Restaurant Peek: Star Kitchen
2917 W. Mississippi Ave. Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303.936.0089
Hours:
Mon - Thur: 10:30am – 12am, Fri: 10:30am – 1am
Sat: 10am – 1am, Sun: 10am – 12am
Dim sum served daily until 8pm
Most Asian Americans have their dim sum place of choice. In Denver, there are a few to choose from and the options spur debate and even battle lines amongst its patrons. Yes, Denver’s love for dim sum is undeniable and the standards are held considerably high. There are only a handful of restaurants in the metro area that have been able to appease the palates of finicky dim-sum-goers, and to do so is a feat.
Dim sum, classically served as an accompaniment to tea, has developed into Chinese-style brunch. It has become a weekend ritual for many Asian families to go to dim sum together, which is why you can find hoards of people waiting outside the dim sum hot spots on any given Sunday. To seek out these hoards would be a sure fire way to find the tastiest places; that diners were out in force for Star Kitchen’s opening weekend, speaks volumes. Through word of mouth, they had discovered the new dim sum eatery.
The husband and wife team that opened Star Kitchen on November 11, 2008 has been cooking in restaurants for 20 years, and came to Denver from Los Angeles three years ago to establish their reputation. Their experience is evidenced in the cuisine, which highlights fresh seafood, Chinese barbeque and of course, dim sum. The building they found for Star Kitchen is a good fit: conveniently located off of Federal and Mississippi, with ample seating and a substantial kitchen. The dining room is spacious and bare, allowing for the armada of roving dim sum carts to serve customers with ease.
The dim sum menu offers 69 different selections with more additions coming. On it, you will find the usual favorites as well as some special delicacies such as the pork soup dumplings: plump globes filled with pork and ginger with a small spoonful of soup wrapped up inside each one. The shrimp dumplings are perfected with just the right flavor and texture, and the BBQ pork pastries are light and flaky with a distinctive savory filling. Prices range from $2.20 to $5.75.
Onto the entrée menu, the Japanese-style tofu with dried scallops is worth trying. The soft, silky tofu is lightly fried and served in a complementary oyster sauce with dried scallops and bok choy. The menu also includes a considerable assortment of seafood dishes, and if the descriptions don’t do it for you, peek in the live seafood tanks and take your pick. The chef is also adding hot pot dishes to the menu to comfort diners as the nights get colder in December.
Dim sum is served by cart on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 3 pm and made-to-order daily until 8 pm. The rest of the menu is available all day, and late into the night.
Sample Menu
Honey Roasted BBQ Pork $6.95
Salt and Pepper Squid $8.95
Fish Fillet with Black Bean Sauce $8.95
Clams in ginger, black bean or basil sauce $8.95
Sizzling Chicken Hot Pot $8.95
Hong Kong Style Lo Mein $8.95
Tenderloin Mignon with Mushroom and Black Pepper $10.95
Peking Duck $26.00
By Perry Santanachote
Asian Avenue magazine