Asian Avenue magazine
Denver’s know-it-all to the Asian American Pacific Islander community
Restaurant Peek: Vietnam Grill
1015 S. Federal Blvd. Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303.936.5610
Hours:
Open 7 days a week: 10am – 9pm, Lunch Specials Mon – Fri: 10am – 3pm
Vietnam Grill, a new restaurant nestled in a modest strip of tattered storefronts, is like a shiny beacon of culinary hope. Those familiar with the location may remember a Chinese restaurant that had inhabited the space for the past decade. Today, with the renovation and modern décor, the only remnants left is the layout of the cozy dining room, behind it the slightly exposed kitchen and curiously long hallway extending towards the back. Gone are the sticky floors and sullied walls; the room, now decorated in gorgeous hues and warm woods provides a clean urban feel.
Yen Lai, the owner, opened Vietnam Grill on October 11, 2008 with the help of her husband and dedicated family members, to fulfill her mother’s dream of running her own restaurant. Lai’s mother, Hanh, has been cooking in local Vietnamese restaurants for the past 16 years, and finally decided it was her time to shine. Lucky for us, because her massive menu of well-known favorites along with unfamiliar dishes is really good: tasty enough to draw Denver’s Vietnamese community, yet accessible enough to everyone else.
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Restaurant Peek: Star Kitchen
2917 W. Mississippi Ave. Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303.936.0089
Hours:
Mon – Thur: 10:30am – 12am, Fri: 10:30am – 1am
Sat: 10am – 1am, Sun: 10am – 12am
Dim sum served daily until 8pm
Most Asian Americans have their dim sum place of choice. In Denver, there are a few to choose from and the options spur debate and even battle lines amongst its patrons. Yes, Denver’s love for dim sum is undeniable and the standards are held considerably high. There are only a handful of restaurants in the metro area that have been able to appease the palates of finicky dim-sum-goers, and to do so is a feat.
Dim sum, classically served as an accompaniment to tea, has developed into Chinese-style brunch. It has become a weekend ritual for many Asian families to go to dim sum together, which is why you can find hoards of people waiting outside the dim sum hot spots on any given Sunday. To seek out these hoards would be a sure fire way to find the tastiest places; that diners were out in force for Star Kitchen’s opening weekend, speaks volumes. Through word of mouth, they had discovered the new dim sum eatery.
Restaurant Peek: China Jade
12203 E. Iliff Ave. #D
Aurora, CO 80014
(303) 755-8518
Hours:
Open 7 days per week
11:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Tucked away under one of the unremarkable storefront signs of the Iliff Common Center in Aurora, there lies a little bit of southwestern China just waiting to be discovered. The new management and new chef at China Jade offer customers a wide range of Chinese cooking. The old standbys of chow mein, lo mein, chop suey, fried rice and the rest, are done on par with the best Chinese take-out places in the metro area.
Their Cuminum Cyminum Flavored Beef is simply strips of beef tenderloin seared with a cumin and garlic glaze and served over a bed of broccoli. The Shredded Pork with Hot Garlic Sauce is a dish of green and red sweet peppers, garlic, bamboo shoots, montane mushrooms and of course, tender and delicious pork.
Restaurant Peek: Pot of Pho
12652 Ken Caryl Avenue Unit C
Littleton, CO 80127
303.904.1334
Hours:
Open 7 days per week
11:00 am-9:00 pm
Western Littleton just got a little more cosmopolitan. East truly meets West at the Pot of Pho located at the crossroads of Ken Caryl Avenue and C470. Out here, you don’t find many Vietnamese restaurants that generally are located in more urban areas. But thanks to the easy access that the highway provides, this area is expanding rapidly. Here snuggled against the picturesque foothills of Ken Caryl Valley you can fend off the coming cold temperature by slurping a steaming bowl of noodles.
As implied by the name, the highlight of this bistro is pho, chewy Vietnamese rice noodles in a bowl of tasty beef broth. Ours was a combination of rare eye of round, well-done brisket, and Vietnamese meatball. With your soup, you get a plate of very fresh ingredients to fix up your pho – bean sprouts, lime wedges, mint, cucumbers, green onions, lettuce. Very little oil is used for the broth, so what you end up with is a dish that’s both hearty and healthy, not to mention delicious.
