A Rosy Night At Desert Rose

This past Thursday, I ventured to Desert Rose with my fellow vegan friend. The night was balmy with a slight chilliness, thus we requested to sit on the elegant patio next to a warming heat lamp. The patio was so beautifully decorated with exquisite lighting and exotic plants, it took me a while to take it all in before I was even able to look at the menu. I felt so separate from the outside world and the tranquil environment seemed to stimulate my hunger. Luckily, we had a groupon voucher for $20 for $40 worth of food and drinks. In addition, there was also an all-night happy hour that only occurs on Thursday nights.

Desert Rose has an entirely separate page of vegan options that includes an array of dishes that are Mediterranean and Italian style. They make their own appetizers but are provided with a small selection of dishes that come straight from Cruzer's Pizza, which is conveniently located next door and is thankfully completely vegan.

First, we had an appetizer, the garlic daiya cheese fries ($7).

These fries were so delicious. I am not normally a fan of french fries, especially those soaked in excess oil. The fries had a light coating of oil and were slightly moist and very crunchy. They were very garlicky and had a nice layer of melted daiya cheese. The dish was very well seasoned and had a light sprinking of cilantro. The chefs really transformed the french fries into a sophisticated dish.

Next, we ordered two entrees to share. We chose a cheesy, garlicky "sausage" calzone ($13) and the chicken pizza ($16).

While the picture does not look the most appetizing, the calzone was very tasty. The bread was soft and slightly crunchy and the inside was filled with delectable chunks of juicy soy sausage. Each piece of sausage was dusted with a hint of garlic. The daiya cheese coating the sausage was very well melted and had a light seasoning.

The pizza was the highlight of the meal and tasted amazing. The dough was very crisp and was not too dense. There was a thick layer of daiya cheese that had melted perfectly and was coated with scrumptious chunks of gardein chicken interspersed with pieces of cilantro. There was a very thin layer of tomato sauce that had a slightly sweet taste to contrast the savory chicken.

Since it was an extended Happy Hour, we decided to take advantage of the discounted drinks. We ordered a margarita ($5) to share.

The margarita had a light sweetness to it and the tequila was not overpowering. It was a very refreshing compliment to our meal and acted as a dessert, since Desert Rose sadly did not have any vegan desserts on hand.

I really enjoyed my meal and I loved dining in such a peaceful atmosphere. This is a really great place to hang out with friends and de-stress after a long, tiring day. Although the menu at Desert Rose is fairly pricey, they do have great deals for their customers. Every day, they have Happy Hour from 3-6 pm with the extended happy hour on Thursdays. In addition, on Thursdays, facebook fans can take advantage of a 25% off discount on their dinner bill after 6 pm. With our groupon voucher, it only cost us $16 per person with tax and tip. This is a really great deal considering the high quality food and excellent ambiance. It's a great place to dine if you need an escape for the night and desire delicious food in the process!