What: Dragonfly Noodle
Where: 1350 16th Street Mall
When: Open 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday
For more info: Visit dragonflynoodle.com
What we saw: Edwin Zoe flutters around the dining room at his new restaurant, much like a dragonfly. Shortly after being named a semi-finalist in the 2022 James Beard Foundation awards contest for best restaurateur in the country, the owner of Zoe Ma Ma announced the rebranding of his Boulder eatery Chimera as Dragonfly Noodle, prompted by a desire to have a fresh start after a tumultuous time during the pandemic. "The Dragonfly has always been one of the spirit animals I really admired, ever since I was a little kid," Zoe told Westword in March. "Dragonflies also symbolize transformation, and I thought, 'That's perfect.'"
Dragonfly Noodle's flagship location, though, is a new one for Zoe: the 16th Street Mall. After a soft opening while it waited on liquor license approval, the eatery at 16th and Larimer streets is now ready to ramp things up, even if it's still waiting on permit approval for its permanent signage and navigating the huge construction project out front.
With the 16th Street Mall in the midst of a makeover, Dragonfly is a bright and airy escape for anyone living, working or visiting that part of downtown — and a welcome respite from the many chain eateries in the area, including a Panera right next door and a Cheesecake Factory a block away.
The ordering system is part fast-casual, part full-service, a setup inspired by ramen shops in Tokyo, Zoe explains. Patrons enter a door that leads to a menu board where orders are placed and paid for before they are led to a table where food is brought out by staff, or Zoe himself. "I make an effort to touch every table," he says, as he gets up to check on several guests to see if they're enjoying their food.
"These noodles are so good," one patron remarks. Zoe responds proudly, explaining that all the noodles are made in-house, something that's not common at most pho and ramen restaurants in town.
Noodles are one of Zoe's passions, and the menu here is filled with options that show off his expertise in that area, from thick, stir-fried udon to pho to six variations of ramen, including an indulgent butter lobster option ($29), a tonkotsu that gets an extra boost of umami from black garlic ($15), and a spicy miso that's ideal for cold days ($16). Expect more options to be added as Zoe experiments; he says he's excited to flex his creativity as he continues to noodle around.
The food isn't strictly noodles, though. For those taking a quick lunch break, the light and well-balanced spicy tuna poke bowl ($12) served over rice with miso-poached daikon, cucumber, carrot, edamame, sprouts and a ginger garlic aioli is a flavor-packed meal. There's also a lineup of housemade bao buns ($4-$7) with fillings like roast duck, panko eggplant and lobster. "One thing I really like about baos is that it's kind of like a canvas; you can do fun things with it," Zoe remarks.
Now that its liquor license has been approved, Zoe is building out the booze program as well. Chilled sake and beer are currently available, and there are plans to add cocktails and soju flights soon.
What surprised us: Smoky flavors. "I like certain proteins to have a touch of smoke," Zoe notes. "And also, smoking and roasting concentrates the flavor, because most of the moisture leaves and the flavor concentrates."
This approach is most prevalent in the char siu rib ramen ($16), which comes with two tender ribs perched atop a tangle of fresh, bouncy noodles in a tonkotsu broth. The smokiness isn't overwhelming — it doesn't feel like you're eating a barbecue/ramen mashup, but it does add an unexpected twist to the dish.
Pork belly, which appears on a bao bun and in two of the ramen options, also gets smoked, as does the brisket for the pho (#13), which comes in a dark, rich beef bone broth that is cooked overnight. "I like to say that the pho we serve is really unique," Zoe says. "It still has all the components of pho, but we just put much more craft into the whole process."
So far, the menu seems to have resonated with customers, and the restaurant has started to build a good amount of repeat business. "Engaging in a new location with new guests, especially repeat guests, to see their faces, that is one of the rewards of this," Zoe concludes.