Denver's Best Banh Mi

DENVER'S BEST BANH MI:

Ba Le Sandwiches

1044 South Federal Blvd

Denver, CO 80219

Phone: (303) 922-2129

If you're a sheltered Coloradan with no taste of the world beyond the Centennial State, you may be asking yourself "What the heck is a Banh Mi"?

Well we're here to enlighten you. A Banh Mi is a Vietnamese sandwich, which features a combination of Vietnamese ingredients in a format left over from French colinization of the country.

Ba Le delivers up Colorado's best version of the Banh Mi: crispy French baguettes stuffed with your choice of filling. They usually include carrots, cucumber, onions, cilantro, and your choice of main ingredients: anything from meatballs, beef, pate to pork or tofu.

Ba Le is a small storefront wedged between a row of Asian storefronts and restaurants at the corner of Federal and Mississippi. Clean, welcoming, and incredibly efficient, you can pop in for a sandwich and be out of there in less than 3 minutes, crispy baguette in hand.

What's best about Ba Le? Not only is the bread crispy and delicious, and the veggies fresh and popping in your mouth, but everything on the menu is under $3.00. That's unheard of for a sandwich in Denver.

Do yourself a favor and get 2...spring for the $6 as you'll most likely wolf down the first one.

What to order: the sliced beef was delicious, with tender slices of juicy hot meat topped with cool veggies...quite a combo!

Best Dim Sum in Denver

BEST DIM SUM: Super Star Asian Cafe

2200 West Alameda Avenue

303-727-9889

(no website)

Super Star has taken over the title of best Dim Sum in Denver.

This rating is based on the stand-along rating of its food quality alone. Last time I visited (at night) the sign out front wasn't lit up in Alameda Square, making it hard to find. Inside, the walls were undecorated and bare.

However soon I found myself the only Caucasian in the place, as it filled up with Chinese-Americans, which is a good sign (word is on weekend days, you can expect up to an hour wait for a table during dim sum rush!).

The dim sum menu was great, nothing atypical from the other 6 or so dim sum contenders in town. But the quality of the food was much better than any other dim sum I've tasted in the city....what they lack in atmosphere, they make up for in authenticity and superior food quality.

What to order: beef spareribs were great, as were the shrimp and scallop dumplings. Whatever you choose, there's only 2 or 3 pieces per plate, so don't like it? Move on to the next dish!

Best Mexican Food in Denver

BEST MEXICAN: Los Carboncitos
3757 Pecos St.
303-458-0880

If you're a gringo, sometimes you might be the only one not ordering in Spanish in this place. But Los Carbonzitos is a cozy, no-frills taqueria that welcomes everyone.

Denver's Mexican-Americans swear it serves up the most authentic dishes in the city, a city that's known for its Mexican food! Take a native of Mexico City and they'll tell you that Los Carboncitos represents the food of their city very well.

You can view the chefs cooking right behind the counter, and slicing the meat right off the gyro-like spinners, whisking the plates out assembly-line style while you sip on a horchata, enveloped in the smells of the grill.

What to order: Los Carboncitos are known for their signature dishes called "Huaraches", a full plate that resembles its namesake, a long Mexican sandal. You can't go wrong with one. Another good choice is the Hawaiian taco plate is fantastic.....you will need to ask for more tortillas because you will for sure polish off more than 7 or so.

Best Pizza in Denver

BEST PIZZA: Marco's Coal-Fired Pizza

2129 Larimer Street

(303) 296-7000

www.marcoscoalfiredpizza.com

The best pizza in town is now Marco's, hands down.

Why? How about the fact that despite being the new kid in town, they jumped right to the top of the list? Or that they are the only certified authentic Napolitano pizzeria in town, with a delegation sent from Naples to certify their authenticity?

Featuring an upscale decor, and actual authentic Italian pizza (you can select from the New York [read "boring American"] or "authentic Napoletana" sections of the menu), straight from the old country made in smoldering coal ovens in plain view.

Maybe the trendiest new place in town, but Marco's makes the best pies in the state. It's true, don't fight it.

What to order: the Toscana, featuring fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato sauce, arugula, grape tomatoes, Prosciutto di Parma, Gran Cru, extra virgin olive oil. Also not to miss for an appetizer: the coal-fired wings before you start.

Denver's Best Sushi

BEST SUSHI: Sushi Tazu

300 Fillmore St. in Cherry Creek

(303) 320-1672

www.SushiTazu.com

Okay, everyone knows Sushi Den has a pretty good social atmosphere. And Sushi Sasa is very hip. Sonoda's is old, bland and/or a bit creepy, depending on which one you visit. Hapa is too much hype, all flash and dazzle and is lacking authenticity.

But Sushi Tazu has all the rest of the Mile High City's sushi restaurants beat in the food department. They might not have very many seats, but everything on the sushi menu is top-notch (and so are the dishes off the sushi menu...their buckwheat Udon noodle bowls are incredible.)

