Fu Sushi (182 Avenue B)

I was looking for a sushi spot to take my Mom to for her birthday & I came across Fu Sushi. F U Sushi? Is that like Up Yours Burger on Avenue A? Jokes aside, I later learned that the place is owned & run by a certain Mr. Fu, which explains the name.

They opened a few months ago in a space that was a crusty old clothing store & the decor is pretty simple, with plenty of cozy tables & the sushi bar & kitchen at the far end. We were offered tea & water as soon as we sat down as we looked through the menu.

We were having a conversation about how we both hated any sort of sushi with cream cheese on it & presto, the chef sent out an amuse bouche of tuna 'crunch' on a corn cracker with guess what: cream cheese! Oh, the irony. It was actually really good though.

We decided to order the Sushi & Sashimi combination for 1 as a starter while we looked for more stuff to order. It took quite a while to come out as it's obvious that the chef takes decoration very seriously & I'll admit that it looked like a piece of art (which we eventually defaced).

I still can't get over how much food there was. Both of us were stuffed after eating the plate (& we still had a few pieces left). The White Tuna was by far my favorite, but there was 2 pieces of clam sashimi (we had to ask what it was), that both of us really didn't like, just a matter of our own tastes.

Mom-Dukes got an order of Uni (Sea Urchin) as well, which was equally as attractive. I didn't try it, but she looked very pleased.

After we were done, they sent out a martini glass full of sectioned oranges which were deliciously sweet.

The food was excellent, the service was amazing (no teacup went unfilled!) & it was incredibly well priced. My only real gripe was the lack of booze. Community Board 3 turned down their liquor license as they're in a CB3 resolution area, a real bummer!

I certainly will be coming back here soon & I hope that the massive portions & the lack of booze doesn't lead to an early demise...

Ishikura Sushi (67 1st Avenue @ 4th St.)

Bracing the cold last night & refusing to wait on line at Takhachi, my brother & I walked a few extra blocks to Ishikura Sushi (formerly Kura Sushi) as a friend had recommended the place. Luckily the place wasn't very busy & we were seated at a spacious booth right away. With hands warming on delicious green tea, we took a look at the menu.

Honestly, everything looked good, but I don't know why the menu is so extensive. There seemed to be a lot of dishes duplicated in different sections, which made ordering somewhat difficult. Stefan opted for the Blue Crab Miso, while I just got a regular Miso soup to start. Stefan was thoroughly unimpressed with his soup, which he said had way too much vegetables in it.

The sushi that we got was extremely fresh & beautifully prepared. The salmon & tuna were both amazing. The service was good (our tea & water glasses were never empty for more than a minute or so) & I liked the decor. Ishikura is definetely a place that I'll be checking out again.

Sushi Hai (3600 W. 32nd Ave. Denver, CO)

Coming from New York, where we're so spoiled for choice in all foods, I really didn't expect to find good sushi in Denver. Luckily, my sister took me to Sushi Hai in the Highland area.

We got there early on Friday, so we were able to miss the rush & hit up the tail end of happy hour. The decor is really swanky & you can tell that the place is relatively new. Sitting at a large booth, we started to order. We opted for the usuals; California roll (not my favorite), Edamame & Spicy Tuna roll. We topped off our plates with a special roll; The # Nine & some sushi; Salmon, Tuna, Yellowtail & Freshwater Eel.

All of the sushi was good (I found the color of the tuna to be a little strange, like an extremely dark purple), but I really enjoyed the #9 which was a crab & tempura shrimp roll with salmon & avocado on top. Top notch stuff. I really shows how versatile Japanese cuisine can be, ingredients can be combined into infinite variations with ease.

Even though I'm a 'Sushi Snob', I really had a great meal at SushiHai & found it to be very reasonably priced, so if any of you New Yorkers are in the Denver area (or, if you live in Denver & have stumbled on this blog), give it a look. They also have an awesome 3000 sq. ft. bar/lounge which looks wicked (we weren't able to check it out as we had sprouts in tow).


Awstin Agrees!

Rai Rai Ken

So I'm hungry today & I have noodles on the brain. I call my boy Jacob, who's always up for some food. We planned on going to Minca (see previous blogs), then decided to try somewhere new. Having got our avenues mixed up, we were walking by Rai Rai Ken (214 East 10th St. btwn. 1st & 2nd Avenues) & decided to eat there. Best Avenue mistake EVER!

The space is small, but cozy, the food is amazing. I love Minca, but often find the broth to be far too rich - requiring a visit to my toilet shortly after leaving. Jacob & I both got the Shoyu noodles. Packed with beef, half an egg, a light tasty broth & assorted veggies. A HUGE bowl of deliciousness for $7! & (stop the press), $4 beer! Fuck yeah! Another cool thing is that they have a card that they stamp every time you get a ramen. Eat 10 & your next one is free!

Go to Rai Rai Ken... No RUN!

Minca!

I hit up Minca (536 E 5th St) with Dan (yeah, him again) for a late lunch/early dinner. I've been there quite a few times & I love the place. I brought my trusty camera to document the outing. If you're fans of Soba-Ka or Rai Rai Ken, then I suggest you check Minca out.

I ordered the Basic Ramen (which I get every time) & Dan got the Tsukemen. The noodles are cooked to perfection & topped with slow roasted pork (or you can substitute free range chicken), mushrooms, cabbage, a seaweed square & half of a soy infused boiled egg - pure heaven. Though we didn't order any today, the pork gyoza there are excellent. The gyoza are hand prepared daily & are guaranteed fresh!



My Basic:


Burp! Try as I might, I just couldn't finish it. I nearly got there, but my stomach raised the white flag.

Dan's Tsukemen:


Yet another tasty dish falls victim to Dan's bottomless stomach!

All in all, it was an excellent dining experience. The meal costed us $21 with tip (no drinks, but you do get an excellent barley tea with your meal). Normally, I'm a really picky person about eating; bad table manners drive me up the wall. What I really love about Minca is that I can let my hair down & slurp all I want. I'm handy with the chopsticks, but I tend to fling soup everywhere & I often leave covered in small dots of garlic & miso goodness.

Fuller than a fatted calf, I quickly retired back to my Apt. for some much needed sleep.

For more noodle-related tomfoolery, check out Pinknest's review of Momofuku