Jake L.'s Profile

Stop #1 on the Denver Lunch Tour (#denverlunchtour) was at ChoLon Bistro.  ChoLon is an Asian bistro serving some modern Asian fare.  I had relatively high expectations going into the restaurant based on what I had read about the chef and the reviews I'd seen.  To be honest, I hate having high expectations.  I'm one of those people that believes high expectations equals extreme disappointment.  I tried to mellow them out and say to myself that this was only lunch, so it may not be as good.
Thankfully, my high expectations were too low.  One review mentioned that the sweet onion dumplings were not to be missed.  We started with those.  The dumplings had the appearance of a normal Asian dumpling, yet when prodded with a chopstick, their texture was similar to what I imagine a jellyfish feels like (without the sting).  The waitress recommended we let them cool, which I did. . . but not long enough.  The first dumpling was a little fireball forcing me to awkwardly exhale as though that would somehow cool it down.  Despite the heat, the taste was evident, I was eating french onion soup in dumpling form.  I don't even like french onion soup, but this flavor was remarkable.
For my main entree, I went with the fish tacos.  Another dish that is somewhat uncharacteristic of me, but the waitress said it was good.  As you can see from the photo, the tacos came out tostada-style.  I can't stand tostadas.  They're like uncooked nachos or stale tacos.  They looked attractive enough that I took a photo, but I was concerned that I couldn't fold them.  Another issue I have with tacos is that when you start to eat them, the food falls out the back like a drunk on a wagon train.  You know what's bizarre about all these issues that I concerned myself with?  It's as though they had a meeting beforehand to determine how they would address them.  The tacos were actual tacos that could be folded (without breaking), and the ingredients stayed on the taco through my last bite.  I didn't have to push any ingredients back on to the the taco with my pinkie finger (my designated clean finger while eating. . . don't ask me why).  The flavors were remarkable.  Not one flavor overpowered another, which was tough to believe considering the amount of fresh cilantro that was piled on.  With Mexican tacos, you usually have one strong ingredient like salsa that takes over, but this was perfectly balanced.

I was full without being uncomfortable, and the meal was relatively inexpensive considering the quality.  For Stop #1, I am now concerned about how the rest of the restaurants will be able to stack up against ChoLon Bistro.  Rest assured, I am keeping my expectations as low as possible.

I have been coming here since they opened and is still the place my wife and I end up ordering take out from when we don't know what to get.  I don't think it's the best sushi in town nor is it hardcore Chinese.  It's an Asian restaurant with very good sushi.  As far as sushi goes, I don't think it's too expensive but fairly priced.  My particular non-sushi favorites are the Mongolian Beef, the Black Pepper Beef, or the Udon noodles.  For sushi, I prefer the Rainbow Rolls, Red Dragon Rolls, or the Five Seasons Rolls.  
The staff is always friendly, and it's usually very crowded on the weekends.  They have pretty good lunch specials, and I believe a decent bar.  On a weekend, parking can suck in this area, but you can usually find something.  
It's a solid sushi/Asian place and worth putting on your rotation if you live in the vicinity.

I've hit up this place for lunch several times and have always been pleased each time.  The staff is very friendly.  The menu is pretty simple, but very fresh.  The salad, sandwiches, and pizza are great.  I highly recommend the chipotle steak sandwich.  If you're the type of person that counts calories (I'm not), they have nutritional information for you.  Plus, the fountain drinks are Boylan's which is a nice change from Coke/Pepsi.  Check it out, as it is a nice affordable lunch spot.

