5280 Best New Restaurants_ChoLon

We made the cover? Holy....Although there is not a mention of the client or the design team it is still absolutely awesome to see Lon and the restaurant being welcomed to Denver. StudioLEMONADE looks forward to Denver becoming the best Foodie Town in the country and congratulations all those who worked endless hours making it real. Also way to go Denver. What a great place to eat, entertain and live.

ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro

It was big news when New York chef Lon Symensma announced he was leaving the Big Apple to open his first signature restaurant in Denver. And yet, some foodies remained hesitant—concerned that Symensma was coming to town to educate local diners on the finer points of Southeast Asian cuisine. Truth is, Denver diners do not appreciate being told what to eat. But then ChoLon opened, and misgivings fell by the wayside. Within the beautiful, modern space there’s nary a New York attitude. Instead, there’s a generosity and accessibility that extends from the service to the menu. When trying a new dish—take the kaya toast with coconut jam and soft egg that’s wildly popular in Southeast Asia—there’s an immediate connection and a sense of fluency. Likewise with the soup dumplings: Even if you’ve never had them before, after one bite you immediately understand this is comfort food. This is, in fact, our favorite way to experience ChoLon—through the small bites menu (available from 11 a.m.), which will delight, surprise, and satisfy you with each dish.

Where To Sit: At the chef’s counter for a birds-eye view into the kitchen.

What To Order: Kaya toast with coconut jam and soft egg, soup dumplings, green papaya salad with tamarind sorbet, stir-fried Brussels sprouts with ground pork and mint. 1555 Blake St., Suite 101, 303-353-5223, cholon.com

BY: AMANDA M. FAISON

Lounge Lizards Rejoice!

Great article in the Denver Post:

Restaurant bars aren't always a fun place to hang out.

The bar is usually a cramped purgatory for unlucky latecomers and the unwashed masses who forgot to make a reservation. There's nowhere to sit, people are constantly jockeying for position, and everyone is hungry, waiting for the golden moment when their name gets called or their glowing beeper-thing starts vibrating and shrieking.

It is not relaxing, to say the least.

The bar at ChoLon(1555 Blake St.), however, is a rare treat. Sedate and spacious, it's a hangout in its own right.

The space issue is what helps make the bar — more of a lounge, really — such a pleasure. Instead of packing the waiting hordes into a corner and serving alcohol as an antipsychotic, the Asian bistro's bar is practically its own entity.

It's separated from the dining area by a wide entry hall and set a couple steps below the main level. A large, L-shaped banquette sits to one side, with windows on Blake Street as the backdrop. Little square stools are scattered about and small logs serve as tables.

The decor is sparse. Two large photos of humble, workaday Asian scenes adorn one wall. Small plants sprout in the corners, modest statues perch here and there. It's all very feng shui.

Booze-wise, ChoLon doesn't disappoint. Unless you like cheap domestic beer. Many of the bottled beers are Asian — Tsingtao, Saigon — and the tap list is extremely short. There are two choices, to be exact: On a recent visit, Oskar Blues' Mama's Little Yella Pils and Odell Isolation Ale were on draft at $6 a pop.

The cocktail list is tempting, too. Try the "Zen Master" and blend in with the scenery. Served in a stout, martini-like glass, the Zen Master is a potent blend of Hendricks gin, sake, mint and cucumber. It's very refreshing, but don't push the Master too far, or you'll suffer the consequences.

Of course, the list of appetizers and small plates call out to hungry stomachs. All of them sound good, but give the curried duck egg rolls a try — they come with a scrumptious cilantro yogurt sauce for dipping. The soup dumplings are also a good choice, especially on cold nights. They're filled with French onion soup and gruyere cheese, and the texture is exquisite.

Here's the thing that makes the ChoLon bar go from pleasant to delightful: Remember the little stools by the banquettes? The stools' cushions flip over to create small tables. When you order food, or more friends join the party, you can simply grab an empty stool, flip over the cushion, and there's plenty of room for plates and drinks. Genius.

Yes, it's a small convenience, but it's the little things that count. In the sometimes-hectic environs of a restaurant bar, a genuinely nice touch goes a long way. And ChoLon has a lot of nice touches.

Read more:Clubs: ChoLon raises the bar on comfort for lounge-lizarding in restaurants - The Denver Posthttp://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_16641266#ixzz162h9tAIP
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Portland OR Textures

2 days 46 hours 18 restaurants 12 bars 3 night clubs 1 strip club 1 movie theater 6 coffee houses 1 antique hardware store 3 bookstores 1 apple store 4 clothing stores 2 airports 1 train 6 buses 1 cab 1 bicycle 5 parks and 3000 photos: Portland is a COOL town

Punch Bowl - Social Food & Drink

Develop a restaurant bar bowling lounge concept

Victorian NY Warehouse

create an aged, warm, refined, refurbished elegant (in sections) environment.

grand hotel / lodge - lobby / hall that's been remodeled 3 or more times over the years with layers of each decade exposed.

Build a simple, sustainable and comfortable lunch and dinner restaurant with various seating arrangements in a unique atmosphere.

Provide a PLACE

The EU... The Ace Hotel in Portland... The idea here is to create an aged, warm, refined, refurbished elegant (in sections) environment.

grand hotel / lodge - lobby / hall that's been remodeled 3 or more times over the years with layers of each decade exposed.

Some finish examples: concrete floors, some aged mosaic tile, some terrazzo, perhaps wooden planking and we'll use areas of the existing crappy looking flooring that's in there now.. Wall and furniture materials may have refined finished woods, red brick masonry, cinder block (if any exists already in the building) and some may have rustic plank wood. A combination of modern light fixtures and older used gooseneck canopies, etc., will be applied. Wherever possible under the current drywall we hope to find red brick masonry for added warmth and aging. The more scars we find the better.

Everything blends together rather than have complete themes in sections.

Layers is one of our key words - layers of time and materials, heavy action and reaction, upgrades and band-aids, styles and craftsmanship, layers of economy and social currents viewed through today's kaleidoscope.

materials and era landed firmer within the Victorian NY Warehouse category as our basis.

Create a concept that will instill a sense of community and connectivity. This one has to be in…Vaudeville Bowling... Furnishings in Bohemian Style Decorating