Bowl opens next door to Absinthe Brasserie

Everyone's favorite hidden Montrose hangout has just gotten a new neighbor. "Running Absinthe Brasserie and working until five a.m., then getting up at seven a.m. now that I have two kids, is getting to me," says Ralph Rager, one of the owners of the popular establishment. "That's why I decided I needed a place where you could eat good, fresh, healthy food, so I am opening Bowl (607 Richmond) right next door to Absinthe...We're offering salads, gourmet sandwiches, like pulled pork with a Thai coleslaw, and thin-crust, gourmet pizzas, such as a wild mushroom and arugula. We will have 140 different ingredients and 25 different dressings, 11 different kinds of proteins and 16 cheeses, so people will have lots of choices. You will go through the line, pick what you want and be served in your 'bowl.' We're using as much local produce as we can...We're open at six a.m. for breakfast, which includes homemade biscuits and cinnamon rolls." In his dry runs to date, people have raved about the veggie sandwich, which includes caramelized onions, alfalfa sprouts, tomato and avocado on grilled ciabatta bread covered with hummus.