispy Eggplant Sandwich was good, but not crispy. Personally, I wondered just how they would make it crispy since eggplant softens the more it is cooked. Still, it was tasty served with marinara on a sourdough roll next to a Seaweed Salad that was very interesting. The salad was very tasty with a nice "Oriental" flavor provided by the liberal use of sesame seeds and sesame oil. Seaweed just does not sound appetizing, but, believe it or not, this one was good and worth remembering.
After sampling the Falafel on the Hummus Platter, I was not too excited about what I would find in the Falafel Pita. As I suspected, the same Falafel found on the Platter made an appearance in the Pita. The sandwich itself was good and I found that the liberal addition of Sriracha sauce made the Falafel satisfactory. I would order this again, but I would lean more toward the Eggplant and I still want to try the Black Bean Burger.
On this visit, Appaloosa Grill rates an "A-". I rate them so highly for being willing to offer adequate vegetarian choices for the usually carnivorous Mall crowd. Also, I like the comfort and style of the restaurant as well as the friendly, accommodating service.
Appaloosa Grill
535 16 th Street, on the 16 th Street Mall
Denver, CO 80202
720-932-1700
www.appaloosagrill.com
Open seven days a week, 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. with nightly live music beginning at 9:30 p.m. Beverage prices increase .50 when the bands are playing.
Happy Hour is 4 to 7 everyday and features $2.50 Micro Drafts, $3.50 Import Drafts, $3.00 Well, and $4.00 House Wine.