Denver Best Late-Night Menu - Izakaya Den - Best Of Denver

Food & Drink

Comments (0) Best Late-Night Menu - 2008

Izakaya Den

1518 S. Pearl St.

Denver, CO 80210

303-777-0691

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Readers' Choice: Charlie Brown's Bar & Grill

Funny thing about Izakaya Den: Owner Toshi Kizaki didn't write the menu for you. He didn't write it for the market, for the scene, for any specific demographic. He came up with the concept, the cuisine, many of the specific menu items to satisfy the wants and needs of one person only: Toshi Kizaki. See, Toshi, who also owns Sushi Den across the street, loves Denver, but he'd long felt that the city was missing a spot where people who work late (like him and cooks in general) could get something to eat. So finally, he just built that spot himself. And lucky for us he did. Because if the late-night crowds at the bar and in the dining room at Izakaya are any indication, there are a lot of people in this city who want to eat exactly like Toshi does: in great volume, with weird juxtapositions (Japanese-Mediterranean fusion) of flavors, and to do so long after the traditional dinner hour has come and gone.

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3 comments

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nas

Oy, commentier number one-read comment two. Maybe that's why. Food is fine there but I agree with two-no clear direction or appeal, not a place that people talk about for tapas style dining as a true Izakaya is meant to be. It brings people in but if they had half the talent of ToshiSan we'd be raving about it.

izakaya den is open no later that sushi den, closing at 10:30 on weekdays and midnight on weekends. this seems hardly late night. in fact the izakaya\'s concept seems to be in flux without clear, nor deliberate, execution. though it fills up and remains busy, it seems only as a result of overflow and lengthy waits at its big brother, sushi den

Mary

Patrice Boudou (restaurant consultant and Chef) and Gabe Stallone (who is the Executive Chef and has been from the beginning) were in charge of creating and executing the entire fusion tapas menu from day one. The only influence Toshi had on that menu was giving the ok to serve it. It's frustrating that even though Toshi is a very talented Chef and business man, that the people who were really responsible for the food are not being recognized!