A Lethargic Lunch At Desert Rose

On a warm autumn afternoon, my friend and I met up for lunch at Desert Rose. We sat on the patio, which had a lovely breeze and despite being seated under an umbrella, I could still feel the heat of the sun on my skin. Although I arrived before 3 pm, since I placed my lunch order after 3, I was unable to order from the lunch menu. I was very disappointed, as I really wanted to try one of their sandwiches. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to order some of my past favorites: the hummus ($6) and the Vegan Chicken Pizza ($16). My friend, who came later, ordered a salad.

First, my hummus came out.

This hummus is hands down the best hummus there is. It was so rich and creamy with a wonderful tahini flavor. The center was filled with a glob of olive oil, adding a lovely slightly bitter taste. The paprika seasoning worked perfectly, greatly enhancing the flavor and making it even more savory.

The accompanying pita was lightly toasted, soft and easy to chew. It sopped up the hummus very well.

Next, my pizza came out. This was even as delicious as I remembered it to be.

The pizza had a lovely meaty flavor, thanks to the chewy chunks of gardein chicken. The daiya cheese melted perfectly and was coated with a light seasoning that made it taste even more cheesy. The cilantro pieces added a lovely spice to the pizza. The dough was very crisp and easy to bite into. My only complaint is that there was too much tomato sauce, which didn't seem to work too well with the chicken pieces. It added a tart taste, with a very subtle sweet flavor. I would have preferred the tomato sauce to not be so dominant and to have been sweeter.

I really enjoyed this visit to Desert Rose. I was a little upset that I wasn't able to try a sandwich, but I guess this just gives me an excuse to dine there for lunch again. Since I used a $10 for $20 groupon, the total came out to around $14. I was overly stuffed, however, and ended up having to take some of the pizza to go. I cannot wait to return for both their lunch and dinner.