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Tried Potager, at 11th & Ogden, last night for an early dinner. Service was friendly and efficient, and the kitchen seemed to keep up, even when the dining room was full.

The appetizers we tried were all delicious: Lamb tartare ($10), with cured egg yolk, purple mustard, red onion and fried capers struck all the right notes, although my husband felt the fennel crisps overpowered the tartare. I couldn't try the crisps (gluten) but I found even the plain gluten-free table crackers I brought with me tended to blunt the bright flavors. Best idea: Eat the tartare itself on a fork or spoon. Grilled squid with smoked fingerling potatoes ($15), olives, sundried tomatoes and lemon vinaigrette had great flavors, but contained about twice as many Kalamata olive halves as pieces of squid. The squid itself was delicious, but the plate itself was really out of balance, in my opinion. Steamed mussels ($15), in an etouffee broth with garlic aioli and cornbread croutons was about 1/2 lb of plump, perfectly steamed mussels in a flavorful, not-too-spicy broth. It was one of our two favorite dishes (tartare was the other), although the croutons were oddly sweet, according to my husband.

We both agreed that the appetizers were better than the entrees. Sauteed scallops ($29) with lemon-fennel risotto, fried sage, and fried caper brown-butter sauce was just OK. The scallops were crisply fried on one side, so they weren't overcooked, but they were pretty small. I didn't get much lemon or fennel flavor from the risotto, which was gummy and lost my interest after a few bites. The brown butter cast a ring of butterfat around the plate. The elements just didn't come together, and I left almost half the risotto on my plate. Lamb sugo with tagliatelli ($23), shiitake mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, mint and feta cheese had good flavor, according to my husband, but not very much sugo relative to the pasta.

We'll keep an eye on the menu, and try it again in the spring.

Potager sauteed scallops.jpg

Potager lamb sugo.jpg

Potager grilled squid.jpg

Potager steamed mussels.jpg

Potager lamb tartare.jpg

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Alright... countdown to the big party starts with the stag. I chose Denver due to centrality, breweries, outdoor activities including sneaking in some spring ski, and many of my friends were interested in the, uh, botany of the area.

The guys got meals squared up... finishing up our brewery tour. I think we have it down, but curious if anyone had any ideas within 1 hour of Denver...

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On 3/22/2018 at 10:27 PM, Simul Parikh said:

I think we have it down, but curious if anyone had any ideas within 1 hour of Denver...

Frasca in Boulder is supposed to be very good.

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On 1/23/2006 at 7:52 PM, AlliK said:

If you have the time/freedom to go over to Boulder, this place sounds good: Frasca (I haven't been)

[Do a search in this thread for Frasca - there are eleven entries. DR]

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Last night we had dinner at Ototo ("little brother"), a Japanese grill restaurant on South Pearl in Washington Park. This unassuming little place was recently named best Japanese restaurant in Denver for 2018 by Westword. Ototo is one of three Japanese restaurants adjacent to the intersection of South Pearl and East Florida Avenues, all under the ownership of three Japanese brothers. Toishi and Yasu Kisaki manage the kitchens and overall operations of the three restaurants (Sushi Den, Izakaya Den, and Ototo), while younger brother Koichi Kisaki lives in southern Japan, going daily to the fish market to buy fish right off the boats, which then arrives in Denver within 24 hours. Each of the three restaurants has a somewhat different approach to Japanese cuisine, while they share signature dishes and the fresh fish from Japan and elsewhere.

Ototo offers exquisitely fresh sashimi and carpaccio, and boasts a robata charcoal grill, turning out beautifully flavored cooked seafood, beef, pork, chicken and duck, all as small plates for sharing. They also have a variety of ramen and rice bowls on the menu, which could serve as an ample entree. 

We focused on the small plates, starting with the fresh catch of the day sashimi, two large slices of four different fish (including yellowtail, hamachi and salmon--I'm blanking on the fourth fish) for $20. The flavors of the fish were so fresh and delicate that they were much better with a drop of lemon juice, and were obliterated by even a little soy sauce. 685791514_Ototosashimifreshcatchoftheday.jpg.1304fba77d8e655878ace2587b2fedc7.jpg617087596_Ototofreshdailycatchsashimi.jpg.23a16e88692b71a08f930c076c9321f1.jpg

We then shared Tuna Carpaccio (Sautéed Maitake mushrooms wrapped with sliced wild caught tuna and topped with shallots, blue cheese crumbles and micro greens with a Soy Truffle Yuzu sauce and balsamic reduction, $16). Wow! The flavors in the combination were amazing together. The mushrooms added a little more sense of "meatiness" to contrast with the tuna. The sauces were just enough to add a little spark without overpowering the fish. This was one of my favorite dishes of the evening.

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We then transitioned to cooked dishes, starting with a miso-honey glazed fried eggplant ($7) that was nicely balanced--not too sweet or too salty, allowing the eggplant to shine. I wish that we had received our other hot dishes at the same time, but the eggplant (with shishito pepper) was great on its own.

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Grilled whole squid ($14) is a "spear squid" marinated in soy/sake/mirin and grilled over mesquite coals on the robata grill. It was perfectly cooked and tender when it arrived at the table, but I noticed that when I stopped eating and went back to it a few minutes later it had gotten a little chewy--from continuing to cook on the plate. This is not a flaw in my mind, but a reminder that the food should be eaten as soon as possible after it is served. This was a lot of squid for two of us, but would be a great amount shared by three or four diners.

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While we were still enjoying the squid, the miso-marinated black cod hit the table ($16 for 4 oz). This is one of their signature dishes and with good reason. It was delicate and creamy inside, with crispy grilled skin and nice smoke flavor all over.

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We didn't want to miss out on trying the land-based dishes, so we ordered a skewer of grilled duck breast with Tokyo onions and a skewer of grilled American Wagyu beef filet mignon. Both were delicious, with deft marinating and perfect grilling to impart the smoke flavor without overcooking the meat.

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For dessert, we each enjoyed a scoop of strawberry sorbet sitting on goat kefir with basil oil. It was the perfect ending--not too sweet but quite satisfying.

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Denver may be a land-locked city, but seafood and sushi in particular are very popular here. Hence the ability of three Japanese "seafood" restaurants to thrive side by side. Ototo's sister restaurants have also won many accolades from the local press and diners, and I look forward to trying them. In this market, with competition from more Japanese and sushi restaurants than I can count, including Nobu Matsuhisa, being named best Japanese is no small feat. My first impression is that the honor is well-deserved, but I have a long list of its competitors to try, to be sure of this. 

I recommend reservations. Free valet parking (but you should still tip) is available across the street in front of Sushi Den. The restaurant validates parking in the garage across the street ($2), and if you don't mind walking a block or two, street parking (free) can be found if you're lucky. Sunday lunch is very popular here, but parking is more of a problem because Pearl is closed for a massive farmers market, which blocks access to the garage. 

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The Cherry Cricket has been around since 1945 and it's a classic burger joint.  I went with a make your own:  bison burger with pimento cheese and side of green chili for dipping.  Pretty damn tasty.  They also serve decent fries and onion rings.  The beer list is solid, with main stream choices like Two Hearted Ale and a good line up of Colorado brews.  If you are looking for low key burgers and beers this is a good choice.  We had a party of 11 with multiple kids and they handled it no problem.  

    

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