On an unscheduled night while on a business trip to Denver (again) I decided to wander to a different neighborhood to find dinner. My walk took me to the Potter Highlands District where I stopped by a Sonny’s Mediterranean restaurant. It’s a counter-service spot which is my personal preference when I’m dining solo.

I had barely eaten anything this day and was famished. The Falafel Platter on their menu appealed to me the most, but the pita sandwiches and bowl options also looked good. The Falafel Platter came with your choice of hummus, 6 falafel balls, your voice of veggies or a pita, and your choice of a mezze (side). To the shock of absolutely no one I decided to get their za’atar fries as my side.

No hyperbole intended, these were some of the best fries I’ve had in a long time. Top tier stuff. I’m going to confirm with the restaurant, but they’re either preparing these from scratch in house, or they have a phenomenal supplier. They’re thick, and while I often have issues with thick boy fries, these were the perfect counter-example. At 11mm, or about 7/16th of an inch, these were crispy without being hard. Every french fry in the order had a crunchy shell around a fluffy/steamy interior. They were also piping hot.

Beyond the perfect texture, I believe these were also perfectly seasoned. I could tell that they were tossed in seasoning straight out of the fryer. I picked up on some flakey salt, but also an earthy/zesty za’atar blend. I don’t know everything that’s in their blend, but you usually find poultry herbs (oregano, marjoram, and thyme) in addition to za’atar itself, toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and sometimes dried orange zest. It’s very floral and bright. It was also an amazing compliment to the Zhoug aioli (a spicy cilantro mixture). I also dipped the fries in the hummus and tehina that came with my other dishes.

Beyond the fries, the falafel was also pretty damn good. Very herby and moist. They were fried verrrrrry crispy which is overall a positive, but if you have weak teeth you should be concerned about cracking a molar. That’s a you problem, not a them problem. The tehina (sesame) dip added some creaminess and nutiness that enhanced the falafel as well. I chose their harissa hummus because I like spicy things and I don’t have enough harissa stuff in my life. They were super generous with the harissa paste, and I didn’t complain. It was smooth and delicious and spicy. My small regret with that choice was that I chose the pita instead of vegetables as my dipping option. I wasn’t disappointed in the pita (it was fluffy and warm), but because I really could have used the crisp coolness of fresh veggies.

Sonny’s Mediterranean gets my emphatic recommendation. Get the fries, for sure. I didn’t try any animal proteins, but maybe next time I’ll try the chicken.