Best of 2013

Written by Peter Bui

We polled our readers and the votes are in for the best of 2013. Cheers to the new year!

BEST CHINESE: Star Kitchen
2917 West Mississippi Avenue | Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303-936-0089 | www.starkitchendenver.com

In Denver, when dim sum is mentioned, more often than not so is Star Kitchen Seafood Restaurant. Many patrons come for the dim sum but that’s not the only thing Star Kitchen is known for. They offer many amazing seafood dishes and a menu full of delicious family style cuisine. It’s easy to see why tables and seats have become a high commodity on Sunday mornings, when lines are out the door and wait times are up to an hour. For those late night eaters, this Best of 2013 Chinese restaurant also stays open until midnight.

BEST SUSHI: Go Fish
1 Broadway B108 | Denver, CO 80203
Tel: 303-733-8881 | www.gofishdenver.com

Sometimes it’s not only about the quality of food – which is of course very important – but it is about creating an entertaining atmosphere, and Go Fish is one of the best at providing both.

The South Broadway sushi restaurant has a fantastic and affordable happy hour that offers great drink and food specials. Go Fish also has an attached lounge with a full service bar where you can find patrons participating in the restaurant’s famous sake bomb trains. Go Fish is also the perfect date spot; it’s elegant lighting and modern decor has made it this year’s Best Sushi restaurant.

BEST ASIAN FUSION: Zengo
1610 Little Raven Street | Denver, CO 80202
Tel: 720-904-0965 | www.richardsandoval.com/zengodenver

Fusion is taken to the next level with Zengo and its Latin-Asian fusion cuisine. The marrying of Latin and Asian techniques works well with street food and Zengo is proving that same goes for fine dining.

The restaurant has a great selection of spirits and cocktails especially those of the tequila variety. Zengo also offers a great bottomless brunch on weekends. World-reknowned chef and owner Richard Sandavol has several accolades for his success in the restaurant industry and Zengo is just one of his many accomplishments.

BEST KOREAN BBQ: Seoul Korean BBQ
2080 South Havana Street | Aurora, CO 80014
Tel: 303-632-7576 |  www.seoulkoreanbbq.com

The smokeless barbecue champ is back for its second year as Denver’s best Korean restaurant. Seoul Korean BBQ has become a household name because of its quality of food and restaurant appeal.

During peak dining hours the restaurant is jammed packed with patrons, and if you don’t have a reservation you could be in for a long wait. The Aurora restaurant focuses on the dining experience where patrons can be hands on with the food making it fun for family get-togethers and group outings. With its great tasting dishes and high-quality cuts, it’s no wonder why Seoul Korean BBQ is the best around.

BEST PHO: Pho Duy
945 South Federal Blvd. | Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303-937-1609

Not sure if it’s the altitude or the stiff competition, but many consider Denver to have some of the best pho restaurants in the country. And once again Pho Duy defends its title by being voted the best pho spot in town.

The ultra-appealing Vietnamese dish has become largely popular among the masses and is drawing new fans with every bowl. Pho Duy keeps its crown, as our readers note that the restaurant consistently provides patrons with generous portions of noodles and meat. If you haven’t checked out Pho Duy yet, you’re missing out.

BEST ASIAN SUPERMARKET: H-Mart
2751 S. Parker Road | Aurora, CO 80014
Tel: 303-745-4592 | www.hmart.com

There’s just no other place like H-Mart. This international super market carries a wide variety of groceries fulfilling the needs of most Asian ethnicities. They always carry fresh produce, seafood and meats and import thousands of products for their customers. Inside the New Jersey based and Korean owned market is a bakery, several small restaurants and shops that carry merchandise. H-Mart does an excellent job of offering people with familiar products from back home and providing something new for the adventurous.

BEST ASIAN-AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNER: Linna Tanny
Rose of Sharon Assisted Living | www.roseofsharonassistedliving.com

Linna Tanny established the Rose of Sharon Assisted Living in 2003 with her husband, Hanny. The assisted living center is dedicated to providing loving care in a nurturing environment that embraces choice, independence and the opportunity for seniors to live enriching lives with dignity, respect, and privacy according to their individual needs.
In 1988, Tanny traveled to America from Indonesia to visit her parents who were living in Denver.

“I really liked the way of life and freedom that the people of the United States enjoyed,” she said. “My husband and I decided to immigrate with our daughter to the U.S. We are now blessed to be U.S. citizens with two wonderful daughters.”
She started her corporate career doing clerical work at American Express, which was later acquired by First Data Corp (FDC). She continued to work her way up to positions of greater responsibility with the company.

“I participated in extensive education and training on the job and was eventually promoted to a senior manager position.”
In 2003, she left her position at FDC in pursuit of a new opportunity to help others. She opened the first Rose of Sharon Assisted Living home in the Denver metro area. Since then, she has opened seven more homes.

“I believe that the key to our success is a passion for this work, a well-trained staff of caregivers who we treat like family, and the operation of our homes as deficiency free to the highest Colorado Health Department standards,” said Tanny.

She loves serving elderly people and seeing them happy. “I want to make the last chapter of their lives comfortable while giving a sense of relief for the family, knowing their loved ones are taken care of,” she said.

Tanny shares that the quote she lives by is to “live your purpose and continue to help and service humanity.”

Best in a TV Series: Steven Yeun
Walking Dead – AMC

Who better to watch your back during the zombie apocalypse than Steven Yeun? Yuen better known as Glenn Rhee, his character on the hit TV show The Walking Dead, has become an icon in zombie fandom.

The South Korean-born American is now on his third season of The Walking Dead and has made appearances on several other shows. Each new episode has Yeun’s fans watching anxiously to see if he is next on the zombie hit list, but with his popularity, its very unlikely he will depart any time soon. Or will he?

BEST YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Wong Fu Productions
Philip Wang, Wesley Chan, Ted Fu

The Three Amigos of the American filmmaking group, Wong Fu Productions is composed of Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang. Since their first major short film, Yellow Fever, in January of 2006 they have produced a whirlwind of productions and gained global popularity.

The group has produced full length films and hundreds of shorts and music videos for artists like David Choi. Their videos range from romance to comedic mockumentaries, which have accumulated over 1.9 million subscribers and over 283 million views. They also organize events and concerts and tour the country speaking to students.

BEST YOUTUBE MUSICIAN: David Choi – Singer, Guitarist

One of the first to bust out from YouTube super stardom is David Choi. As he continues to grow so does his fan bases. On YouTube, Choi has over 973,000 subscribers and more than 89 million total video views. He has hosted several tours across North America and the world. Choi’s songs and tracks have been heard on TV networks such as MTV, NBC, and VH1, as well as in commercials internationally. The California native’s most recent album, Forever and Ever, released in October 2011.