As a countdown to the Best of Denver 2010, coming April 1, Cafe Society is serving up a hundred of our favorite dishes in Denver. Send your own nominations to cafe@westword.com.
Number 80: Dim sum from Star Kitchen
“You back! Long time to see!” shouts the woman. It’s been less than a month since the last time I picked the pushcarts clean at Star Kitchen, and the tiny woman with the one-inch waist won’t let me forget it. “It’s been long time,” she repeats, shoving metal-rimmed steamers full of siu mai dumplings under my nose. “You love these!” she enthuses, her eyes wide, her smile stretched long.
She’s right, of course. I do love the siu mai dumplings, and within a minute, they’re all gone. I inhale the thin-skinned scallop dumplings, shrimp, too. It so happens that today, the chef, Jong Ng, has made lobster dumplings — special — so I down those, too, with the same fervor as a cat going after his nip. I could spend all day here in this boxy room swelling my belly with spongy turnip cakes pelted with Chinese sausage; jiggly rice crepes stuffed with minced pork and soaking in soy; streamed barbecue pork buns plump with sweet roasted pork; head-on shrimp crusted with salt and pepper; Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce; and, of course, more dumplings. How much do I love the dim sum from Star Kitchen? If today were my birthday, this is where I’d celebrate.
Hungry for more? The dishes in our countdown thus far are linked below:
No. 100 Chicken-fried steak from Lola
No. 99 Alaskan reindeer sausage from Biker Jim’s Gourmet Dogs
No. 98 Mac-and-cheese fries from Jonesy’s EatBar
No. 97 Soft egg ravioli from Prima
No. 96 Pho – any pho — from Pho 95
No. 95 Assiette de charcuterie maison from Z Cuisine À Côté
No. 94: Cheeseburger from Larkburger
No. 93: BBQ Masher from Cabin Creek Smokehouse
No. 92: Apple pancake from the Original Pancake House
No. 91: Burrata from Osteria Marco
No. 90: Eggs Benedict from Devil’s Food Bakery
No. 89: Chile Relleno from La Fiesta
No. 88: Deviled eggs from Steuben’s
No. 87: Corn-in-a-cup from Jack-n- Grill
No. 86: Enchiladas from Taco House
No. 85: Pupusas from Pupusas Sabor Hispano
No. 84: Baklava from Ali Baba Grill
No. 83: Masa-fried oyster shooters from Deluxe
No. 82: Tacos al pastor from Los Carboncitos
No. 81: Salsa bar from Tacos Y Salsas
