Audio By Carbonatix
Eavesdrop on the average downtown office conversation around noon and you’ll probably hear the question “Do you wanna go out for lunch?” almost invariably followed by, “Where should we go?” Then a discussion of the possibilities ensues, at the end of which everyone agrees to go to the same place they always go.
Of course, for the no-expense-account crowd, the choices aren’t exactly endless. And when time is money and both are tight, there are even fewer options.
Enter Speedy Gourmet. This spot is a variation on a national trend in which fine-dining chefs open express outlets that serve casual or mini-versions of their upscale fare at a fraction of the originals’ prices. In this case, the food comes courtesy of Lupe Gonzalez, longtime executive chef for the European Cafe and Al Fresco; when those two restaurants moved from Market Street to their new home beneath Brooks Towers this past spring, Speedy Gourmet was added alongside.
Once word got out that Speedy Gourmet was serving some of the same fabulous fare already available in the two restaurants but in smaller portions, once people discovered that all of Speedy’s lunches cost $5, which includes tax and a drink, and once it got around that you could be in and out in about fifteen minutes, Speedy Gourmet took off like a rocket.
And then went downhill just as speedily.
Recently, though, Speedy Gourmet has shown signs of improvement–perhaps because many regulars became disillusioned with the place and went back to their old lunch spots, thus lessening the crush and thereby relieving the pressure on the staff. And frankly, the employees have been a major part of Speedy’s problems. Several don’t seem to speak any English, and others speak only enough to yell “Pizza?”–and even then it’s hard to understand them, leaving would-be diners visibly confused when they can’t get an intelligible answer to any question.
At least the setup is clear. Although Speedy Gourmet has a few tables, most people come here for takeout. You stand in line to order–salads, sandwiches, burritos, pizzas and pastas–and hand over a fiver, then move along a cafeteria-style counter while you wait. And wait. And sometimes wait still longer.
When I dropped in recently to grab breakfast, Speedy Gourmet’s service was downright snail-paced. From the time I got in line to the time I walked out with two simple burritos, an hour had elapsed–making me late for work and earning me a parking ticket for my troubles.
But while the huge burritos were a good deal for their base price, they weren’t worth a $15 ticket. (Who would have thought two burritos would take more than twenty minutes?) The Denver omelette version ($2.75) came packed with eggs, ham, cheese, green peppers and onion, doused in a mild green chile. Speedy Gourmet also makes a thick, hot red chile, which I tried on the breakfast fajitas burrito ($3.50), another monster stuffed with shredded marinated steak, grilled onions and green peppers, soft potatoes and eggs.
On other visits I’ve found the service faster, although inconsistent. At one lunch, the Italian meat panini came out quickly (an order brought only one sandwich, technically a panino, rather than the plural panini–isn’t it about time restaurants figured out the difference?). The light, thin focaccia had been loaded up with capocollo, prosciutto, pepperoni, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and provolone, then drenched with a weak balsamic vinaigrette. Filling enough on its own, the panino came with a side of decent fries. The ziti Al Fresco, one of next door’s specialties, was another quick hit. Spicy sausage–house-made at Al Fresco–was matched with a basil-cream sauce enhanced by sun-dried tomatoes; a slice of garlic bread was the only other accompaniment this filling dish needed.
Our third item took much longer to arrive–so much longer, in fact, that we wished someone had warned us about the wait for a pizza. Still, the ten-inch vegetarian pie was a marvel. Thick, chewy crust had been slathered with an herb-strengthened red sauce, then covered with onions, romas, green peppers, grilled artichokes and mushrooms and topped by a layer of four perfectly melted cheeses.
On another visit, the pizza came much faster–but it was also awful, a thrown-together mess with fewer vegetables, less cheese and hardly any flavor. Our other dishes were dismal this round, too. The submarine was no more than standard; the ziti Al Fresco had way too much spicy sausage–especially considering the fact that the person who ordered it was told they would leave it off altogether–and a gooey cream sauce; the express burger tasted like it had come from Good Times during better times; the chicken panino sported dried-out pizza dough instead of focaccia, and while the bird breast was decent, it was obscured by less-than-fresh lettuce, tomatoes and avocado. And a side of guacamole (95 cents on its own and, inexplicably, $2.50 with a relatively small pile of tortilla chips) lacked any taste until we added salt and some lemon from the wedges set out for iced tea.
The most recent visit to Speedy Gourmet netted two more winners, though: a zippy, garlicky, creamy Caesar topped by a breast’s worth of grilled chicken strips; and sausage lasagne stacked high with black-pepper-flecked pasta, the house-made sausage, a thick layer of grilled veggies and two sauces–one Al Fresco’s signature red and the other a cheesy white. We finished up with a few of next door’s day-old desserts that Speedy sells for bargain-basement prices.
You pays your five bucks, you takes your chances.
Less of a gamble is Yoko’s Express, a smallish space that sits on the perimeter of Sakura Square. Every time I’ve visited, the service has lived up to the rest of Yoko’s name. The place is quiet and unassuming, with a gracious and very friendly staff and a limited but satisfying menu. And not only is the food inexpensive (particularly the bentos, though the portions are on the smallish side), it’s good.
On my first foray to Yoko’s I got takeout, choosing several bentos (the only to-go entrees available) and a side of typically concentrated and healthy-tasting miso soup ($1.50). The yakiniku bento ($5.75) was the most ample and by far the best: a pile of pungent, shredded teriyaki beef tossed with translucent onions, sided by a somewhat bland bean-sprout salad and some well-steamed rice. The nori bento ($4.95) brought two slim semi-circles of fish cake paired with a cucumber-filled, vinegar-flavored potato salad, pickled ginger and one pickled plum, all nestled together underneath a sheet of nori (seaweed).
And then there was the Rocky bento ($5.50), with chunks of chicken teriyaki, potato salad and…a Spam roll. The pressed-pork product is incomprehensibly popular in Japan, and in my office it was popular enough that six pieces of roll–rice, mayo, cucumbers and a thick Spam center–disappeared about four minutes after I set them out. Personally, I still think Spam’s an acquired taste–and one I have no plans to acquire.
We soon returned to eat at Yoko’s, which gave us a chance to try a few Japanese specialties that were pricier than the bentos but also came in larger portions, with much more complex flavors. The chicken udon ($6.25), for instance, boasted a multilayered broth choking with noodles, bean sprouts, scallions and delicate bits of chicken. And the katsu curry ($6.50), the Japanese version of pork cutlet, had been cooked until it was as tender as pound cake and tossed with carrots, broccoli and onions in a refined, rich, well-melded curry sauce.
But the ochazuke ($6.25) was the most interesting dish–shredded fresh salmon poached in hot tea and served over rice. Strangely, the tea had not flavored the salmon so much as it had enhanced the fish’s existing taste, bringing up its inherent sweetness. A side of supple, oniony gyoza ($4) supplied more starch, and we couldn’t resist a last scoop of green-tea ice cream ($1.75). Even so, we were in and out in 45 minutes total, and the owners thanked us about 45 times before we left.
So, do I wanna go out for lunch? Sure–but hold the Spam roll, please. J
Speedy Gourmet, 1430 Arapahoe Street, 825-3100. Hours: 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Friday.
Yoko’s Express, 1255 19th Street, 292-2323. Hours: 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
