Chefs Lon Symesma and Ryan Gorby serve up contemporary interpreations of the street food of Vietnamese and Singaporean hawker fairs. Both trace their culinary history to the venerable Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
Chef Lon first opened Cho Lon in Denver in 2010, followed by Cho 77 in 2015, and now Concourse Restaurant Moderne in 2017. Cho 77’s General Manager, Alan Berger, made us feel right at home immediately and his recommended dishes were spot on.
French Onion Soup Dumplings
One of the most surprising and delicious dishes was a riff on the Chinese xialongbao, or soup dumplings. While the traditional versions are filled with pork aspic that liquifies as the dumplings are steamed, these are filled with a rich french onion soup right down to the gruyere cheese! The results are memorable.
Crunchy Tofu Balls
Crispy outside, creamy inside, and served with a tangy pineapple mustard, these were a savory balance of tastes and textures.
Bao Mi Buns
This mashup blends the pork (pork belly in this case) with the pickled carrot, cucumber, and cilantro of a Vietnamese Bahn Mi with the sweet dough of a Chinese pork bun.
Ginger Fried Rice
Delicate blending of broken rice, shrimp, scallops, Thai basil, cucumbers, and topped with a sunny side up egg, this dish pushed my comfort food button.
We had a memorable meal at Cho 77. I’m looking forward to trying Cho Lon on our next visit to Denver!
