My mind almost always goes blank when I’m asked what my favorite restaurant is. From taco trucks to fine dining to Thai to pizzerias, the offerings are so different that I find it hard to make restaurant comparisons and rankings.
What I can do, though, is tell you about my favorite dish on a restaurant menu. That comes easy: the steamed buns at Bones.
When it first opened, the choices were pork belly or suckling pig; now Bones also includes duck confit as a filling option. Don’t get stuck on semantics here; you can’t go wrong with any of them. Or, get one of each and do a taste test. Life is too short to waste time wondering if you would have preferred the duck to the belly.
The buns — think Asian tacos — are the ideal sweet-savory bite. The dough itself is pillow-soft and chewy, while the filling is hearty (thanks to the meat) and honeyed (thanks to the hoisin sauce). They are quite possibly my perfect food.
I feel happy, even comforted, while I eat them. Which, I think, is exactly how food should make us feel.
Steamed buns at Bones ($12): 701 Grant St., Denver, 303-860-2929; ; Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5 p.m.-close; Sat.-Sun. 5 p.m.-close