The chefs' attention to detail is up front and personal, and it shows in the taste of your meal. The ambiance is quaint but busy; good luck getting in here on a Saturday night, the line goes right out the door through the seats on the patio.

What to order: Appetizer: the shrimp croquettes: cheesy and delicious. Live seafood: pick your favorite from a bowl of live crabs on the bar and they'll fry 'em up right there. Roll: the Firecracker roll, which includes tuna, avocado, cheese and bell peppers...you wouldn't think it works, but it's a gobsmacker.

Best French Restaurant in Denver

BEST FRENCH: Le Central

112 East 8th Ave.

Phone: 303-863-8094

Authenticity and taste are the keys here that make Le Central the overall winner. Other restaurants in town make the claim of being French, but at none of them do you really get that authentic feel, as they feature a bit too much polished brass or snootiness (which you could argue is acutally very authentic).

Le Central is the opposite; homey and comfortable, it's even located in an old redone house; you either eat in the living room, the dininrg room or the back porch. The food is rustic and hearty, provincial style, and the staff and guests even speak the language around you; when's the last time you were surrounded by conversational French in Denver?

What to order: you know what you have to order once they hand you 2 menus when you walk in; the dinner menu and the mussles menu. That's right, an entirely separate menu devoted to scores of mussle options in differently flavored pots. Do it authentic style and order up a steamed pot of herbed mussles, frites, and a Fischer beer. Then get ready to move on to the real menu, from which you can't possibly go wrong with the braised rabbit.

Denver's Best Japanese Restaurant

BEST JAPANESE: Domo

1365 Osage Street

Denver, CO 80204

Phone: 303-595-3666

This category is furthest and away the most lopsided. There is no more obvious owner of this award than Domo.

Not that I care what other reviewers think, but not only have Domo won the title of Westword's best Japanese restaurant for 12 years running, but Zagat voted them the #1 Japanese restaurant in the USA for 2008.

Domo is the real deal. If there's one restaurant in Denver that makes you say, "We're just a dusty cow town, and we don't deserve to have a restaurant like this here," Domo is it. The truth is we don't deserve to have them here.

The place is beautiful with manicured gardens and the dining room furniture consisting of logs for seats and stone slabs for tables. The food is Japanese country-style, what woud be peasant fare in old Nippon, but done here to perfection, with ingredients flown in from Japan. Domo is a true gem, don't miss it.

What to order: you can't go wrong. Most of the dishes are country style broths and stews where you select the meat and ingredients. I liked the Chicken Dumpling Nabemono. And all dishes come with 7 authentic country dishes prepared by the chef, small plates of strange and exotic ingredients.

Best Tortas in Denver

BEST TORTAS: Las Tortugas
1549 West Alameda Avenue
Denver, CO 80223

Never tried a torta, the Mexican version of the sandwich? Then you don't know what you're missing.

A fantastic torta might make you give up the American version for good.

Tortuga's in sandwiched (no pun intended) between a row of auto repair shops on Alameda. Last time I went they still didn't have a sign up our front. I would wager thousands of people drive by every day without realizing it's there, as it looks like an added garage onto their neighbor auto body place, which is a shame.

Decorated with Lucha Libre masks on the walls, Tortuga's serves up tortas the size of Frisbees, hot, delicious and stuffed with goodness. This place might be THE last best-kept restaurant secret in Denver.

What to order: even though I'm a sucker for the Hawaiana torta, wtih drippy cheese, ham and pineapple, the Milanesa can't be beat, stuffed with breaded meat, cheese and toppings.

Denver's Best Cuban Restaurant

BEST CUBAN: Cuba Cuba

1173 Delaware St.

Phone: (303) 605-2822

Ok, let's be honest.....there's not too many Cuban restaurants in the city, to go up against it, but Cuba Cuba takes the top honors anyway for Denver. In fact, this authentic place with great food in a homey setting makes many people's top overall restaurants list regardless of type of cuisine.

What stands out is the authentic Cuban fare from the chef, who's got a great Cuban story to tell, bringing recipes to the Rocky Mountains all the way from the land of Fidel Castro.

What to order: the mojitos are notoriously fantastic while you are waiting at the bar, and the Vaca Frita (flank steak topped with plantains on a bed of black beans and rice) is unbeatable.

Best Breakfast Burritos in Denver

BEST BREAKFAST BURRITO: Santiago's

Various locations in Denver Metro Area

www.EatAtSantiagos.com

Several locations claim the best breakfast burritos in town, but Santiago's delivers. No frills, just a great hearty burrtio wrapped in tin foil.

What else sets them above the rest? Price: you can get one for $1.75 and many of the Santiago's locations offer drive-thru windows.

Nothing beats sending down the office rookie with $20 to the drive thru at Santiago's to score a bag for the whole office.

What to order: the daily special. Egg and potatoes are included every day, but each day of the week is a different meat (chorizo, ham, bacon, sausage, etc.).