48 |^5280 |^ MAY 20^18
SZECHUAN TASTY HOUSE
The humble building that
holds Szechuan Tasty House
is located on a stretch
of West Evans Avenue
known more for automo-
tive shops than for exciting
restaurants. But the soulful
Chinese cooking at this
year-old Overland Park
eatery makes it a worthy
destination. Forgo the stan-
dard-issue lineup of sesame
chicken and shrimp lo mein
by asking for the Chinese
menu (which, helpfully,
comes with English transla-
tions). There, you’ll discover a
bountiful array of dishes from
the Sichuan (also spelled
Szechuan) region and be-
yond: juicy-fiery “chong qing
la zi ji,” or stir-fried chicken
with chiles; a crisp, well-
seasoned smashed cucumber
salad; tender stewed mutton
made electric with mouth-tin-
gling Sichuan peppercorns;
and massive, meltingly soft
lion’s head meatballs. Bring
a group so you can sample
as much as possible. 1000 W.
Evans Ave., 720-288-4772SUPERFOOD BAR
Superfoods are a lot like
meditation, kombucha, and
aromatherapy—we don’t
really understand how they
work, but we know they’re
supposed to be good for us.
One thing we are sure of:
We feel pretty darn fantastic
after lunching at five-month-
old fast-casual Superfood Bar
in LoHi, where nutrient-rich
ingredients such as coco-
nut, whole grains, avocado,
açai berries, and cacao
star in every dish on the
menu. Owner Joseph Stone
perfected his 100 percent
vegan and gluten-free fare at
Superfood Bar’s eight-year-
old flagship in New Orleans.
Take the ho-hum-sounding
miso-rice wrap, for example,
which is anything but bland
thanks to a flavorful wild rice
and miso mix, spicy house-
fermented kimchi, and a rich
mustard and sunflower seed
cream sauce. Get the gently
sweet, surprisingly tasty
chocolate-avocado shake for
dessert and bask in your (real
or imagined) healthful glow.
1541 Platte St., 720-855-3493,
sfbcuisine.com
JULEP
There are two kinds of Denver
diners: those who are tired of
fried chicken, and those who
never will be. To the former
group, consider your wish for
a broader range of Southern
food granted with the arrival,
three months ago, of Kyle
and Katy Foster’s Julep in
RiNo. Kyle, who cooked at
both Rebel Restaurant and
Colt & Gray, is channeling
his family’s Florida, Georgia,
and Kentucky roots and his
self-described “off-the-beat-
en-path” sensibilities. Dishes
such as deviled snails with sal-
tine salad and pork and oyster
sausage with malted barley
and hops-pickled celery are
keepers on the creative dinner
menu. Kyle is also tapping
into the hallmarks of the tra-
ditional Southern kitchen with
house-made charcuterie,
heirloom grains aplenty,
and seasonal vegetables.
And if you just can’t get
enough excellent fried chick-
en (or biscuits or po’ boys),
you’ll find it all on Julep’s
lunch and weekend brunch
menus. 3258 Larimer St., 303-
295-8977, juleprino.com Sarah Boyum (2)Julep’s
eponymous
bourbon-mint
cocktail and
a springtime
roasted
beet salad
with herbed
beet-top jamWHAT’S HOT
1 23Where We’re Eating
The restaurants, dishes, and drinks on our dining radar.
—DENISE MICKELSEN & CALLIE SUMLININ THE
LIMELIGHT
Fish N Beer chef
Antonio Herrera
Ramirez’s sweet
story of pie—and
new beginnings.Kevin Morrison tapped
Dominica native Anto-
nio Herrera Ramirez to
run the kitchen at his
year-and-a-half-old RiNo
restaurant, Fish N Beer,
primarily because the chef
is a whiz with seafood. But
it turns out Ramirez—who
recently landed in Denver
with his family after Hur-
ricane Irma destroyed
their home of almost 10
years in the U.S. Virgin
Islands—also has a magic
touch with sweets. Case
in point: his ethereal Key
lime pie. As Ramirez tells
it, almost every restau-
rant in the Caribbean
has its own version. So
what makes his iteration
so good? House-made
graham crackers become
crumbs for the crust,
which is filled with tangy-
bright, silky Key lime
custard and velvety (not
sticky) torched Italian
meringue. You’ll be thank-
ful Ramirez found a new
home here in the Mile
High City with every melt-
in-your-mouth bite. 3510
Larimer St., 303-248-3497,
fishnbeerdenver.com —CS7,500
Average
pounds of
cheesy good-
ness sold at
Whole Foods
Market Union
Station’s mac
and cheese
bar every
month