by Hillary Bonner
On this upcoming rainy weekend, you may be asking yourself what your game plan is. After so many BEAUTIFULLY sunny Denver days, a gloomy Friday may be just what you need to motivate yourself to go home after work and treat yourself to a nice home cooked meal and a big glass of wine. Do yourself a favor. Skip the crowds at Safeway, King Sooper’s, Whole Foods, etc., and stop by the Pig & Block for a real slice, or slices, of heaven.
Denver’s one true Charcuterie opened on the 3300 block of Tejon in the Highlands neighborhood this fall and, ever since, brothers and co-owners Jeff and Marc Bauman have been whittling away at the rights to the butcher business in this up and coming neighborhood. With unique offerings such as pate, terrine, crepinettes and rillettes, the family-owned store front is bound to win the heart of the meat loving foodie in all of us. For those who are less daring, the shop also offers an array of bacon, steaks and other pork and beef delectables. For the vegetarians…Well, if you have a meat-loving significant other, Pig & Block may help you win an argument or “cure” the silent treatment.
Ahem, speaking of curing, Jeff and Marc passionately conjure and cure most of the meats in their shop. Any of the mouth-watering meat products that they don’t bring to your table themselves, they obtain from local sources. That’s right, all natural and straight forward: They cure, you point, they cut. Simply delicious.
Check them out on our Savor the Flavor tours and during their Club Wino dinners.
3326 Tejon Street Denver, CO 303-455-6328
After months of waiting ChoLon is finally open. ChoLon, which translates as “big market”, is named after the largest Chinese-influenced market in Saigon, Vietnam. The menu will feature inspired interpretations of traditional Asian dishes with presentations ideal for sharing. Becky and I attended the friends and family dinner and are thrilled to report that ChoLon is everything we thought it would be. From the duck spring rolls, papaya salad and the most amazing chicken (yes, chicken!) Lon Symensma and his Sous Chef Ryan Gorby have taken Denver dining to an entirely new level. A few weeks ago I had a chance to interview Lon and talk about his concept. After a tour of the “tricked out” kitchen – there are fun toys to play with – I sat down with Lon and Ryan. It was noon and they wanted beer – it’s always 5:00 somewhere.
“How many questions are you going to ask?” Lon wanted to know. I said about 20 and those 20 turned into more like 50 and the 45 minutes I usually allot for an interview turned into over two hours. There is nothing like talking to a chef who is passionate and yet humble about his experience. And humble he doesn’t have to be.
What a life Lon Symensma has had – from Iowa to New York to France to Italy to Shanghai and now to Denver.
At age 14 Lon got a job at a diner washing dishes. “I quickly learned that it was more fun to get the dishes done and then help the other cooks prep. From there I moved to a country club. I would leave school early so I could go and make my salad dressings,” says Lon.
That was the start of his illustrious career. At age 19 Lon became the youngest chef to compete on the ACF National Apprentice Team. The job of the apprentice team was to assist the professional chefs. That year the USA received the silver medal. Lon attended the CIA in 1997. He taught at the CIA in 1999. He studied in France in 2000. At one point he lived with Daniel Boulud’s parents in France. “Daniel’s Dad would wake me up at 4:00am to go forage morel mushrooms.” In France Lon cooked with Roger Verge, and at L’Bastide St. Antoine with Chef Jacques Chibios.
After returning from France he won a scholarship to go to study in Italy. “When I got back from Italy I was dead broke. My friend Alicia invited me to New York and said I could stay with her. I ended up in a beautiful brownstone on the Upper East Side living with Chad Ogden – Bradley Ogden’s son. We cooked together all the time. It was here that Lon and Alicia continued to talk about their plans, hatched during their time together at the CIA, of opening a restaurant.
Lon went on to cook in New York at Buddakan, Spice Market and Jeans George. He was also part of the opening team at Jeans George Shanghai. Now Lon is in Denver and his dream of opening a restaurant with Alicia and her husband Jim has come true. ChoLon opens to the public today.
Why Denver? Denver is the next big food city. Give it two years and I foresee a dozen of the best chefs in the country opening places here. You know how Portland is exploding and is getting more press and buzz than restaurants in New York? That’s what’s going to happen in Denver. There is money, green technology and young professionals who appreciate food.
Any culture shock? No. I grew up in Iowa. Moving to NYC was more of a culture shock than moving to Denver.
The menu at ChoLon: Dishes will be influenced from Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Research and Development Trip to Vietnam: I went with Ryan and a great friend of mine, Robert Danhi, who is an expert on Asian flavors. He was my instructor at the CIA. I’m glad he came on the trip with us as he could provide information about the roots and history of every dish we tried.
French vs. American kitchens: I learned discipline in France. I learned about the regimented brigade system. I learned about ingredients. Every few days the chef would drive all the cooks to a local farmers market. These trips were unpaid but we all went. Our chef wouldn’t say anything to us about what we should buy; he would just look at a vegetable and nudge his head. All of us would run to get it. Believe me, you wanted to be the one to get there first.
Most influential chef in your life: I could say the most obvious thing, but it was Chef Donald Miller who was the Executive Chef at Notre Dame. To this day I am the biggest Notre Dame fan. I had really long hair at the time and he told me that to work in his kitchen I better cut it off, so I did. After our shifts were over we would stay late and race to see who could break a chicken down faster. We would quiz each other on wine, make custom terrine pans in the Notre Dame shop and then go to work and do it again.
Favorite station: Wok
Are you cooking on the line or expediting: I will expedite as this is a new staff. If my head is constantly down looking at what I am making, I can’t see what else is going on in the kitchen. No plate will leave the pass until both Ryan and I look at it and taste it.
