Cholon Bistro, Denver

Sample Menu

• Small bite: duck spring rolls with cilantro yogurt
• Small plate: beef tartare with chinese mustard and tapioca puffs
• Large plate: diver scallops and vegetable pad thai
• Dessert: corn cake with sour-cherry ice cream and cardamom popcorn

When to Go: For a more casual, slightly less expensive meal, swing by for happy hour (2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday–Saturday), when select appetizers, wines, and cocktails are served at a discount.

In the Press

• One of Bon Appétit's Top 6 Places to Taste the New Asian Fusion in 2011.
• One of Details magazine's 10 Best New Asian Restaurants in America in 2012.

Inside Tip: Do not ask for ketchup. Beyond the fact that it's a faux pas at upscale restaurants, Chef Lon Symensma just can't stand the stuff. As he told an interviewer for Westworld, one of his first apartments was next door to a Heinz factory, which permeated the air with the smell of tomatoes and vinegar. This experience left the chef with a strong aversion to the popular condiment.

Vocab Lesson
Cholon: literally translates to "big market," and it's also the name of the largest Chinese market in Saigon, Vietnam.
Pandan: a fragrant, almost-floral herb used in Southeast Asian cooking. At ChoLon, Chef Symensma tosses it into his Singapore-style chicken and rice.

While You're in the Neighborhood
Before: Whet your appetite with a trip to EVOO Marketplace (1338 15th Street), where you can sample gourmet olive oils and balsamic vinegars.

After: Sip a nightcap at Mario's Double Daugher's Salotto (1632 Market Street), a dimly lit lounge with a Grimm's fairy tale kind of feel.