Best Seafood Cookbook 2003 | Jax Fish House Book of Fish Dave Query and Jill Zeh Richter | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Seafood Cookbook

Jax Fish House Book of Fish Dave Query and Jill Zeh Richter

"Running a successful fish house is like juggling ice cubes on a hot day," says Jax chef/owner Dave Query in the preface to the new Jax Fish House Book of Fish. And while he might be right -- doing fresh fish properly in a state that doesn't even border a state that borders an ocean -- can be rough, Query and co-author Jill Zeh Richter give away a lot of the house secrets in this comprehensive guide to all things tasty and aquatic. In addition to roughly a hundred recipes (which include saucing directions and plating hints for the Martha Stewart in all of us) culled from Jax menus past and present, the Book of Fish is also a treasure chest of food history, lore and terminology. For example, who knew that before industrialization of the area around the Caspian Sea, sturgeon used to live up to 200 years -- and that now all caviar must be processed through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species? Or that many species of grouper undergo sex-reversal in middle age, producing sperm when they're young and eggs when they get older? For food nerds, this is all pretty cool stuff. And for those who don't particularly care about the sexual peculiarities of their dinner and just want to know how to cook it, the recipes are simple, straightforward, brightly illustrated and accompanied by directions for making dozens of sides and sauces.

Best Sushi

Opal

In Japan, a sushi chef will study for years just to learn the proper way to use a knife. He will apprentice himself to a master chef, work insanely long hours, learn everything he can about rolling fish up with rice -- and then spend a lifetime getting better and better at it. For hundreds of years, the Japanese have labored to refine the art of sushi, and while there are dozens of places in and around Denver where you can experience the fruits of all this obsessive attention, there's one that stands out: Opal. Executive chef Duy Pham is a freak for freshness and perfection, sometimes getting in three shipments a day from suppliers so that nothing ever sits, nothing ever ages. He keeps a close eye on his two sushi chefs -- Herry Fnu and Mario Moscoso -- and makes good and goddamn sure that every plate, every roll, every scrap of fish and grain of rice is exactly where it belongs. Since even something as simple as a cucumber roll takes on an element of the divine when this much attention is lavished upon it, imagine the heights to which something as delicate as sea urchin or complex as the Golden Dragon roll can be raised when subjected to such scrutiny. No matter what your passion, trust in the traditional rigor and exacting hands at Opal to do it better than anyone else.

Best Sushi

Opal

In Japan, a sushi chef will study for years just to learn the proper way to use a knife. He will apprentice himself to a master chef, work insanely long hours, learn everything he can about rolling fish up with rice -- and then spend a lifetime getting better and better at it. For hundreds of years, the Japanese have labored to refine the art of sushi, and while there are dozens of places in and around Denver where you can experience the fruits of all this obsessive attention, there's one that stands out: Opal. Executive chef Duy Pham is a freak for freshness and perfection, sometimes getting in three shipments a day from suppliers so that nothing ever sits, nothing ever ages. He keeps a close eye on his two sushi chefs -- Herry Fnu and Mario Moscoso -- and makes good and goddamn sure that every plate, every roll, every scrap of fish and grain of rice is exactly where it belongs. Since even something as simple as a cucumber roll takes on an element of the divine when this much attention is lavished upon it, imagine the heights to which something as delicate as sea urchin or complex as the Golden Dragon roll can be raised when subjected to such scrutiny. No matter what your passion, trust in the traditional rigor and exacting hands at Opal to do it better than anyone else.

Best Sushi Between Two Car Dealers

Sushi Uokura

When the sheer drudgery of haggling through "low, no haggle prices," test-driving and penny-pinching gets to you, take a break. The interior of Sushi Uokura is incongruously reminiscent of the most casual of beach houses, and the sushi is excellent, without an ounce of the precious pretention that's befallen so many Denver favorites. And when you've finally hammered out an automotive deal, Sushi Uokura will be happy to pour you some premium sake. By that time, you'll have earned it.

Best Sushi Between Two Car Dealers

Sushi Uokura

When the sheer drudgery of haggling through "low, no haggle prices," test-driving and penny-pinching gets to you, take a break. The interior of Sushi Uokura is incongruously reminiscent of the most casual of beach houses, and the sushi is excellent, without an ounce of the precious pretention that's befallen so many Denver favorites. And when you've finally hammered out an automotive deal, Sushi Uokura will be happy to pour you some premium sake. By that time, you'll have earned it.

Best Japanese Restaurant

Domo

Why a Japanese country restaurant -- not to mention Zen garden, museum and complete Japanese cultural center -- is located in this industrial part of Denver is anybody's guess. What Domo's doing here, however, is very clear: Chef/owner Gaku Homma Domo's serving the town's best Japanese food -- both authentic provincial fare and sushi -- in a setting that's a marked contrast to all the sushi-chic spots in town. Walk into those places, and you feel like you're stepping into the pages of GQ; step into Domo, and you're in another country altogether: the land of the rising sun. In the summer, you're greeted by outdoor gardens where the train whistles sounds like nightingales; in the winter, glasses of sake steam from the tables. Arigato, Domo.

Best Japanese Restaurant

Domo

Why a Japanese country restaurant -- not to mention Zen garden, museum and complete Japanese cultural center -- is located in this industrial part of Denver is anybody's guess. What Domo's doing here, however, is very clear: Chef/owner Gaku Homma Domo's serving the town's best Japanese food -- both authentic provincial fare and sushi -- in a setting that's a marked contrast to all the sushi-chic spots in town. Walk into those places, and you feel like you're stepping into the pages of GQ; step into Domo, and you're in another country altogether: the land of the rising sun. In the summer, you're greeted by outdoor gardens where the train whistles sounds like nightingales; in the winter, glasses of sake steam from the tables. Arigato, Domo.

Best Combo Asian

Moongate Asian Grill

The tiny, almost unbelievably cute Moongate Asian Grill restaurant offers a culinary exploration of Asian foods. Even a package tour of the Pacific wouldn't let you try this many cuisines -- and Moongate saves you not just the time and expense, but also the malaria shots required for such a venture. Where else can you have chicken satay and panang curry, Vietnamese egg rolls and rice bowls, tempura and udon, broccoli beef and kung pao chicken -- all under one roof? More important, where will they all taste so good?

Best Combo Asian

Moongate Asian Grill

The tiny, almost unbelievably cute Moongate Asian Grill restaurant offers a culinary exploration of Asian foods. Even a package tour of the Pacific wouldn't let you try this many cuisines -- and Moongate saves you not just the time and expense, but also the malaria shots required for such a venture. Where else can you have chicken satay and panang curry, Vietnamese egg rolls and rice bowls, tempura and udon, broccoli beef and kung pao chicken -- all under one roof? More important, where will they all taste so good?

Best Americanized Chinese

Imperial Chinese Restaurant

Let's face it: Americanized Chinese is, well, Americanized Chinese. But when it's done well -- and Imperial Chinese does it very well -- it's still good food. Imperial ups the ante by recommending wines to pair with the dishes, by not hiding its meats under thick batter and molasses-sweet candy glazes, and with dining-room decor that's an elegant improvement over the usual stark strip-mall walls hung with giant backlit photos of what your kung pao might look like. You won't take any big risks here -- but you really didn't expect any, did you?

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