SEPT 12, 2024 | FEATURES | By Tessa Franz
Last Tuesday, I journeyed to Evergreen restaurant across from Ed Robson Arena, which opened just about two months ago. The inside of the restaurant was beautifully decorated with greenery, but the warm evening and the cute outdoor area solidified our decision to instead sit out on the charming patio.
Our notoriously food-motivated friends and roommates didn’t hesitate to join us, so the staff graciously helped join multiple tables to accommodate our eight-person group, many of whom came straight from the inaugural club tennis practice. Our athletic clothes and running shoes slightly contrasted the general ambiance of the candlelit, quiet patio that hosted a few other patrons. We were later told that their future plans for the restaurant include enforcing a dinner dress code, so we are happy to extend a word of caution to future guests to not replicate our casual outfit choices.
We started our culinary adventure by ordering Shirley Temples and waited in anticipation as our waitress went to ask the kitchen if they had the necessary ingredients. It turns out that they possessed both the ingredients and impeccable skills to make our desired beverage. Minutes later, we were greeted with the taste of what I consider the best Shirley Temple I’ve ever had; ‘Shirley’ an omen for a great meal to come.
The menu wasn’t particularly focused on one singular cuisine, but it featured mostly European dishes with a few exceptions. We opted for the salad with burrata, the teriyaki salmon with sweet potatoes, the Parma flatbread and the vegan wok.
At $18, the vegan wok wasn’t too heavy, but was still quite filling with a savory soy sauce and nice starchy noodle and the perfect ratio of vegetables-to-sauce-to-noodle. This vegan dish is so flavorful that it would elicit a positive response from even the most devout carnivore.
The teriyaki salmon with sweet potato was equally homey and delicious. The cubed fish was generously coated in a thick, rich teriyaki glaze, which I personally could have drunk as a beverage itself. The fish paired well with the soft and cheesy sweet potatoes, cooked to perfection in aluminum foil. The presentation of the sweet potatoes wasn’t standard, but evoked a feeling of warmth and familiarity, as if my own mother had just whipped them up. I would order these again with fervor. The dish is $25, which is rather steep, but for college students relying on hastily prepared salads and sandwiches at Rastall’s, the comfort of this dish is well worth it.
The $21 Parma flatbread is a shareable delight. The flatbread consisted of a thick crust, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, parma, sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, parmesan and a cream-balsamic sauce. Multiple members of our table may or may not have believed that “Parma” was short for parmesan and expected a vegetarian pizza, but the prosciutto that topped the pizza was a pleasant surprise nonetheless. I would recommend this flatbread as an appetizer to share with company, or to take home as a late night snack post-dinner.
Ordering the burrata salad was a no-brainer. Burrata and salad are a match made in heaven, and this specific $16 plate of greens with eggplant, tomatoes, soy-sesame dressing, balsamic cream sauce and sweet and sour sauce only confirmed this belief. Aside from the delectable cheese itself, the eggplant stole the show. I’ve never before enjoyed eggplant but in this simple, sliced form that it was presented in.
If you crave a quiet, romantic night, with comforting food, Evergreen is the restaurant for you. We hope to see what else Evergreen has in store, as they have hinted at new pastries and other savory dishes.
In addition to our dining experience, we spoke with a few staff members about why Evergreen has come to Colorado Springs and what they hope to bring to Colorado College students. The owners of Evergreen hope to bring together what they see as centerpieces of each cuisine. They have traveled to numerous countries and around the United States, bringing a dish or beverage they feel connected to from each location.
In the morning, pancakes are served as a tribute to their grandmothers’ Georgian roots. They show their love of Italian cuisine by serving flatbreads and pastas. Lastly, they exhibit an appreciation of different Asian cuisines through their stellar vegan wok and teriyaki salmon.
The staff also spoke highly of their coffee selection. The owners claim to have visited 47 United States in search of the best coffee. They brought to Evergreen an actual sand coffee machine, which they discovered during an inspiring trip to Istanbul. Although we did not get the chance to taste their espresso, we hope to return once more and experience their self-renowned coffee experience.
And as a prize of sorts, for those who have made it this far, comes our final announcement: Evergreen has completed the necessary steps and expects to start being able to accept Gold Card Plus within the next few weeks. A true blessing for the community.
If you crave a quiet, romantic night, with comforting food, Evergreen is the restaurant for you. We hope to see what else Evergreen has in store, as they have hinted at new pastries and other savory dishes.