Audio By Carbonatix
As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up, in no particular order, a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com.
Number 33: Cà ri chay from New Saigon
We’re not sure when New Saigon starting selling beef jerky out of bins, or, for that matter, to-go Vietnamese waffles in plastic containers, but there they are, in the back of the restaurant, right by the kitchen door that swings open and shut in rapid succession.
There’s rarely ever a lull at this Vietnamese stalwart that’s been slinging everything from pho to bun since 1987. The voluminous menu hustles more than 250 dishes, which means that it’s all too easy spend far too much time in a tattered booth practicing your pronunciation of “cuu zao sa ot,” while pissing off the sometimes surly servers who don’t have the time or patience for your dalliance. They push, they prod, and they occasionally walk away shaking their heads in exasperation when you’ve exhausted your time limit.
But every so often, you get a friendly server who’s anxious to chat about the weather and share his recommendations, like the ca ri chay, a metal fire pot bubbling with a mellow yellow coconut curry swamped with slices of tofu and vegetables — sweet potatoes, broccoli, straw mushrooms, baby corn, squash and carrots — and torpedoed with crushed peanuts, that turned out to be one of the most shockingly delicious vegetarian dishes you can imagine.
Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:
No. 100 Chicken-fried steak from Lola
No. 99 Alaskan reindeer sausage from Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs
No. 98 Mac-and-cheese fries from Jonesy’s EatBar
No. 97 Soft egg ravioli from Prima
No. 96 Pho – any pho — from Pho 95
No. 95 Assiette de charcuterie maison from Z Cuisine À Côté
No. 94: Cheeseburger from Larkburger
No. 93: BBQ Masher from Cabin Creek Smokehouse
No. 92: Apple pancake from the Original Pancake House
No. 91: Burrata from Osteria Marco
No. 90: Eggs Benedict from Devil’s Food Bakery
No. 89: Chile Relleno from La Fiesta
No. 88: Deviled eggs from Steuben’s
No. 87: Corn-in-a-cup from Jack-n- Grill
No. 86: Enchiladas from Taco House
No. 85: Pupusas from Pupusas Sabor Hispano
No. 84: Baklava from Ali Baba Grill
No. 83: Masa-fried oyster shooters from Deluxe
No. 82: Tacos al pastor from Los Carboncitos
No. 81: Salsa bar from Tacos Y Salsas
No. 80: Dim Sum from Star Kitchen
No. 79: Green chile cheeseburger from Cherry Cricket
No. 78: Fries from Encore
No. 77: Shanghai-style dumplings from Chopsticks China Bistro
No. 76: Chile relleno burrito from El Taco de Mexico
No. 75: Fish fry from GB Fish and Chips
No. 74: Posole from Tarasco’s
No. 73: Sausage, ham and egg biscuit from Table 6
No. 72: Bacon flight from the Berkshire
No. 71: Tasty Treats from Gaetano’s
No. 70: French dip from Udi’s
No. 69: Panang curry from US Thai Cafe
No. 68: Pineapple upside-down pancake from Snooze
No. 67: Saag paneer from India’s
No. 66: Udon noodle bowl from Bones
No. 65: Grilled corn soup from Lola
No. 64: Sesame pockets from Lee’s Garden
No. 63: Whiskey-braised beef from Steuben’s
No. 62: House special from Viet’s
No. 61: Sultan Combo from Phoenician Kabob
No. 60: Cake and a shake from D Bar Desserts
No. 59: Caprese salad from Gaia Bistro
No. 58: Fried chicken from Tom’s Home Cookin’
No. 57: Molcajete a la Mexicana from El Paraiso
No. 56: Corned beef hash from Argyll Gastropub
No. 55: Aye Conyo from Buchi Café Cubano
No. 54: Fig n’ pig flatbread pizza from Encore
No. 53: Toro sashimi from Sushi Den
No. 52: Spinach pinwheels from Virgilio’s
No. 51: Chicken-fried steak from the Breakfast King
No. 50: Hot dog with hot sauce from from the Old Fashioned Italian Deli
No. 49: Adobada gordita from Tacos Y Salsas
No. 48: Curried Indian mussels from Argyll Gastropub
No. 47. Pasta carbonara from Fruition
No. 46: Amarena cherries and chocolate from Sketch
No. 45: Aloo gosht salin from the British Bulldog
No. 44: Head cheese from Olivea
No. 43: Braised pork belly ramen noodle bowl from Den Deli
No. 42: Lemon cheesecake from L’Atelier
No. 41: Croissant with Asiago and prosciutto from Buffalo Doughboy Bakery
No. 40: Prosciutto eggs Benedict from Panzano
No. 39: Double cheeseburger from Bud’s Bar
No. 38: Calabacitas pupusas from Tambien
No. 37: Lamb shank from Mecca Grill
No. 36: Beignets from Lucile’s Creole Cafe
No. 35: Jaam-bong from Karma Asian
No. 34: Beef cheeks from Squeaky Bean
