Chopsticks China Bistro, Denver, Colorado

Chopsticks was another highly recommended place to try in Denver. Located at 2990 W Mississippi Ave (tel: (303) 936-1506), they were able to stand strong despite the fierce competition from the high density of Asian restaurants in the vicinity. What I found rather interesting was that although on their sign, they're touted as being somewhat Shanghainese, the owners are actually Taiwanese and Hakka in origin. To the utter delight of two of my Taiwanese-Hakka colleagues, there were some Taiwanese-Hakka dishes on the menu. Well as long as the food tastes good, I'm there.

The first appetizer were deep fried pig large intestines. Most readers will know that I'm quite fond of these delicious crispy entrails. Needless to say, I was rather thrilled to find them here.

The xiao long paus (soup dumplings) were a big let-down. I know Denver was having a slight drought but that's no excuse for these juiceless, dry paus.

Sour and spicy soup was up next. Never really a diehard fan of this soup, but it did help whet our appetites abit.

The Chongqing chicken was really good. Despite coming with the bone, the spicy Sichuan peppers and dried chilies ensured a decent kick of flavor.

Apparently a "hard-to-find" Hakka dish, the stewed pig intestines in vinegar and ginger was surprisingly quite nice. I don't really have a penchant for sour foods entirely but this had a nice savory balance as well which made it quite tasty indeed.

I don't really recall the name of this dish. It was some mixed-up Hakka stirfry of sorts. I don't remember it being foul though, so I guess it must have been fairly decent.

Whoa, cashew nut chicken. This was definitely a pick from the pseudo Chinese foods list but nevertheless, who is not guilty of enjoying even a General Tso's chicken every now and then.

Some fresh vegetables stirfried with garlic. Fresh and crisp with a nice refreshing flavor.

Lastly we had a Taiwanese fried vermicelli which was a pretty nice way to end the meal. It had sufficient smokiness and flavor but most importantly enough grease to prevent the vermicelli from clumping together. Not bad, Chopsticks definitely was a nice breakaway from all the Western fare we had over the past few days. Funny as this may sound, the only let-down dish was Shanghainese, so it may be wise to just stick to the Taiwanese and Taiwanese-Hakka fare.

D

Sam's No.3, Denver, Colorado

Sam's No.3 is a popular joint not just with tourists but also the locals. In fact, a big group of workmen having a late breakfast here was further affirmation of how this joint is still keeping it real.

The chicken enchilada was a big greasy, cheesy mess. But what a tasty mess this was. The salty cheese was balanced nicely with the generous topping of salsa and the chicken bits were seasoned just right. Although I know it does not look the most beautiful of dishes, its flavor surely surpassed its cover.

Steak plus eggs equals pure genius. That's all I can say. Whoever thought of this "traditional" American breakfast deserves a Nobel prize. A medium rare 16oz ribeye and 2 eggs, both done medium (that's right baby, even the eggs were done medium); this is what I call breakfast!

After all those savory portions we needed something sweet to cleanse the palate. These fluffy butter milk pancakes doused with ample butter, whipped cream and maple syrup sure did the job.

Just to be on the safe side, I had to order one of these mega chocolate shakes haha. Well, what was it they said again? Breakfast like a King, lunch like a King, Dinner like a King? Do pardon my selective hearing impairment.

D

Le Central, Denver, Colorado

I've never been a big fan of French cuisine, come to think of it, this is probably my first post on French food. Somehow, the idea of dining French conjures an image of undersized and overpriced portions and flavors too subtle for my liking. However, this place was highly recommended so I decided to drop by whilst I was in Denver.

We started off with some refreshing wine.

The first starter was a salad with smoked duck breast. The nutty flavor of olive oil infused with a slight citrus and tangy dressing paired well with the salty smoked duck. The salad leaves were also crisp and fresh with gave a nice textural contrast.

Steamed mussels in white wine and spicy chorizo were next. A dish that can't really go wrong provided your mussels are fresh. Fortunately, these were fresh and plump. The sauce was great for bread dipping.

The escargots served in a mini brioche on a creamy saffron sauce were also pretty good despite the smaller portions compared to the rest of the appetizers.

Baked fish with a blended salsa dressing. Not sure how this is really French but it tasted pretty decent and the fish was sizable chunk.

The baked lobster was a bit of a let down though, I'm not sure if this crustacean wasn't exactly fresh or if it was overcooked but the flesh was more mushy than firm.

The crispy roasted duck leg was actually pretty good despite being drowned in a sauce that was way too overpowering in flavor and saltiness. Once you scrap off some of the sauce and savor the flesh of the duck, it wasn't too bad.

Since Thursday is souffle night, we had to try some. The chocolate souffle was executed beautifully. Light and fluffy in texture with enough chocolate richness.

The citrus souffle was just as good. In fact, I actually preferred this over the chocolate as it had a lighter and more refreshing taste.

We also ordered a slice of their chocolate cake which was really only average. Well all in all, there were some hits and misses here for sure. The biggest let-downs seem to be the mains, the appetizers (especially the mussels with the free flow of shoestring fries) and the desserts were their redeeming factors.

