Another Delightful Evening At Desert Rose

Desert Rose is one of those places where if you aren't already feeling serene, you will instantly find your body transformed as you are seated on the cozy, yet spacious, dimly lit patio. There is such a warm and fuzzy, romantic vibe that is transmitted through the air that is only made better by the heat lamps. I was excited to return to Desert Rose on a Friday night and try more of their amazing dishes. Of course, I had a groupon in hand that I purchased for $20 for $40 worth of food and drink.

My friend and I were both famished, thus we ordered some appetizers right away. The first appetizer that came out was the garlic daiya cheese fries ($7).

This is my favorite dish at Desert Rose. The fries were soaked in oil, yet didn't taste greasy at all. The fries were seasoned so perfectly and the taste of garlic was dominant. There was a light spice from the basil sprinkling on top. The daiya cheese was melted so perfectly and was very stretchy.

Next, some complimentary bread was brought out.

I was not a huge fan of the bread as it was way too salty. The texture was very crunchy and enjoyable, however. The oil dip needed more seasoning, as it was pretty tasteless.

Next, we had some hummus ($6).

The hummus was very creamy and had a lovely distribution of olive oil. There was a very light seasoning and slight taste of tahini. Nevertheless, the hummus needed to be a little saltier and a tad more flavorful.

Lastly, I had a Hawaiian Pizza ($16), but substituted soy ham for soy chicken. I cannot stand the taste of ham, regardless of whether it is real or not.

The pizza was very good and the soy chicken and pineapple toppings complimented one another beautifully. The soy chicken was slightly chewy and very savory and the pineapple pieces were so luscious and juicy. The daiya cheese was also perfectly melted on the pizza and was coated in a light seasoning. The only thing I would change about the pizza is to replace the tomato sauce with BBQ sauce. The tomato sauce clashed with the toppings and tasted way too sweet. BBQ sauce would have given the pizza a more tangy flavor.

My friend ordered the calzone ($11) and loved it.

She described it as very cheesy and loaded with fillings. She was surprised she was unable to finish it, as it was so dense.

Overall, I really enjoyed the meal. Desert Rose is so great with seasoning their food to be very flavorful and I love that they have food from Cruzer's. My only suggestion is for them to expand their vegan menu to include more pizza options, as I hate having to make substitutions. I really love the environment at Desert Rose and it is so lovely to be able to sit outside on a warm, summer night and enjoy the company of others. With the groupon, the meal was fairly reasonably priced, at about $16 a person, with tax and tip (which includes my friend's alcoholic beverage). I will definitely return, most likely on a Thursday night, when they have all an night happy hour and 25% off for facebook fans.