For top-notch service, dedication to excellence and continuous innovation, the Kizaki brothers still set the standard for Denver restaurants, Japanese or otherwise. Where else can you nibble on a charcoal-grilled fish head, eat a skewer-full of chicken oysters (the plump little cutlets from the chicken's back) in pungent kizami wasabi sauce, or sample a bowl of burdock root batons, all while pouring cups of some of Japan's most revered sakes? If you let it sweep you away, Ototo is as much of an experience as a restaurant, one of those rare places where removing yourself from the clamor of the full dining room and immersing yourself in food and drink turns dining out into pure magic.
Readers' Choice: Domo