D

New Saigon, Denver, Colorado

New Saigon at 630 S Federal Blvd is apparently one of the oldest (if not the oldest) Vietnamese restaurant in Denver. This place was recommended to me by a Vietnamese colleague who's a native of Denver, so I was expecting something pretty good.

We started off with the nem nuong. Pretty tasty but somehow I still preferred the slightly coarser mince that gave us a heartier chew in the ones served in Vietnam. Still, it was rather tasty and our hungry party finished it in no time.

Next came a giant platter of various appetizers which we wrapped in rice paper rolls and dipped into the sweet and salty fish sauce. Great for groups, there was a little bit of everything in here. The spring rolls with minced pork and the grilled lemon grass pork chops stood out particularly.

More meat came in the form of grilled lemon grass chicken thighs. Not bad, but somehow the grilled pork chops still had a nicer texture and flavor.

The grilled mussels with scallions were a nice reminiscent of the street-side shellfish I enjoyed so much in Vietnam. These were fresh and plump.

We finished off the meal with a big hotpot seafood in a bath of sweet and spicy broth. Although this was just tad bit sweet, it went well when accompanied with rice. Thanks to JT for the recommendation, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

D

Little India Restaurant, Denver, Colorado

As with New York, there seems to be a rather decent distribution of Indian restaurants across the rest of the USA. We chanced upon this place as it was rather near the convention center an the all-you-can-eat buffet for under 10bucks seemed pretty reasonable too.

Even though the food was not cooked to order, the steady stream of clientale ensured that it was replenished constantly keeping it fresh on the buffet line. The tandoori chicken although not as charred as I would like tasted well marinated, the deep-fried veggies were tasty enough for me to finish all the vegetables on my plate and the naan had a decent balance of crisp and chew.

There was also a rather good selection of curries which was flavorsome, although none of them were really spicy enough to give me a kick. Interestingly enough, we actually came here twice in a row because we felt the first time was that good.

D

Buckhorn Exchange, Denver, Colorado

Going to the first steakhouse in anywhere can be like a mixed bag. On one hand, you have to respect the tradition but on the other, you risk getting caught in a tourist trap. That's why I was little suspicious at first when I stepped towards the Buckhorn Exchange; the oldest steakhouse in Denver, Colorado.

I was soon calmed by the decor. Apparently the original owner was an avid hunter and his trophies are proudly displayed throughout the dining hall.

The breads were served and although I'm not really into breads, these were very tasty. Soft and fluffy with a light and crisp crust, these paired very nicely with the warm, whipped salted butter.

The appetizer was a a game stew which was a medley if elk, buffalo and beef mixed with gravy and sauteed mushrooms. This was pretty tasty, the only drawback was it was really hard to distinguish which meat was which when everything was doused in the gravy.

One of the soup specials of the day was the cream of cheese soup. That's right, cheese soup! I had to try this out of curiosity if more than anything. Thick, creamy and cheesy, this was excellent for dipping the bread into. Great for anyone out there like me who loves cheese.

But ultimately, this is a steakhouse, so what does one do at a steakhouse? They order the biggest slab of animal on the menu. 24oz of boned in porter house cooked till medium rare. It's always such a beautiful sight to see the steak spilling over the edge of the plate.

Aged just long enough for the flavor to mature and with enough interstitial fat to make this a delectable and succulent bite, this was indeed good meat.

Another one conquered. Although I thought it rather funny it was paired with crisps and a funky fruit salad, the tart pineapple and berries actually helped me kept going at this slab till there was none left.

A good steak begs a good dessert. The homemade apple pie with a huge scoop of Haagen Daz vanilla was definitely a good finale to this tasty dinner.

Despite my qualms about Buckhorn being a tourist trap, most of the diners here seem to be regular locals. Decapitated animals, good steak. Nice to know that some traditions still stand strong.

D

Artichoke Basille's Pizza and Brewery, Manhattan, NYC

There's a new pizza joint in town. It's so new that the address on their card is actually printed wrong, they don't do delivery yet and their website isn't up as well. But one thing's real, they're located on 14th street between 1st and 2nd ave and they do make a pretty mean slice.

Here's the square Sicilian slice, their crust is slightly thicker here and crunchier which is a little different from those ultra thin New York slices. Italian basil, fresh tomatoes and a generous topping of cheese, the taste of good ingredients was evident from the first bite.

The Neapolitan didn't lose out to her Sicilian sister. The simplicity of ingredients here was revealed in this fresh tasting pizza. The crust seemed a little too thick though but that's something you don't always have to finish anyway.

Ok, now this is the slice worth the wait. Fresh and bubbling from the oven, their signature creamy artichoke and spinach slice is really tasty. After the two slices of tomato tangy pizzas, it's great to chomp down on something creamy and extra cheesy. Not to mention for three bucks, this slice was simply gianormous.

Did I mention how big their signature slice is? Even though, I'm surprised I actually enjoyed three slices without any meat on it, I'm glad that there's a new pizza joint which can give the multitude of pizza places in Manhattan a run for their money.

D