ChoLon, Denver

We don’t usually get down to Denver because the restaurants (from low to high) in Boulder are just so great.   All through the summer, I’d been seeing notes about ChoLon.  The descriptions on various web reports made the restaurant sound like the type of fusion that I love to eat.  Finally, in November, because we were taking some out-of-town visitors to the art museum, I made lunch reservations and we had the pleasure of dining there.

~The decor is modern but not unfriendly.  The tables have enough space so that you don’t feel crowded and the noise level is just right.

~The meal started with this beautiful rice cake. At another table where a couple sat, this rice cake had the window as its background. The lighting from the back made the rice cake look like a gigantic cross section of a geode or gem.  It positively shimmered.  If it wasn’t so impolite to take pictures of strangers eating, I would have taken one at that moment.
~Because everything on the menu sounded interesting, we ordered a wide range of items to share. I’m just including a few pictures to give you an idea about the plating and the range- two of the small plates and two of the mains.

Pork belly dumplings

Duck rolls

Green curry tofu

Noodles

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~The best was the soup dumplings dish which just like the classic xiao long bao where the soup just comes oozing out as you take a bite, but with decidedly European flare.  Overall, the flavors were amazing.  We were going out for dinner that evening and so we skipped dessert.  That just means we have to go back….