I came here during the second day of my business trip with my best friend and most of the engineers from my group. Originally, I wasn't even planning on trying this restaurant. My first meal was supposed to be Mizuna but they were closed. So I moved my Sunday appointment at Sushi Den to Saturday. As fate would have it my best friend was also on travel to the area so we decided to meet up for dinner. In the end I cajoled all the young engineers (aka those without spouses or children) into joining us.
Having heard endlessly about my dining exploits (I like to hear myself talk) my coworkers were apprehensive about the amount of money this meal was going to cost. Somehow they all decided at the last minute to go. Luckily I was able to increase the reservations from 2 to 6 people.
The restaurant is located in the shadow of Coors Field, a very nice area of Denver called Little Raven. The area was dotted with new looking condos and the grounds looked very well kept.
The interior was very much like I expected from a trendy Asian fusion restaurant with modern decor and a bar.
There was a short wait while our table was being prepared and my friend and I went to the bar. He ordered what has become his drink of choice of late, a mojito. In keeping with the Latin-Asian theme of the place I had a Shisojito. Basically both drinks are the same rum, lime, syrup, and mint, however mine used shiso a Japanese mint that is milder and sweeter. My early experiences with shiso weren't promising as I felt the flavor was too strong. However when paired with the right ingredients the flavor remains distinct but nicely integrated. When we finished our cocktails we ordered a bottle of unfiltered sake which was not very memorable.
Zengo specializes in tapas style dining and wanting to be true to that vision, my friend and I ordered 9 courses to share between the two of us.
We started with a duo of ceviches. First up was shrimp with green papaya, watermelon, and yuzu. I definitely got a very sweet and tart fruity tropical flavor with the mix of 3 fruits accompanied by an accent of shiso. Sadly the shrimp themselves were overcooked and a touch rubbery.
The second ceviche was Mahi Mahi with coconut, pineapple, basil, habanero, and sesame. I liked this one for its conflicting sweet and spicy taste. The overall flavor was very Thai with the coconut milk as the base for the sauce.
Next we ordered three tiraditos, the first of which being an old favorite, yellowtail. Tiradito is a cousin to ceviche that usually features raw fish as the main ingredient along with other toppings and typically some sort of citrus. The yellowtail tasted extremely fresh and perfectly accented with cucumber, lemon, shiso, shiracha, and soy sauce. Something about raw yellowtail it has this unique flavor I love that is lost when the fish is cooked. I am happy to say this dish really brought out the flavor with a hint of citrus and spice. This was probably the favorite of the evening. In fact, I convinced one of my coworkers who wants to learn to eat fish to try this dish and she even thought it was really good.
This was the weakest of the tiraditos. Again the fish was fresh and this time came with a piloncillo-citrus mustard, soy, and wakame or kelp. I thought the flavor was a bit mild but the seaweed added a nice crunch.
The last tiradito was a Kobe beef tiradito topped with miso mustard and scallions, swimming in a pool of ponzu. The beef did not exhibit much marbling along the surface and the flavor reflected this with only a mildly fatty taste. The texture was still tender and the mustard was an excellent pairing with the beef as was the citrus of the ponzu. I would have this flavor again the next day and I must say I really love my Kobe beef with mustard.
Next we had "Dim Sum" consisting of Kobe Beef Gyoza with shrimp, red chile, onion, and a black vinegar-soy dipping sauce. I wasn't too big a fan of this dish either. The gyoza tasted buttery and rich by itself, but once dipped in the sauce the flavors combined for form an unpleasant bitterness.
The second dim sum was Lobster Potstickers, yes gyoza (Japanese) and potstickers (Chinese) are two words for the same dish. I preferred the lobster potstickers which came with shrimp, shiitake, basil, and a yuzu-sake sauce to the gyoza. The lobster and mushroom filling had a very home-cooked taste and evoked a feeling of reassurance like I was eating homemade potstickers. Surprisingly I actually preferred this dish with the sweet dipping sauce.
This was the coolest dish of the night by far. We ordered 4 ounces of Snake River Kobe Beef which came raw with a hot stone so we could cook it to our liking. Eagerly my friend and I plucked single pieces of the delicate beef and placed them on the stone. To our dismay the stone was not yet greased and the cooked meat stuck fast to it. Quickly I used my chopsticks as an impromptu spatula scraping the beef free. As a result of the prolonged contact the beef was overcooked but still paletable. Subsequent pieces we dipped in the sauce to serve as a lubricant and we merely swiped the beef on the stone lest the heat burn off the sauce and cause the meat to stick. Cooking the beef gave off a rich aroma of sizzling fat which only increased our apptetites. My friend and I tried a variety of preparation times from raw to well done. I found my favorite was raw or just slightly brushed so there was a bit of charring on one side.
Only recently have I been able to stomach the richness of foie gras. This was a marginal dish, a bit too sweet and the foie gras was a bit overdone for my liking, tasting a touch to bitter.
The first dessert was the Chocolate Bombe, chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell with chocolate sauce and cooked fruit, topped with a tuile. The dessert was good if a bit pedestrian.
This was the dessert that impressed everyone. Although some people were reluctant to have any at first. The churros were warm on the outside with a fresh topping of cinnamon and sugar, but the inside was a bit too moist for me. The real star of the show was the dipping sauce, very refreshing and spicy with a bit of sweetness.
The restaurant was another fairly strong offering from Denver. Actually most of my coworkers who went were very pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed their entrees. I consider it a mark of pride to see that they all exceeded our per diem, their corruption is coming along nicely. Also my coworker who doesn't eat anything but chicken tried lobster and raw fish for the first time. At this rate I'll have her eating bugs in a week.
My biggest complaint against the restaurant came after the meal. My friend and I asked for signed menus they brought us menus with the jackets then charged us $35. Seriously after spending $300 you think they could give us some paper for free. Understandably most restaurants wont give up their jackets even if it is a piece of cardboard, but please let us know if you want to charge us for the menu. All we actually wanted was the paper inside the jacket but instead of asking they simply billed my card.
Aside from that little snag, I would recommend Zengo to those in the mood for something a little different. Yes the restaurant is a bit trendy but the food is good and so are the cocktails.
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