Ask three different people what “comfort food” means, and you’ll get three different responses.
One might think of a stack of grilled cheese sandwiches and a mug of tomato soup.
Another may cite baked ziti and a basket of garlic bread.
The third? Hummus and baba ganoush.
No matter; the foods they mention may be different, but all three people are thinking the same thing: Comfort food feeds the soul. It’s relaxing, peaceful and easy. It can fix a bad mood, or strengthen a good one. It’s easy, accessible, evocative. It’s comforting.
Yoisho, a tiny restaurant on the corner of East Colfax Avenue and Quebec Street, bills itself as a purveyor of Japanese cuisine, but they aren’t in the Japanese food business here. They’re in the comfort-food business.
Not a bad business to be in.
This is comfort food at Yoisho: A row of lightly
browned, crispy, meat-filled dumplings fried before your eyes, then quickly plated and served too hot to eat. A stack of sizzling glazed beef ribs piled high on a dangerously hot cast-iron skillet. A heap of steaming noodles tossed with vegetables and shrimp, then tossed onto your plate.
Sounds pretty comfortable.
Also comfortable is Yoisho’s dining area, which redefines the idea of “modest.” The room, which feels like it belongs in a ferry terminal in Osaka, or Seattle, has only 18 seats – three booths and six counter stools, one of which is usually occupied by the sole waiter. The kitchen, wedged into a corner at one end of the counter, can’t be any bigger than about 4 by 4 feet, with just a few burners and enough space for just one cook.
Drawings of Australian landmarks hang lazily from the walls, along with the requisite inspection certificates and operating licenses.
A small television above the counter plays soap operas, or local news, or “Jeopardy,” or whatever’s on.
But no one really watches it. Certainly not the staff. All two of them (she cooks, he serves) are far too busy to watch television. Because even if you’re the only customer in the joint, they’re maxed out. Nothing except the miso soup is pre-
made here; everything else is prepared to order.
(Note: While the service is always gracious and charming, it’s not fast. Don’t come to Yoisho if you’re unwilling to be patient with a language barrier, or if you’re in a hurry. Remember, there’s only one cook in the kitchen, only one guy to bring it to you. You’ll get your food when it’s ready.)
To be clear: Yoisho does not serve refined fare. Everything I’ve had there has been a little too salty, a little too sweet, a little “too” to call itself refined. Your taste buds won’t be awakened to any new flavors, and your eyes have seen these presentations before.
Yoisho also does not serve exclusively Japanese fare. There are other influences on the menu: Korean, Southeast Asian, American.
But comfort food isn’t about refinement, or innovation, or even authenticity. Comfort food is about comfort. At Yoisho, they get this.
The best starter: Gyoza dumplings, six crispy fried dumplings stuffed with beef, pork, and vegetables and served with a savory soy dipping sauce. Anywhere else, these dumplings would have been greasy and heavy, but at Yoisho all was crispness and light. The dipping sauce was best used sparingly, which allowed the delicate texture of the dumpling to speak for itself.
(Tip: Even though you risk burning your tongue, eat these babies while they’re hot; time is a fried dumpling’s No. 1 enemy.)
Hiya-yakko, or squares of fresh tofu served just barely warm with a soy-ginger-onion drizzle, melted into a velvet-
like sheath over my tongue. It wasn’t easy for a chopstick amateur like me to transfer these soft bites from plate to mouth. Luckily, they have forks.
Tokyo wings, clipped chicken wings fried golden-crisp and served with a mustardy dipping sauce, sizzled when they hit the table.
Not as good on the appetizer menu were the California rolls and egg rolls. You probably have your favorites elsewhere in the city. Save your roll money to spend there.
My favorite of the bigger plates was the deeply colored, almost purple yakiniku beef, or secret-sauce-marinated short ribs served alongside pale-green sautéed cabbage and white rice. The ribs, slap-your-
mama flavorful, were bone-lickingly addictive and just sinewy enough to remind you that this is comfort food, not fancy food. (And that the order, big enough for two, set you back only $8.50.)
Yakisoba noodles, tossed in a hot pan with chicken, pork or shrimp, wiggled in the steam that surrounded their plate. Ask for this dish hot, because the kick from the extra chiles adds an addictive top-note.
One real surprise on the menu was the katsu curry, which I expected to be bland. This bowl of rice topped with a fried cutlet (chicken or pork) and scoop of yellow curried vegetables (peas, corn, carrots and onions on the day I had it) was soothing, not spiky, delivering quiet curry flavors of cumin and coriander.
Tempura vegetables, while light and colorful, tasted undercooked. (Take me to Taki’s up the street at Colfax and Grant for tempura.) The udon noodles lolled in a fragrant broth but smelled better than they chewed. (Take me to Oshima Ramen in Tiffany Plaza for noodles.) And bul-go-gi, or thin, marinated slices of beef served sizzling over rice, paled next to the yakiniku beef.
Teriyaki plates, however, especially the salmon and beef versions, held up.
Kids, even those who think they hate Asian food, will dig this place. The flavors here (especially the yakisoba and yakiniku beef) are accessible, and the plates are satisfying.
What’s more, nothing on the menu cracks the $10 barrier. If I lived in the neighborhood, or across Quebec Street in Lowry, I’d make it a regular stop, either for takeout or eat-in.
If you take the takeout route at Yoisho, call ahead and give them a half-hour or so to assemble your order. Unless you’re up for sitting at the counter and catching the local news while you watch the cook, which if you ask me is a fine way to kill 30 minutes.
Yoisho isn’t your destination when you’re looking for innovative cuisine, a glamorous atmosphere, or flawless service. But when your soul’s craving some comfort food, Yoisho is your place.
Dining critic Tucker Shaw can be reached at 303-820-1958 or at dining@denverpost.com.
Yoisho
Japanese
7236 E. Colfax Ave., 303-322-6265
** (Very good)
Atmosphere: Tiny, bare-bones room, six-seat counter and three booths. No frills.
Service: Gracious and friendly, if not terribly fast. Staff of two.
Wine: Water or soda.
Plates: Nothing over $10.
Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-8 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.
Details: Cash only. Small parking lot. No good for groups bigger than four. Good for takeout. Great for kids.
Four visits
Our star system:
****: Exceptional
***: Great
**: Very good
*: Good
No stars: Needs work
