A search for ramen leads to Sachi Sushi

There was a time in my life when I ate ramen once a week, and I'm not talking about that cheap brick of noodles that came with a sodium-loaded packet of flavoring. I'm talking rich broth, thick with animal fat and laden with noodles, pork belly, seaweed, scallions and a...

By Laura Shunk

January 4, 2011

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There was a time in my life when I ate ramen once a week, and I'm not talking about that cheap brick of noodles that came with a sodium-loaded packet of flavoring. I'm talking rich broth, thick with animal fat and laden with noodles, pork belly, seaweed, scallions and a yolky egg.

The soup is one of my favorite foods, but I had trouble finding the real thing in Denver.

My search for authentic ramen sent me to Japanese restaurants all over the metro area, but I always left disappointed. But then one day, someone directed me to Sachi Sushi in the Niwot Market, a restaurant tucked into the grocery store at 7980 Niwot Road. The little eatery only served ramen on Sundays, my tipster told me, but it was the real thing, the dish I'd been hunting down for almost two years. That was all it took to get me to make the drive to Niwot. Over the course of a few Sundays, I ate my way through a couple of different kinds of ramen and found occasion to sample the sushi, too.

How did the ramen at Sachi Sushi fare? Find out tomorrow, when the review is published here along with a slideshow.

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Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

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