Sae Jong Kwan

Sae Jong Kwan doesn't look promising from the parking lot. The windows are covered with paper that's lettered in Korean, and the lights behind those windows are dim. Once inside, you may not feel much more welcome: A hostess won't immediately greet you, and the space is sparsely decorated, if crammed with tables (those with grills located behind a divider wall). But once you're seated, a large, cold Hite beer helps take the edge off, and the food does the rest -- because everything at this eatery is exceptional, from garlic-tinged pork bulgogi to some of the hottest kimchi in Denver to bibim naeng myun, fiery cold noodles topped with Asian pear.