I know, I was so nice two years ago, but I was younger and more immature.  While I do love the ambiance of this place, they certainly answered the question for me as to why they're not open the entire year (yes, I know the "other" reason).  It was an extremely bland meal.  I started with the prosciutto wrapped shrimp with shaved melon.  The shrimp threw me with it being cold, which had the feel of a cocktail shrimp.  However, the worst part of this dish was that it had no flavor.  I expected the salty prosciutto to contrast with the sweet melon all while the shrimp would add some savory flavors, but no.  The prosciutto wasn't at all salty and tasted like grocery store, prepackaged meat.  The melon wasn't ripe and thus lacking flavor, and the shrimp just sat there, as a spectator.  It was as if it was concentrating too hard on how it could help the plate and forgot to show up.  
Next  was an Arctic Char in a lobster broth.  Unfortunately I have never eaten Arctic Char before, and I don't believe I still have.  The shocking thing about this dish is that the fish was swimming in the lobster broth yet it was too dry.  The Char had been charred.  The fish was not highlighted, and it felt as though the flavors were being masked.  I'm not sure what was doing the masking because it too was a bland dish.  
For dessert I had the Chocolate Malted Crème Brûlée. I am a huge Crème Brûlée snob.  While, I believe Restaurant Kevin Taylor does an excellent job with their basic Crème Brûlée, they have not taught this little brother how to handle a torch.  The flavors were pretty good but execution was poor.  It was clear that this had been made and refrigerated until ready to serve.  Traditionally, the sugar should be added last and torched or broiled immediately before serving.  I understand that they were most likely trying to save time but at what cost?
The service was as I've experienced before.  It seems to lack a sense of direction, and one can tell the servers are not all that comfortable.  If I have an empty wine glass before you take my plate and bring out the next plate all while ignoring the opportunity to sell me an additional glass of wine??  That is weak service, not poor, but weak.
Sad to say I will not be back to judge them again.

I have lived in Colorado for close to 20 years now, though I'm originally from San Antonio.  Since I still have family in SA, whenever I visit, I insist on coming here.  Mexican food in Colorado is very poor.  It is refreshing to have some Tacos Nortenos along with a frozen margarita after I land in this great state.  While I don't live here, I have been to quite a few Mexican places, and I still believe this is one of the better ones.  Plus I think their margaritas are some of the best too.  They're also quite strong.  Sitting on the patio is pleasant (when it doesn't smell like sewage).    It's a good place that shouldn't disappoint.

After quite a bit of internal debate (I was dining alone), I went with the Le Bernadin tasting menu. First course was Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna; Toasted Baguette; Shaved Chives and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The presentation was amazing on this course, as it was on most, but I loved the delicate flavor here. It was very similar to eating sushi and the texture of the baguette was a nice contrast to the pounded tuna. It was probably my second favorite course. Next was the Charred Octopus; Fermented Black Bean - Pear Sauce Vierge; Ink - Miso Vinaigrette; Purple Basil. Seeing this course on the menu almost made me choose something else, but I figured, why not. The flavors were quite surprising, in a pleasant way. You could taste the char on the octopus, but not overwhelmingly. It kind of had a chicken consistency, not rubbery, which means it was cooked beyond perfectly. The fermented black bean was sweet and complimented the char flavor. Next was the Warm Lobster Carpaccio; Hearts of Palm, Orange Vinaigrette. Pretty hard for me to not like lobster, and this was no exception. The sauce on this was quite savory and there was pickled ginger and shaved fennel that served as a nice contrast to the buttery lobster. Then, I had the Seared Yellowtail King Fish; Truffle Risotto, Baby Vegetables, Black Truffle Emulsion. This was my favorite course. The fish was cooked medium rare and had so much flavor. Plus, the combination of the truffle emulsion and the truffle risotto was fantastic. I debated about asking for a second. This was followed with the Crispy Black Bass; Lup Cheong and Beansprout "Risotto" Mini Steamed Buns, Hoisin-Plum Jus. The flavors of this were definitely Asian-inspired, as can be seen in the name. The fish was delicately moist with a nice crispy layer. Moving towards dessert, I had the Parsnip Crème Brulée, Roasted Hazelnut, Browned Milk Solids, Vanilla Salt. The desserts were not anything special, and while I appreciated the art of this dish, it was kind of bland. Almost done with the Maralumi Milk Chocolate Parfait, Liquid Pear, Gingersnap. I liked this more than I thought I would. I really would love to know how they made the liquid pear. It had the appearance of a pear, but broke like an egg yolk over the parfait. It gave the dish a nice clean pear flavor. I couldn't tell you what the next two dishes were as I didn't take good notes, and they weren't on the menu. One was some sort of multi-layered chocolate mousse served in a hollowed out egg. The presentation was stunning, and the flavor wasn't bad. Sadly, I got excited and squeezed the egg shell instead of the dish as I scooped out the bottom. The waitress did inform me that about 50% of people have the same problem. I think she was lying. Lastly was kind of thank you dish of small chocolates. I can't remember what any of them were, but they were good. To sum it up, yes, it was one of the best meals I have ever had. The best. . . I'm not sure. However, I do believe it deserves to be one of the best restaurants in the world. Dessert wasn't exciting, but it rarely is at some of these nicer places. I don't know why that tends to be the case, but I'd rather have a good dinner and a mediocre dessert than the other way around.

