Epicurean Encounters: Cho77, Denver

Full disclosure here, I am a devoted fan of chef Lon Symensma of the phenomenal ChoLon in LoDo. From my first taste of his familiar yet foreign soup dumplings which appeared deceptively Asian, but burst forth with flavors of French onion soup, I was hooked. Here is a chef who is able to marry his diverse background. Educated at the Culinary Institute of America, Lon has trained with renowned chefs in New York City, France, Italy, and Spain. Additionally, he spent a year traveling throughout Southeast Asia furthering his repertoire. Amongst his accolades are a silver medal in the culinary olympics, a James Beard nomination, and a title as the 3rd Best Restaurant in Denver by 5280.
So, when I heard about his new Asian bistro opening on South Broadway, I was anxious to try it. Cho77, (1977 being the year chef Lon was born, is a more casual albeit hip little sister to the elegant and sophisticated ChoLon. It is nestled in the gentrified Baker neighborhood amongst other hipster joints such as Goya and Beatrice and Woodsley. The space is narrow and long with exposed brick and duct work, long communal high tops, and festive tea lights. On a busy Thursday night, the hostess apologetically offered the open window high top facing Broadway. I think we snagged the best seats in the house. It was not exactly a proper table but was perfect for simple street fare and people watching. It was especially romantic when the sky started to mist. One could dreamily imagine rickshaws in Thailand instead of the Beamers cruising the streets.
Intrigued and torn by the exotic cocktails with names like Hanoi Night Train and Crouching Tiger, we solicited the advise of the harried but patient server. Once reassured that grapefruit rice beer was more akin to Fresca than either sake or beer, I selected the Drunken Monk. Indeed, it was a stalwart drink, stiff enough to knock out any stoic friar. Leopold's gin and citrusy grapefruit rice beer was spiked with mint and a hint of Kaffir lime, a native of Asia and more aromatic than the grocery store lime. Don's cocktail, a Tamarind Sour, tasted similar to a traditional whiskey sour although the tamarind (a pea pod like fruit frequently used in cooking) imparted a sweetness as well as tartness. Other beverages include a hand full of interesting white and red wines, local and imported draft and bottled beers as well as non alcoholic drinks such as Vietnamese Coffee.
The menu, however simple and succinct, offered several tempting options. Shared plates include fusion delights such as Buffalo Chicken Buns and Red Chili Pork Dumplings. At the urging of the server, we went with the dumplings. Four expertly wrapped, glistening morsels arrived piping hot in a slightly sticky sauce of Chinese black vinegar and soy. Crunchy fried scallions were visually appealing and added texture and aroma. A slow heat released by the red chile soon followed the first bite. This excellent appetizer only fueled our anticipation for our noodle soup bowls.
Cho77 has only four noodle soups to choose from, but all sounded extraordinary. We narrowed it down to the Colorado Wagyu Beef Noodle Soup and the Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Ramen. The steaming soups arrived in gargantuan, pristine white, deep bowls. The Wagyu beef, to my delight, had fat and tendons attached. Most other establishments would perfunctorily remove them for the American palate. These under rated parts impart a depth of flavor during the slow braising process. The rich meat broth was perfumed with Chinese Five Spice which reminded me of my childhood noodle shop in Taiwan. Two halves of a succulent beef meatball further added to the heady soup. Accoutrements included jalepeno and red chile peppers, bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, and red onions. The cellophane rice noodles soaked up the abundant flavors.
The Bacon, Egg, & Cheese ramen was also flavorful but not nearly as swoon inducing as the Wagyu beef. The ramen noodles had toothsome bite, and the poached egg was perfectly cooked, but I found the soy marinated shitake mushrooms so over salted, they were borderline inedible. The miso bacon was more like bacon jerky, somewhat swarthy and stiff. I did not taste much cheese in the Parmesan broth. Even so, both were perfectly satiating on a cool, rainy night.
With stuffed bellies, we were too full for dessert, even for Sweet Action down the street, hands down the best ice cream in Denver. That will have to be another review for another time.