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Pho 79
1080 S. Havana St.
Aurora, CO. 80014
Tel: 303.344.0752
HOURS Sun – Sun 9am – 9pm
That crispness you feel in the early hours can mean only one thing: Autumn is on its way. And with the cooler temperatures comes the inevitable season of colds and flu. What’s better for keeping a body healthy with the coming of autumn, than an all-natural, slow-cooked broth with fresh vegetables, citrus and rice noodles? There is nothing better.
Pho 79 on Havana at Mississippi in Aurora is a great place for a tasty steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho [pronounced FUH] noodle soup. The soups here are prepared with the greatest attention to detail and tender loving care.
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Swing Thai
845 Colorado Blvd.
Denver, CO 80206
Tel: 303.777.1777
HOURS Mon-Sun 11am-10pm
The popularity of Thai cuisine in America has grown tremendously over the past decade. In 1996, when Swing Thai opened the doors of their first restaurant, Thai restaurants were still a rarity in the metro area; today there are over thirty. Now Swing Thai has three locations of its own, and going strong. Why? Because they’re good.
The authenticity of Swing Thai’s menu is no accident. Their devotion to Thailand and its unique cuisine among Southeast Asian countries is evident in their mostly Thai staff, their tasteful décor (complete with large, striking, sepia-style photos of scenes from daily Thai life), and the intense aromas of curry, peanut and chili that hangs in the air, assuring that diners will have a real Thai experience.
Seven Cups Fine Chinese Tea
1882 S. Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80210
Tel: 303.777.CUPS (2877) Fax: 303.777.5339
Email: [email protected]
HOURS
Tues – Sat: 10am – 8pm
Sun: 11am – 6pm
Closed Mondays
Take a short trip to Old South Pearl Street across from the Denver Folklore Center and you will find a bit of peace amidst the bustle of your urban environs. Located at 1882 S. Pearl, Seven Cups is the first and only Chinese-style tea house in Denver. With its tasteful and understated décor, it offers the kind of elegance that directly translates into serenity.
It’s set up as a relaxing place to meet with old friends, to catch up on each other’s lives while enjoying a really good pot of tea, and a few Chinese moon cakes or some Japanese wagashi pastries.
The staff of Seven Cups is dedicated to bringing you the highest quality teas from all over China. The teas offered are incomparable, with over 90 varieties on hand and most are certified organic. Seven Cups is committed to the idea that they can get the best there is without destroying the Chinese environment.
Little Holly’s
2223 W. Wildcat Reserve Parkway
Littleton, CO 80129
Tel: 303.683.5558
HOURS
Mon – Thur: 11:30am – 10pm
Fri – Sat: 11:30am – 11pm
Sun: 11:30am – 10pm
Another in the John Holly family of restaurants, Little Holly’s, located at 2223 W. Wildcat Reserve Pkwy in the heart of Highlands Ranch, offers essentially the same menu as their other well-known Bistros, but with a little less of the mood and ambiance that defines the John Holly experience. The café is small and cozy, designed more for the on-the-go crowd, and it offers a wide variety and high quality selection, much like its larger siblings.
Chef’s Menu – Honey Walnut Shrimp
Provided by Chef Jimmy, United Chinese Restaurant
Thornton, CO 80241 Broomfield, CO 80023
Tel: 720.977.8888 Tel: 303.429.2230
Visit www.united-chinese.com to see the restaurant’s menu!
SAUCE
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon condensed milk
2 teaspoons pineapple juice
A pinch of salt
WALNUTS
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon sugar
Vegetable oil for deep frying
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
14221 E Cedar Ave. #C, Aurora, CO 80012
Tel: 303.340.8824
HOURS Sun – Sat 10am-9pm (Closed Mondays)
Aloha! Welcome to L&L, a Hawaiian restaurant located by Aurora Mall. The four-year-old storefront restaurant is a franchise that originated in Hawaii and has expanded to 175 locations across the mainland United States. There are currently two L&Ls in Colorado; the other is in Colorado Springs.
On a daily basis, lunchtimes are extra busy with a mix of eaters coming from the nearby air force base and municipal center. Many customers laud the exceptional service, and say it’s better than the L&L restaurants they visit in Hawaii. General Manager Sy Feliciano says they maintain a friendly environment by trying to remember customers’ names and spreading the “Aloha spirit” through the food. (more…)
