Although I love eating out, I don't often go to vegetarian-exclusive restaurants. Sure, my husband and the majority of my friends don't eat meat, but we like trying new places, and at last count there were only three exclusively vegetarian eateries in the metro Denver area: WaterCourse Foods, City, O' City and Masalaa (a Best of Denver 2009 winner for Best Vegetarian Indian Restaurant).
I hadn't eaten at City, O' City in close to nine months, and when I stopped by recently, I was pleased to find that service has picked up, and the food remains both good and filling. Since I'm used to getting a lot of my protein from dairy and legumes, I don't often get the protein overload that a huge order of buffalo seitan wings provides. And while I never ate buffalo wings when I still consumed meat, these mock wings had a very enjoyable texture and spice, and the accompanying vegan ranch and celery sticks was a nice touch.
Looking for something a little lighter to balance out my meal, I went for the large chef's salad: a huge bowl of crisp Romaine, fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers and red onions. I could barely make a dent in it.
I've had good experiences with the pizzas at City, O' City as well; one of my favorites was a buffalo seitan and mozzarella pie. The restaurant also has excellent apps, including flatbread with hummus and feta and a huge pesto sampler. My recent visit was for lunch, but given City, O' City's expansive hours (it's until 2 a.m. nightly), I'll be stopping by soon with friends for more wings and $3 pints of Genesee Cream Ale.