Let’s be honest: Denver isn’t very cosmopolitan.
If you’re looking for ethnic flavor, you can find decent Mexican, French, Japanese, Italian, Thai, Vietnamese, Ethiopian and Indian. But the number of restaurants featuring other cuisines of the world – Turkish, German, Colombian, Portuguese, Russian, Venezuelan, Brazilian, to name a few – are either nonexistent or can be counted on one hand.
That’s just the problem when it comes to Middle Eastern food.
While there are a few good Middle Eastern eateries in Denver, to get to one of the better ones requires a drive t++o Golden. Get there at least an hour before the kitchen closes, because you’ll want time to savor every course.
Ali Baba Grill, a restaurant that bills itself as Lebanese/ Persian, sits in a strip mall and from afar looks nondescript. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s run-of- the-mill.
There’s a reason Ali Baba is always packed.
When it comes to ethnic cuisine in Colorado, remember you’re going there for the food, not the ambiance. Not that this place has none.
Inside, the walls are painted a pleasant shade of lavender, and shimmering mini chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Colorful hookahs adorn side tables.
It’s not fancy, but the wait staff is friendly, and you know the minute you walk in that it’s going to taste good. (The aroma of fresh spices wafting from the kitchen is the give- away.)
We started with an assortment of appetizers: hummus ($3.95), muhamara (a puree of walnuts, red bell peppers, burghol wheat, and other spices; $3.95), and marinated quail ($5.95).
The quail was savory and tender, the muhamara zesty, and the hummus exquisite – an adjective you wouldn’t expect to hear about something as ubiquitous as hummus. Let’s just say there’s a lot of mediocre hummus out there. This one is creamy and rich.
Small salads arrived before our entrees: a simple dish of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce to cleanse the palate and aid in digestion.
We continued with two entrees, which we shared: Bamya, which is a tangy stew made of whole okra mixed with tender bits of beef ($9.95), and the Kafta kabob, which is made of ground lamb mixed with vegetables, grilled whole tomatoes, and spices ($8.95). Both dishes come with large servings of rice.
The menu includes an assortment of Middle Eastern favorites: baba ghanouj and fava beans (both $3.95), fettoush salad ($3.95), lentil soup ($2.95) and falafel ($8.95).
It also includes several special dishes. One of my favorites, from a previous trip, is the grilled lamb chops, which at $15.95 is one of the most expensive items on the menu. But keep in mind that it winds up being a meal and a half.
Even the heartiest of eaters will find there’s enough to take home to enjoy for a snack the next day, or in my case, at midnight.
Staff writer Cindy Rodriguez can be reached at 303-954-1211 or crodriguez@denverpost.com.
Ali Baba Grill
Lebanese/Persian|109 N. Rubey Dr. F, Golden; 303-279-2228| $4-$16|Open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 7 days a week; all major credit cards; parking lot.
Front burner: The amazing hummus. Huge plates of food. Friendly wait staff.
Back burner: For food this scrumptious at these prices, we’d be crazy to nit-pick.
