Dine & Dish: ChoLon Bistro

When entering ChoLon Bistro, a downtown dining hot spot, a friendly staff greets you with the ease and class of an long-time established restaurant. In their second year, ChoLon has carved out a particularly blissful section of the Denver dining scene - modern Asian cuisine.

ChoLon Bistro's Restaurant Week menu was served family style allowing dinners to try many dishes. We, along with my family, tasted nearly all the menu offerings.

A statement piece - a sesame crisp - served dramatically upright started off the meal. For dipping was a sauce with the strong, familiar flavors of chili powder.

For appetizers, we tried the Soup Dumplings, Vietnamese Grilled Chicken Wings, and Kaya Toast. The onion soup filling of the Soup Dumpling was deeply flavorful and pillowy in texture.

The Chicken Wings were sweet and tender with a touch of heat. The blue cheese dipping sauce was particularly enjoyed!

Of notable mention, the Kaya Toast sounds so strange you'd tend to steer clear of it. But don't pass it up! Order this dish. The sweet coconut toast dipped into the egg cloud created the perfectly creamy, sweet and salty bite.

Next, we enjoyed Beet Salad which was served with playful presentation looking as it was a full head of lettuce growing in the garden. The salad was lightly dressed and mixed in multi-colored beets, candied walnuts and blue cheese.

Then, we tried the Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with ground pork. At first bite, I thought they might be the best Brussels I'd tasted. But with a couple more bites - and Dan accurately pointing out that the lemon flavor was so strong, they tasted like the smell of Pine-Sol - I could enjoy no more.

On to entrees...we tried the Kung Pao Chicken, Steamed Sole and Pork Tenderloin.

The highlight was the Pork Tenderloin which was served with a Chinese Bacon Sauce that was as divine as it was succulent. The butternut squash puree was floral in taste and didn't emphasize the natural flavor of the squash. Still, this was the fav entree tasted.

Speaking of favorite, the Spiced Doughnuts were HEAVENLY good. The doughnuts were served with a richly coffee flavored ice cream that spoke to the coffee lover in all of us. We also enjoyed the Chocolate Cake dessert served with Salted Peanut ice cream. But as far as desserts go, the doughnuts took the cake!

Salted Spoons:

Need a bigger helping?:
ChoLon Bistro