Not being a cheese-eater, I have NEVER experienced nachos. Nope, never once…until this weekend. And everyone else who normally eats nachos said these were the best they had ever had. This was just one of the amazing dishes I tried at Spiral: an all vegan restaurant. Here’s the breakdown:
The Environment
This restaurant is found on Magnolia Ave in Fort Worth, Texas. This neighborhood is similar to a South on Main type of neighorhood, for all you Little Rockians. This is a hip part of town with a lot of great restaurants.
The interior is super contemporary. It is bright and full of colors with a collage on one wall, silver tiled ceilings, and color everywhere. This is definitely a cool, hip, fly, whatever the kids are calling it now-a-days type of restaurant.
The Food
Chips and Guacamole Appetizer: $5.50
These corn chips are pretty basic, but there is a slight dusting of seasoning on them to add a little flavor. The guacamole is house-made and was very fresh and tasty. While there was a tiny bit of cilantro found in it, my cilantro-hating table-mate couldn’t taste it and loved the guac. I personally think that if it had more cilantro, it would be perfect.
Nachos Supremo Appetizer: $10.95
guacamole & pickled jalapenos.
I have never tried vegan cheese. Even though I was sure my stomach could handle it, I was afraid it would taste too much like real cheese and gross me out. But I braved this one since it was cashew-based and I love cashew butter, cashew cream sauce, etc. And it was delicious! Honestly, it tastes NOTHING like cheese. It tastes like a thick, flavorful cream sauce. According to some research, it has a little bit of red bell pepper and jalapeno, as well as plenty of spices to give it just enough flavor to be divine.
The toppings on the nachos were plentiful, allowing each chip to have some “cheese”, olives, corn, etc. Everything blended beautifully together to create a very Texan-flavored nacho, full of differing textures. And it was HUGE. We shared this appetizer at a table of 5 adults and one toddler, who also indulged. There were leftovers.
I will always get this dish when I visit!
All Raw Salad: $8.95
This had salad greens with zucchini, carrots, red bell peppers, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, apples, raw nuts, hemp seeds, and raisins with walnut vinaigrette dressing. I ordered mine without the avocado, I was guac-ed out.
This salad was delicious, primarily because of the house-made walnut vinaigrette. It was tinted green and was very thin. It was bright, light, a little citrus-y, and not too walnut-y. It was delicious. I wish I knew how to make this! My only complaint was I could have used a little more of it on my salad than I was issued.
The salad itself was nothing too special, but was very good! The primary greens used were durable, such as kale and romaine. This helped my fully-dressed salad leftovers stay crunchy until the next day when I ate them. The other toppings were full of crunch and flavor. Everything was very fresh. My favorite topping was the walnuts. Even raw, they were so flavorful.
Grilled Cheese with cup of Creamy Tomato: $7.95
I was excited about this soup because it was made with cashews…and the cheese was so good, so this would be killer! The texture was great, very smooth and thick. However, the flavor was lacking. It was pretty one-noted, and that note was tomato. The fresh slices of basil were pretty, but did not add much. Eating one was too basil-y. If they had chopped the basil and cooked it in the soup, that would have made an improvement. No one at the table was excited about this dish. In fact, no one even finished their cup.
My sister got this dish, and I did not try the sandwich. She said it did taste like real cheese, so nope! The only thing she did not like about it was the texture. She said that the texture was that of scrambled eggs, which turned her off it it somewhat. She wouldn’t get this sandwich or soup again.
Sketti and Meatballs with added grilled portobellos: $12.20
*The sketti without the mushrooms is only $8.95
Wow! This was definitely one of the top three best spaghetti and meat balls/ meat sauce I have ever had. Maybe the best? The sauce was very herby, with a hint of rosemary, which I love. The pesto on the top of it really added a punch of bright flavor!
The vegan meatballs were extremely tender! They definitely tasted like a real meatball. I believe they were some soy product?
The added grilled portobellos were huge! They were grilled just right. They had a slight char, but still a hearty texture. They were a great addition, but there were too many to eat. With the mushrooms and the “meatballs” this dish was SO hearty. I think it would fool anyone into thinking they are eating real meat. It was extremely filling as well. I was stuffed!
The toast was just toast….it was fine, but everything else was so much better, I skipped on it.
I will definitely get this dish again! I will also start adding dried rosemary to my marinara sauce.
Overall
I love this place. I want to visit it every time I come to visit family in Fort Worth. It is unique, has a huge menu (I’ll never be able to try it all) and leaves me wanting for nothing. If all restaurants could cook vegan food this well, we could all be vegans.
*They also serve a lot of vegan ice cream, which many patrons were indulging in. I was too full to try any, but it looks delicious. I can’t wait to try it!
If you have been to Spiral and have tried something else here, please comment and let me know what you think!
