The lucky residents of the Platt Park neighborhood have one of the more enviable concentrations of top-shelf dining options in Denver, thanks to a cluster of restaurants on South Pearl Street just a horn honk beyond Interstate 25.
Leading the way is Sushi Den, owned by Yasu and Toshi Kizaki, along with its adjacent sibling restaurants, Izakaya Den and, more recently, Ototo.
While the first two venues showcase Japanese cuisine, Ototo — the Japanese term for “younger brother” — offers a variant: creative, contemporary takes on dishes that are rooted largely in American comfort food, albeit with some global touches.
Make no mistake, however. This is not some lazy iteration on the pork-belly palaces dotting the culinary landscape of late, the kind of restaurants where the motto seems to be, “When in doubt, add butter. If still in doubt, add bacon.”
This is well-thought-out fare served by a knowledgeable, professional staff in a room warmed by old brick walls and a pressed-tin ceiling. The room jumps on most evenings, drawing crowds from the neighborhood and beyond. Newcomers arrive on the promise of the Kizakis’ reputation for excellence, and leave sold on what emerges from Ototo’s kitchen.
Small plates are emphasized. The current menu has 24 of them, 14 cold starters and 10 hot ones, weighted against eight entrees plus the daily five-course tasting menu and a chef’s choice vegetarian tasting lineup. All this complemented with a wine list offering plenty of glasses in the $8-$10 range.
Grilled baby octopus ($10) arrived chilled, a tangle of tentacles and pulpy bodies spiked with fresh ginger, diced cucumbers and radish, and a soy-driven poke sauce. It was refreshing on a warm evening, paired with a glass of Albariño, one of Spain’s classic white wines.
Watercress soup ($9) was a winner. Cool and pale-green, it was a mouthful of spring, boasting bits of smoked salmon and tiny chunks of creme fraîche.
Bison tartare ($11) came mixed with an aioli spiked with harissa, the chile-driven concoction that is North Africa’s staple condiment. The flavor worked, but the tartare itself seemed a bit “wet,” as though the raw meat wasn’t properly cold enough to hold together when it went under the blade.
Warm spring-pea risotto ($13) was sublimely fresh, bright green and dotted with roasted mushrooms. But the “crispy bone marrow” that complemented it seemed to be a bit of lily-gilding. The marrow chunks were breaded and fried, and frankly would have been more visually and texturally interesting if they had arrived in-bone, along with a scooping spoon.
Crispy tuna roll ($12) is a nod to Ototo’s siblings, with spicy tuna paired atop crackling tempura rice and a vibrant eel sauce.
Less successful was the “Egg in a Jar.” The name sounded like the venerable seventh-grade science experiment — you know, the one that niftily demonstrated the vacuum effect, and was applauded by the Poindexters in the room. The restaurant version was nearly as clever, but was one of those conceptual dishes that read better than it ate.
This $12 appetizer arrived in a small canning jar, a layer of black- truffle potato puree, Serrano ham, one egg and a dollop of caviar that resembled a fat blackberry. The waiter stuck a spoon in the hot mixture and stirred, the mish-mash cooked a bit, and you dipped chunks of ciabatta into it. Tasty enough, but the caviar’s virtues were absolutely lost — no brininess, no luxury of the roe popping as your tongue pressed it to the roof of your mouth. Ah, well.
Entrees deliver proteins from ranch and ocean at wallet-friendly prices.
Veal sweetbreads carbonara, at $14, pack a ton of flavor — and despite the thymus-powered creaminess, you can kid yourself that you made the healthy choice, thanks to the accompanying roasted cauliflower.
Braised beef short ribs, at $16, are smartly paired with spring veggies, cipollini onions and pickled horseradish.
But the showstopper among the entrees is the braised squid. The plate came with nearly translucent bites of a cephalopod that gave its all, topping a deeply flavorful pile of black beans flecked with pepperoni and serrano chiles. The beans alone are worth the $15 price tag.
Ototo is one of the more welcome arrivals to the Denver dining scene in a 12-month span that has seen numerous knockout newcomers. Flavors are big, the tab relatively small.
This is a gem on South Pearl Street.
William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com
Ototo Food and Wine Bar
Contemporary 1501 S. Pearl St.; 303-733-2503
** (Very Good)
Atmosphere: Relaxed, casual
Service: Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable
Beverages: Wine, beer, cocktails
Plates: Smart takes on comfort food, with an emphasis on small plates.
Hours: Tuesday-Thursday: 5 p.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 5 p.m.-11:30 p.m.
Details: Deceptively roomy restaurant with two rooms, a cocktail bar, plus a smaller bar that lets you watch the kitchen at work.
Two visits
Our star system: ****: Exceptional ***: Great **: Very Good *: Good
