A Tale of Two Sushis - Denver to Boulder
Some trips are about big moments. This one was about really, really good fish.
Scott had work obligations in Colorado — a quick in and out — but we have learned over the years that even a 24 hour trip can hold something worth remembering. This one held quite a bit.
First Stop — Sushi Den, Denver https://www.sushiden.net
Let me tell you something about Sushi Den that will change the way you think about landlocked states.
Every single morning, before the rest of the world is awake, a man named Koichi gets up at 2:30am in Fukuoka, Japan and makes his way to one of the largest fish markets in the country. In the pitch dark and freezing cold he walks the aisles, negotiates with wholesalers and hand selects the very best fish available that day. By 7am it's on a plane. It clears customs in San Francisco and lands in Denver within 22 hours of leaving the ocean.
That fish ends up on your plate at Sushi Den on South Pearl Street. And you can taste every bit of that dedication in every single bite.
We started with the Mikan Hamachi — Mandarin Yellowtail — which is as extraordinary as it sounds. The fish are actually fed mandarin oranges, so the flesh takes on a subtle, beautiful citrus flavor that you have to taste to believe. We also had the Aburi Toro, which melted in your mouth in a way that feels almost unfair, and the Crispy Spicy Tuna which was the perfect contrast — bold, textured and completely addictive.
Mikan Hamachi on the left and Aburi Toro on the right
Sushi Den has been doing this since Christmas Eve 1984. Forty years of getting up before dawn so that Denver gets the freshest fish in the country. It is one of the most impressive restaurants I have ever visited and I would go back tomorrow if I could. https://www.denverlifemagazine.com/dining-out-at-sushi-den/
Aburi Style Seared Aburi Toro and Red Shrimp
On to Boulder
After lunch we pointed the car toward Boulder for Scott's meeting with Ursa Major. If you haven't been to Boulder, put it on your list. It is one of those places that just feels good the moment you arrive — the mountains as a backdrop, the energy on the streets, the sense that everyone there has figured out something the rest of us are still working on.
Pearl Street Boulder
Pearl Street & The Living Quilt
Pearl Street stopped me completely in my tracks. Tulips laid out in perfectly symmetrical beds along the wide path that divides the mall — every shade of pink, purple, red, yellow and orange — creating what looked like a living quilt stitched from pure color. And the most magical part? They glowed even at night.
Scott and I looked at each other and laughed — tulip season had already come and gone back home in Tennessee, and here we were getting a second chance at spring.
Dinner — Japango, Boulder https://www.japangosushi.com
That evening we returned to Japango on Pearl Street, a lively and well loved spot we had visited four years ago and were happy to revisit. The sake selection is impressive, the setting is beautiful and the food was genuinely good.
But I have to be honest — after lunch at Sushi Den, almost anything was going to struggle by comparison. It's not Japango's fault. It's just that once Koichi wakes up at 2:30am in Japan to hand select your fish, the bar gets set at a slightly unfair height.
Japango is absolutely worth a visit if you find yourself on Pearl Street. Just maybe don't go the same day you've had Sushi Den. 😄
Colorado — you were wonderful as always. Twenty four hours, two sushi restaurants, a living quilt of tulips and a second chance at spring. Not bad for a quick work trip.
Not bad at all. Now back to Nashville.
