Best Dinner Under $5 2001 | Kokoro | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Dinner Under $5

Kokoro

You'll be bowled over by the bargain that is Kokoro. Since the Colorado Boulevard location opened in 1985, Kokoro has been serving healthy food for a very slim price, and the deal is the same at the newer site in Arvada. The regular-sized rice bowls and noodle bowls all come in at under $4 and are plenty for a meal, filled with such heart-happy ingredients as lean beef, skinless chicken breast, fresh snow peas, broccoli, bamboo shoots, Asian cabbage, bean sprouts and carrots. If you're really hungry, a "super" version still costs less than $6, tax included. Sit at the counter and get to know your neighbor, or grab your dinner to go -- either way, the food is fast, cheap and delicious.

Best Thick Pizza

Parisi

Molly Martin
The crust on Parisi's pizza isn't the thick, thick Sicilian-style, but it's not crackly-thin, either. Let's split the difference and agree that this crust is simply delicious, thick enough to hold a ton of toppings, but not so thick that you're done for after a single slice. Simone Parisi, a native of Florence, Italy, and his wife, Christine, a native of Boulder, Colorado, always wanted to open an authentic pizzeria in Denver, and that's exactly what they did a few years ago. Since then, they've gained plenty of fans, and with good reason. Their pizzas are divided by theme, such as rustica and vegetariana, and come loaded with fresh and imported ingredients, including Simone's own house-smoked scamorze cheese. And even after all the toppings are gone, along with the pie's chewy center, the oven-charred, crispy edge of the crust makes for great post-pizza snacking.

Best Thick Pizza

Parisi

The crust on Parisi's pizza isn't the thick, thick Sicilian-style, but it's not crackly-thin, either. Let's split the difference and agree that this crust is simply delicious, thick enough to hold a ton of toppings, but not so thick that you're done for after a single slice. Simone Parisi, a native of Florence, Italy, and his wife, Christine, a native of Boulder, Colorado, always wanted to open an authentic pizzeria in Denver, and that's exactly what they did a few years ago. Since then, they've gained plenty of fans, and with good reason. Their pizzas are divided by theme, such as rustica and vegetariana, and come loaded with fresh and imported ingredients, including Simone's own house-smoked scamorze cheese. And even after all the toppings are gone, along with the pie's chewy center, the oven-charred, crispy edge of the crust makes for great post-pizza snacking.

Best Sushi

Sushi Den

Sushi Den
We've said it before, and we'll no doubt say it again: Sushi Den slices up the best sushi in town. The setting is stylish, the fish spanking fresh, and the owners adventurous enough to import their own from Japan so that Denverites can get a rare, raw look at what sushi should really be.

Best Sushi

Sushi Den

We've said it before, and we'll no doubt say it again: Sushi Den slices up the best sushi in town. The setting is stylish, the fish spanking fresh, and the owners adventurous enough to import their own from Japan so that Denverites can get a rare, raw look at what sushi should really be.

Best Dim Sum

King's Land Seafood Restaurant

This is some dim sum. King's Land, a cavernous Chinese restaurant at the edge of a parking lot that's surrounded by Asian markets and eateries, puts on the most authentic dim sum spread in town. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, the kitchen sends out carts in rapid succession bearing an assortment of steaming buns, fragrant barbecued ribs, ground shrimp in its many guises, semi-sweet custard tarts and cakes, sticky rice balls and meat-packed dumplings. Choose quickly and eat up, because the next cart will be around before you know it. Dim sum translates to "little heart's delights" in Cantonese, and King's Land has certainly won ours. Dim sum here is a real afternoon delight.

Best Dim Sum

King's Land Seafood Restaurant

This is some dim sum. King's Land, a cavernous Chinese restaurant at the edge of a parking lot that's surrounded by Asian markets and eateries, puts on the most authentic dim sum spread in town. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends, the kitchen sends out carts in rapid succession bearing an assortment of steaming buns, fragrant barbecued ribs, ground shrimp in its many guises, semi-sweet custard tarts and cakes, sticky rice balls and meat-packed dumplings. Choose quickly and eat up, because the next cart will be around before you know it. Dim sum translates to "little heart's delights" in Cantonese, and King's Land has certainly won ours. Dim sum here is a real afternoon delight.

Best Indian Restaurant

India's Rang Mahal

Westword
Don't hold this inviting eatery's location against it -- once you're inside the patchouli-scented space that is India's Rang Mahal, you'll forget all about the strip mall outside. Rang Mahal, which means "color palace," lives up to its name: The restaurant is full of sensual delights, from the perfumey smells of incense to the rich fabrics that decorate the space to the food itself. One bite buys you passage to India, where spices are used to take ordinary meats and vegetables to a higher plane. Chef Vinod Malhopra likes to play with flavors to see what he can coax out of them; sometimes he pan-fries fennel seeds to bring out the taste at their center, and sometimes he roasts them to bring oils to the forefront. The vegetarian dishes are out of this world, and the lamb dishes are also sublime -- particularly the rogan josh, a North Indian specialty that puts the meat in an almond-based sauce.

Best Indian Restaurant

India's Rang Mahal

Don't hold this inviting eatery's location against it -- once you're inside the patchouli-scented space that is India's Rang Mahal, you'll forget all about the strip mall outside. Rang Mahal, which means "color palace," lives up to its name: The restaurant is full of sensual delights, from the perfumey smells of incense to the rich fabrics that decorate the space to the food itself. One bite buys you passage to India, where spices are used to take ordinary meats and vegetables to a higher plane. Chef Vinod Malhopra likes to play with flavors to see what he can coax out of them; sometimes he pan-fries fennel seeds to bring out the taste at their center, and sometimes he roasts them to bring oils to the forefront. The vegetarian dishes are out of this world, and the lamb dishes are also sublime -- particularly the rogan josh, a North Indian specialty that puts the meat in an almond-based sauce.

Best Chocolates

Sweet Rockin' Coffee

Caterer Tammy Davis, who first tempted us at a little diner called Divine Temptations, is back -- in a new space, but still up to her old tricks. Although Sweet Rockin' is an adorable bakery on its own, with an excellent coffee bar and breakfast and lunch items that satisfy both a hungry stomach and a sweet tooth, the real temptations here are Davis's homemade chocolates. These are enchanting little confections made with good-quality chocolate -- Davis uses the domestic Merckens, a favorite of the home candymaker because of its low working temperature, high flexibility and rich, cocoa-heavy flavor -- and oozing enticing fillings, including peanut butter, coconut cream, lemon, maple and vanilla with macadamia nuts. Chocolates come in both milk and dark versions, and one bestseller is a white chocolate filled with coffee cream (coffee and cream, get it?). Davis also cooks up cherry cordials and seven types of truffles (the English toffee rules), and her bittersweet-dipped dried apricots put gorp to shame. Although offerings vary from day to day, the $19-per-pound price is a constant -- and a bargain, considering how these chocolates rock!

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