I was really looking forward to going to this place as soon as I heard it was being built.  For the most part, it did not disappoint.  As you've already read, there is a bit of a path to take to get there, but it's not at all confusing.  It is very dark, one of the darkest locales I have been to.  I rarely concern myself with how dark a place is, but I did have trouble reading the menu. It kind of makes it a little more quiet or personal that way.  They have an extensive cocktail menu with drinks I'm not at all familiar with, so I requested that the bartender/mixologist make me something he came up with.  He asked what I normally drank, and I told him Bourbon or Scotch.  He made me something similar to a Vieux Carre, which I am unfamiliar with, but it was awesome! I also had a Manhattan, which I normally don't like.  This one was better, but it's still not on of my favorite drinks.  The last drink I had was paired with the apple pie.  I specifically requested that it not be sweet, so they gave it some spice to complement the pie.  It had some clove undertones, and it was great as well.
To eat, we had the pigs in a blanket, which is classier than what you might be used to.  It features pork belly instead of li'l sausages and puff pastry instead of biscuit dough.  They were incredible!  We also had mini Margherita pizzas.  I thought they sounded bad being made on French bread, but I was shocked at how good they were.  Instead of basil, they used pesto.  For dessert, we split some apple pie, which was well made but had little flavor.
The service level dropped off greatly as they got busier.  The staff was always polite, but became very inattentive as the evening wore on.  It's still a place I would definitely like to visit again.

Mizuna was quite good.  We decided to take on the tasting menu, which if you can spring for it, I'd encourage you go that route.  It was seven courses with wine.  It was exciting to see what the chef  would put out there for you, since you had no idea.  The waiter would explain each dish and the wine guy would come by prior to explain the wine.  I had one of the best scallop dishes ever and one of the best uses of Taleggio I've ever had.  They had wonderful presentation.  I will knock them on service though.  For the amount of money spent on 4 people doing the tasting menu, their wine person couldn't have been more arrogant and condescending.  He knew his stuff, but he presented it poorly.  Also, our waiter was dull. We asked about the ingredients of one of the dishes and he just said he didn't know.  We had to prod him to go ask the kitchen.  Again, not what I'd expect from somewhere like that.

