Wrapping up Denver

 I can always appreciate a large slice of pizza anytime of day, so can my great friend Brittany who has accompanied me on my adventures in search of affordable but equally delicious finds over the last three years.  Though the weather was tumultuous we found our way to Fat Sully's at the Atomic Cowboy on East Colfax.  My first experience with their pies was from their roaming food truck sometime last year and I still dream about it on occassion.  Located in the same shared space as  Denver Biscuit Company which operates in the day time, this place churns out $3 (+$0.35 toppings) New York Style with a crunchy and chewy crust.  While some places can be skimpy with their toppings, the slice came blanketed with my chosen topping of chopped mushrooms!  With a few shakes of salt, pepper, chili flakes and parmesan, a perfect preview to what I know I will find in NYC!

Fat Sully's Plate Score: 9

I finally remembered to a take a photo of the combination noodle bowl with grilled shrimp, pork, beef and vietnamese eggroll 11N from New Saigon.  Isn't it beautiful?  Read the full description here

 New Saigon Plate Score: 9

As I was recovering from a strange bout of food poisoning/flu, my outing for drinks with a few vikings Jen and Andrea resulted in a few shared plates at root down.  I'm pretty sure the waiter judged us for not ordering alcohol but those few nibbles reminded me as to why I love that place and how much I'll miss it.

The zucchini salad was refreshing from the mint yogurt dressing and the citrus, however the few specks of bitter black mustard on the butter lettuce was too overpowering for my taste buds.  Salad Plate Score: 7

The scallops dish, which has been on the menu since Root Down opened in late 2008, were well seasoned and perfectly seared, a method of cooking i definitely prefer to grilling.  The briney flavor from the seafood and the salty crispy red onion strings paired well with the caramelized flavor of the sweet plantain hash and the spiciness of the habanero tartar sauce. Scallops Plate Score: 9

The carrot gnocchi was as wonderful as I remembered over a year ago.  The pan seared pillows were sauteed in a flavorful carrot coriander sauce and tossed with spring peas, mushrooms, asparagus and salty manchego. Though it could have used a little more sauce to bring it all to together, the buttery finish of the dish definitely made up for that fact.  Gnocchi Plate Score: 9

Overall Root Down Plate Score: 9


My friend Luci and I celebrated our last meal as roomates at Izakaya den, also a favorite of mine since first moving here back in the summer of 2007.  You will find the usual sushi and sashimi options similar to that at sushi den next door in addition to small plates influenced by global cultures.  I stuck to what I knew best here and when you go you MUST order miso cod and the korean short ribs.

The miso cod was a perfect medium, flavorful, flakey and just incredibly well executed. Plate score: 10

The short ribs were marinated in soy, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar and served on a hot platter with french green beans, mushrooms and jalapenos (sans seeds) which satisfied my red meat cravings without having to shell out $30 for an overpriced steak somewhere.  Plate score: 9

Overall Izakaya Plate Score: 9.5

Ototo Den

When Den Deli put up their sign saying they were closed for remodeling, more than a few people were worried of what would be become of this upscale fast casual spot in the trifecta of sushi den and Izakaya.  Luckily on my first visit to Ototo which focuses on spanish influenced japanese tapas (thats my take at least), I left impressed and was no longer depressed about the demise of Den Deli.  It was a slow sunday evening,  and we decided to sit at the "sushi bar"  in front of a cold case of cheeses and rounds of cured meats.  Now to the meal.....

The Waygu beef carpaccio lay over roasted hen mushrooms and drizzled with a truffle soy sauce was certainly fresh and tender.

The Egg in a Jar has been the source of all blog discussions since Ototo opened.  This creamy mixture of truffled mashed potatoes, diced serrano ham, caviar, steamed egg in a mason jar is served with diced red onion and tarragon mixture and delicious delicious grilled ciabatta.  I had conflicting feelings about this dish with so many flavors and the mashed potatoes added an odd texture to the dish.  In terms of dipping toast points into a creamy sauce, i prefer Cholon's Kaya Toast (check out that review from Dec).

The star of the dinner was the warm lobster salad, which was incredibly fresh and poached to perfection.  The lobster was sitting atop of a small thin layer of mashed potatoes (both hidden) garnished with grapefruit, tossed mache salad, pistachios and some sort of aioli.  An interesting garnish of thinly fried potato strips hit my tongue with a suprisingly sweet note and really pulled together this amazing dish!

We ended our meal with the tonkatsu ramen, the only remnants from the former den deli to make the new menu.  With sliced pork shoulder, bok choy, bean sprouts and soft hard boiled egg. the ramen was sitting in a steaming bowl of flavorful soy broth which helped round out this excellent meal.  We skipped the dessert and I settled for a half scoop each of pumpkin cheesecake and chocolate ice cream at Pajama Baking Company.

Plate Score: 9

Oshima Ramen

Tucked in the same shopping center as the most amazing whole foods ever, Oshima ramen attempts to serve up the traditional noodles you would find in a side street in Tokyo. To celebrate my last MCAT class off of Hampden Avenue, i decided to try a bowl of shoyu ramen for myself. The house made ramen was a little thin for my liking but the broth was a balance of sweet and savory but just a little too oily. Slices of pork, seaweed, beansprouts and a soy cooked hardboiled egg floated a top the small serving of noodles. I can't say it was the best i ever had but nonetheless satisfying. I would probably stick with the den deli version in the future

Plate score: 6

Den Deli

The new den deli at 1501 S Pearl St (by the same people who do izakaya and sushi den) is a casual eatery with freshly prepared foods including sushi, sandwiches, noodles and bento boxes. Can't wait to try it soon, perhaps on my way to those nightly MCAT classes.....

sushi den

i'm a loyal fan of the kobe beef roll (which is still on the "specials" menu since i moved to denver over 2 years ago), yellowtail and scallion roll and the salmon sashimi flown in from the japanese fish markets!

Side dish: Den deli, a seafood and prepared food market is set to open on the corner between sushi den and izakaya den in mid november! i'm so excited!