North American eateries

Ratings are on a scale of 0 to 24.  The scale used to be 0 to 10, so restaurants written about before 2012 may have only had their ratings adjusted by formula and not by hand (hence all the 2s, 5s, 8s, etc.)  The scale works as follows:

PRO
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16
pro
15 14 13 12 11 10
mixed
9 8 7 6 5 4
con
3 2 1
CON
0

An asymmetrical 0 to 24 scale may not be intuitive, I realize.  But as a rule of thumb: a double-digit score means I liked it, while a single-digit score… less so.  Also, as you might expect, scores from many years ago may not be very reliable, so do check the dates.

Rockies

Where all the chefs have to follow the high-altitude directions.

Click on the column titles to sort the entries!

Name Cuisine Address Last update Score
Pyramid BistroMostly vegetarianMain btw Aspen/Monarch, Aspen, CO2011-08-152
Elizabeth liked this place on top of a local bookstore, particularly the space itself, while I found the expensive piles of tiny chopped vegetables and grains not to my taste. I was very glad that I didn't choose the non-lasagna "lasagna" (really a heap of sweet potato with a repulsive herb mix) that Elizabeth ordered, while my own barley "risotto" was just good enough that I was able to eat it out of duty.
Nopalito’sMexican (taqueria)Iris btw 28th/30th, Boulder, CO2021-08-306
Five stars on Yelp!  Top result for Boulder!  And… it was totally mediocre.  I wasn’t thrilled when the incompetent cashier tried to bill me $4 for a couple of water cups, which were in fact free.
City, O’ CityVegetarian13th & Sherman, Denver, CO2021-08-2913
The first time I went here, back in 2018, I was so impressed by the veggie burger that I put this place at the top of my list of places to eat the next time I was in Denver.  That turned out to be 2021.  The veggie burger was still very good!  But I think that next time I’m in Denver I will try to expand my horizons and try something else rather than making a beeline straight back here.
RiojaEclecticLarimer btw 14th/15th, Denver, CO2011-08-1611
I loved the flatbread that Lizzie and I shared as an appetizer (asparagus, fava beans, heirloom tomato, big wedges of fresh mozzarella... awesome), but my "vegetarian four squares" didn't meet that standard: the corn fritters and wax beans came with tasty sauces, but the spinach crepe had so much goat cheese that I gave it to the girl, while the fregola was kind of enh.
Root DownEclecticlocal chain, Denver, CO2021-08-306
Yelp said this is the best place to eat at the Denver airport.  That doesn’t speak very well of the Denver airport!  I got an arepa that looked small, sad, and overcooked—​still edible, but so far short of a good arepa that I think it would have made the folks at Pica Pica in San Francisco cry.
Watercourse FoodsVegetarian17th & Emerson, Denver, CO2011-08-17N/A
Here I had some tasty eggs with green chile, smashed potatoes, and a biscuit; I could have done with a smaller mound of thick refried beans, though. Elizabeth got a fried artichoke sandwich with lemon caper aioli and coleslaw on a potato roll and justifiably raved about it for some time afterwards. The menu made me wish we could go every day for a week. However, since our visit, that menu has radically changed; this is now a vegan place, and I can no longer weigh in on whether it's any good.
CosmoAmericanMain btw 9th/10th, Durango, CO2011-08-138
Very nice to find a place with two worthy vegetarian entrees in southwestern Colorado: Lizzie got a crispy eggplant sandwich while I had a plate of tofu potstickers with vegetables (some tempura, some not). If this place were nearby I doubt I'd return, but given that it's in frickin' Durango, I feel like I should applaud. Call it a 3+.
Rupert’s at the EdgeBreakfast/lunchSheridan btw 22nd/20th, Edgewater, CO2021-08-3012
Lots of interesting-looking southwestern options, but I decided to try the black truffle and asparagus scrambled eggs and was pretty pleased with my choice.  I did order a side of vegan green chile to heap onto my potato cakes, though.
626 on RoodAmericanRood btw 6th/7th, Grand Junction, CO2011-08-1414
This place was great! I had a crusted piece of homemade mozzarella in a red coconut curry, and for dessert, a from-scratch peach napoleon. The little bread plate was very nice as well. Expensive but a real find nonetheless.
the KennebecAmericanCounty Road 124 & U.S. 160, Hesperus, CO2011-08-145
Here I had an okay sweet ricotta crepe with a stewed cherry topping while Lizzie had a Mexican egg dish with overly firm black beans. Disappointing given the online hype.
the White House GrillTurkishSpokane & Seltice, Post Falls, ID2010-06-1711
Apparently I liked this place more than Elizabeth did. I will concede that the hummus was terrible, but the white bean salad and garlic-walnut-parmesan spread were pretty darn good, at least for Idaho. I think the only thing Lizzie liked was the basket of little fried potato chunks with gremolata. (Though we both liked the squadron of twenty or so cute waitresses that were dashing around the huge crowded dining rooms.)
Oasis CafeVegetarian (mostly)151 S 500 E, Salt Lake City, UT2005-10-1514
Considering that Salt Lake is pretty much the only locus of civilization along I-80 between Sacramento and Omaha (or possibly Chicago), "Oasis" is definitely the right word. Hours earlier I had been in redneck country where the options were Subway, Pizza Hut or starvation. Then I reached Salt Lake and found myself at a pleasant bookstore cafe eating a roasted vegetable sandwich with basil aioli on homemade focaccia and a side salad of spinach, avocado and Mandarin oranges, while sipping a lime Torani soda with lime wedges. I tell you, if the continent ended at Reno, I might well have made like Brigham Young and stayed here.
Peppers CantinaNew MexicanPioneer & Brigham, St. George, UT2018-07-2911
Better than I was expecting for a Utah version of New Mexican food. The green sauce on my flat enchilada was not quite the same thing as a real green Hatch chile sauce, but it was tasty, as was the chile relleño with red sauce I tried. I'm not quite sure why the place is festooned in Green Bay Packers memorabilia, however.
Curry PizzaIndian pizza2927 S 5600 W, West Valley City, UT2019-08-0711
The fact that I looked for a place to eat in West Valley City of all places and the top hit was for curry pizza tells you that this is no longer your 20th-century Utah. The pizza was pretty good, though none of these Indian pizzerias can lay a glove on Zante in San Francisco town.


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