Fuel Café is located in the RiNo district (River North Art District), which I had to look up. The location is a bit out of the way and in some questionable surroundings. Walking into Fuel, one notices the industrial vibe of the place. Hard floors, a warehouse ceiling, Plexiglas walls revealing pink insulation, and stainless steel tables all give a cold feel to the restaurant; however, only the inanimate objects emit frigidness. Our waitress, Kate, became our scarf and winter coat. Her warmth reminded me of eating at a diner in a small town. She was friendly and informative, my two favorite qualities for the wait staff.
Kate informed us that their menu changes each month. The menu was only 3 nights old when we dined there, which was quite exciting. It's rare that you eat at a restaurant where the menu is brand new, and only because the ingredients dictated the change. Some items stay on the menu, but get some seasonal flare. Their wine list is fairly small, but they seem to put more emphasis on cocktails.
For food, the menu was as Autumn as crisp leaves. We started with the Beet Balls ($10) and the Ricotta Bruschetta ($10). The Beet Balls consist of a house made cracker, goat cheese, micro arugula, and beet juice. The beets had a great earthy flavor. The goat cheese stood out nicely, but unfortunately there was not enough to pair with the beets. The bruschetta had a generous spread of ricotta with cherry mostarda, arugula, and prosciutto. The cherries gave wonderful depth and complimented the bitter arugula and salty prosciutto with fantastic sweetness. My wife quickly declared the Beet Balls the winner; however I was impressed with how well something as simple as the Ricotta Bruschetta tasted.
For dinner, my wife ordered the Fried Artichoke Gnocchi ($14), and I had the Pedro Ximenez Beef Cheeks ($23). The gnocchi stays on the menu throughout the year and is dressed to match the season. Fried Artichokes sound earthy and warm, so it seems like a good match for November. I had heard that their gnocchi was delicious, and our waitress compared them to "soft pillows," so a standard had been set. This dish was very delicate and unassuming like a young female librarian. Through its delicateness, I was surprised to find the strong presence of the fried artichoke. I would not normally ascribe strong flavors to an artichoke, but it made its presence known in this dish, though not overpoweringly so. I ordered a Malbec, as I was expecting my glass of wine, the waitress came out with two small tastings of wine. She explained that they were out of the Malbec, but she believed these two wines would come close. I ended up choosing the French one, and she came back with a generous pour and completely sold me on the service, particularly by giving me the option to taste wines. Pedro Ximenez (or PX) is a white grape grown in Spain and is used to make this high quality Sherry that the cheeks slowly cooked in. The beef cheeks came with a potato pave, and roasted baby carrots. The cheeks were placed sliding off the potato pave with carrots at the end, and all were sitting in the beef juice. I was slightly thrown by the size of the potato pave, as it looked like a small box on my plate. While the flavors were nice and rich, the size was too much and took away from the rest of the dish. The beef cheeks were delightful. Beef cheeks kind of seem like the bovine version of pork belly. You slow cook it to bring out that tenderness. They had a little bit of a crispy outside and that crisp had a lot of the sherry flavor built into it. The sherry provided some sweetness, but only a small amount. The cheeks had a very heavy feel to them, which is what you want on a cold day.
I always browse the after-dinner drinks looking for something unique, and I found just that with their house made limoncello. I applaud them for its individuality, but it wasn't my cup of lemon tea. The big difference between their limoncello and most others that you'll come across is that they also add lemon juice. Unfortunately, it kind of tastes more like hard lemonade than limoncello, albeit a much fresher version. For dessert, it was pretty hard to resist ordering the Chocolate Caramel Tamales ($7). The tamales were served in their corn husks with goat cheese ice cream, caramel, and chocolate sauce. Mixed in with the sweet corn of the tamales were some chocolate bits. The dish was not very sweet but had an interesting mix of flavors, particularly the goat cheese ice cream. I enjoyed the hint of tartness mixed with the tinge of sweetness in the caramel and chocolate sauce.
Fuel Café had excellent service and a menu that flexes monthly. With a focus on fresh ingredients and a menu that is forward thinking, it is sure to please any guest seeking out something great and different. If you're seeking to fill your food tank, stop by Fuel Café, thankfully it's not self-service.

Many things with "land" as the suffix have some sort of retro quality about them that keeps them cool.  For example, Candyland.  It may be the greatest children's board game.  Some may think of amusement parks with names like Funland or Adventureland (also a retro movie).  Then there's Yogurtland.  If it were something from our past, it should have stay buried, along with neon shoelaces and snap bracelets.  Unfortunately it's not from our past, it's in the present.  

Should it be said that I'm not a big fan of frozen yogurt?  I suppose.  Should it be said that I did not choose to go here?  Sure.  Should it be mentioned that this place provides an inferior product?  Most definitely.  The line was out the door when we arrived, but why?  They had a good variety of flavors for frozen yogurt, though I do question the need for some of the flavors like peanut butter or pumpkin pie.  What's great is that they have about 10 staff members in the store, however only two are needed to check you out.  The other 8 wandered aimlessly around chatting with each other and sadly not cleaning off tables.  As you march through the line, you pick up a bowl, nay, a gigantic bowl.  There are no choices on size (they want you to fill it up).  You then must serve yourself from the old school soft-serve-like machine with the option to combine flavors.  Next, you parade through a sneeze-guard protected toppings section (a side-note: have you ever noticed that sneeze guards aren't low enough to prevent the most likely people to sneeze on food. . . children?).  This was way too reminiscent of an all-you-can-eat buffet line with very odd toppings for dessert.  Who puts fruity pebbles or gummy worms on frozen yogurt?  I guess someone who wants to cover up the taste.  Finally, they weigh your basin and give you a price based on the weight.

Now to taste. . . Did you ever have that older relative who always had sugar-free "treats?"  You were excited that it was candy, then you tasted it and politely spit it out.  That's what this is like.  "Oh, how exciting, a cold dessert!"  Wait, it's frozen yogurt, aka, ice cream's under-achieving disappointing younger sibling.  Have people tasted ice cream?  It's better.  There's a better product out there that's very similar, but tastes ten times better and doesn't taste like a sugar-free imitation.  I had a dutch chocolate yogurt with some Kit-Kat toppings.  Sadly, my Kit-Kats were either generic or sugar-free because they tasted nothing like the candy.  Gimme a break, Yogurtland.