Jonathan R.
Yelp
Tonight, for the first time, I visited the Rabbit Hole. The goal was to see if one could craft a usable, viable dinner out of the appetizer spare ribs for $15 and the side chopped salad for $9. Worded another way, can a person assemble a reasonable and tasty dinner de facto for less than $30 at one of the city's better restaurants?
The answer: yes.
While service at the bar tables was lackluster, at best, the whiskey sticky ribs themselves were worthwhile. The style is a profoundly sweet, "wet" ilk, sometimes referred to as "Memphis style." But with the nice, charred patina, they work well. There's a reasonable amount of meat present. I didn't detect an undue amount of fat or gristle, even on the ends. They sit on a bed of cabbage.
The chopped salad? Outstanding. But the question emerges: why would you dedicate such time and resources to a salad but provide .39 salad dressing? It makes little sense.
What's disappointing? As alluded to above, the Blue Cheese dressing for the salad was of an indescribably cheap, "Hometown Buffet" grade, probably mayonnaise / soy based. I literally couldn't find even one piece of Blue Cheese in traversing the entire decanter with my fork. For a restaurant occupying this high of a station, yes, even in Colorado Springs? This should be a homemade variety with ample chunks of real cheese.
As a worthy aside: I hit a nouveau French bistro in Englewood last week whose owner, hailing from Lyon, literally places gigantic pieces of solid French Roquefort in the burger for a small up charge. I was spoiled by them as I came here expecting something maybe remotely similar. Such proved woefully absent.
The ribs should either sit atop a bed of ***rice*** with cabbage, or for a small extra fee, should be adorned with mashed potatoes. That would complete them as a meal item, regardless of whether one orders the appetizer ribs or the main course ones. The meat begins to exude redundancy without something meaningful balancing it, both in taste and texture, why rice or mashed potatoes.
Finally, bread is an exotic side order with a separate charge levied for such. I didn't order it, as, again, at a fine dining venue--sorry, but I believe that I'm right here--not only should bread be complimentary, but you can judge a restaurant's culinary prowess by the quality and freshness of its complimentary bread. This unwritten rule will never fade, regardless of anti carbohydrate-leaning diet fads.
The dungeon, basement facility is a little imposing. I didn't smell an overwhelming scent of great food, just historic construction smells. Laughable, but true.
As with so many restaurants in Colorado Springs, the place packs tremendous potential, and with a modicum of meager adjustments could be so much greater. I will hopefully return, but in doing so, will bring my own salad dressing and yes, even a French roll with a pad or two of butter. Sorry, no photo of the chopped salad.