If you weren’t cooking Asian? I would do regional Italian. I know more about Italian food from studying in Italy than I know about Asian food.
Why Asian? Jeans George, Spice Market. Did you know that Italian reds and German whites pair the best with Asian flavors?
Biggest kitchen disaster: Not mine, but while cooking in a very prominent kitchen I saw a very well known chef over do lamb and SERVE IT.
Favorite cookbook: Le Guide Culinaire.
Favorite kitchen tool: Vita mix
If you could eat anywhere in the world right now where are you eating? South America. I expect that soon you will see more Latin influenced cuisine.
Most manly cooking method: the wok. You ever try to flip 5 cups of rice in a wok? It’s heavy and it’s hot.
Favorite white trash food: Velvetta shells and cheese. I like the cheese packet.
Most tedious kitchen job ever: At Charlie Trotters I had to go through buckets of peas picking out the green from the not so green ones. Working there was so inspiring. Every day before service Charlie would call his chefs out into the courtyard and give the most motivational speeches. We would practically be crying going into service.
Rules in my kitchen: I want everyone to feel as though they are a part of the restaurant. I want them to leave every night knowing that they did something unique. I don’t want anyone to work at ChoLon for a paycheck.
Biggest kitchen pet peeve: Laziness. I don’t want anyone smoking. No smoke breaks. I want it to be quiet during service. There is no need for talking. Service is like an orchestrated symphony. I am the conductor. The kitchen is the stage. No frantic energy. You must have calmness about you going into service.
What would you like to put on the menu at ChoLon but are hesitant to: Chicken liver mousse, headcheese, and tongue terrine. I would love to do some really cool bahn mi and some offal rillettes but I don’t think we’re quite there yet.
Advice for young cooks: Travel as much and as young as you can. Most of my success comes from exploring other cultures. Don’t go through the ranks too quickly. Don’t expect to be a sous chef 6 months out of culinary school.
Advice for home cooks: Don’t take a recipe too seriously. Have fun with cooking.
What do you do to relax after service: Sit on my porch and listen to the crickets. There are a lot of crickets here.
Molecular Gastronomy: Yes, when it serves a purpose. Check out the chicken or the rib eye at ChoLon to see how Lon and Ryan have used transglutiminase to make these dishes phenomenal.
Most nervous moment: plating dishes for Paul Bocuse at Num Cha. My hands were literally shaking.
Last words: Be true to yourself. Be true to your concept. Be humble. Set the standard. Push your crew to the next level of expectation. I want to be friends with everyone in Denver.
ChoLon – 1555 Blake St., Denver. 303-353-5223. Hours are Monday – Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Friday 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Saturdays from 5:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Twelve makes you want to come back again and again and again. Called Twelve because Chef Jeff Osaka changes his menu 12 times a year, Twelve is located just blocks from Coors Field. From the pancetta wrapped scallops with squash gratin, sweetbreads with bacon, and a flirty barman that will blind taste you on wine, having dinner at Twelve can be anything you want it to be. Couples on dates were murmuring over their dishes, a large group was celebrating a birthday and several of us were dining at the bar. From the bar you can peek into the kitchen and watch Jeff and his two sous chefs work quietly and gracefully as they push plates over the pass to the servers.
Normally I write about checking out a restaurant on the weekend, but Twelve is great for mid-week dining. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Twelve offers a three course tasting menu for $35.00 per person. This is the best deal in town.
Twelve Restaurant is located at 2233 Larimer Street. Please call 303-293-0287 for reservations.
Last Friday evening I wondered into the Village Cork. Culinary Connectors was finishing up their Friday South Pearl Street Walking Tour. Guests were gathered around Chef Samir Mohammad as he poured the last bit of Infinite Monkey Theorem wine and explained one more time how he makes his fresh ricotta. The group ended up enjoying Happy Hour at the Cork basking in the glow of eating and drinking all afternoon.
I cozied up to the bar and ordered the tomato salad. Samir poured wine for me, a glass of Marietta Old Vines. I watched him work in his little but efficient kitchen, preparing my salad and the many orders of his most popular dish, lobster polenta fries. The fries are tasty, baked and served with Brie cream and a sweet balsamic reduction. Tonight however I was in the mood for some local produce. His salad is composed of cherry heirloom tomatoes with perfectly blanched asparagus, fresh made ricotta, basil and organic greens. It’s fresh and light as the dressing is made from juicing the tomatoes in a little salt and then adding a touch of olive oil. It’s the perfect dish for a sunny Friday afternoon or as a start to dinner. Next I tried the Moody Blue Soufflé and then finished with Samir’s special for the evening, a plate of mahi mahi tacos. Samir is utterly passionate about produce and letting it do the work. His dishes are clean and well composed. He felt like putting tacos on the menu that Friday and I am glad that he did. The flavors were perfect. At the end of my meal I glanced at my watch, amazingly two hours had passed; I was relaxed, well fed and happy. With Chef Samir’s fresh, organic menu along with a well-crafted wine list and a laid back and relaxed atmosphere the Village Cork is a great place for dinner tonight.
For more information about the Village Cork please click here.
On Thursday I found myself with a few free minutes. I hurried downtown to 18th & Curtis for my first “date” with Gastro Cart. Food trucks are all the rage right now and I have been dying to try Gastro Cart ever since I heard alums from Table 6 were behind this “hand crafted street food” concept. I wasn’t disappointed. The parking space Gods were kind and I was able to park directly across the street from the cart. Eight minutes and eight dollars later I had in my hand the most delicious carnitas taco, spicy chicken taco and a side of quinoa. What a great lunchtime spot for anyone who works downtown. A quick walk, some fresh air and the ability to have a gourmet lunch prepared for you within minutes. For more information about Gastro Cart, click here.
