Dan Da
Vietnamese restaurant · Aurora District ·
DIY spring roll towers, clay pots, whole fried fish
DIY spring roll towers, clay pots, whole fried fish
"Denver’s always had a robust roster of Vietnamese restaurants, but the inclusion of two spots on this map (see also sắp sửa below) — neither of which are phở shops — just goes to show the scene is stronger than ever. Dân Dã bills its cooking as “comfort cuisine,” which may be doing it a bit of a disservice, because its enormous menu offers plenty of adventure as well: from snails sauteed in butter with garlic and XO chili crisp to heaping salads featuring, say, pork belly, shrimp, cuttlefish, jellyfish, and pickled lotus root to whole fried catfish in ginger sauce. In the tightly-packed space, a full bar makes good use of ingredients like tamarind, guava, and lychee to complement the food in style." - Ruth Tobias
"Elaborate towers laden with copious ingredients for DIY spring rolls are reason enough to gather the troops at this self-styled purveyor of “Vietnamese comfort cuisine” — but there’s so much more on the extensive menu for a group to dig into with abandon, including steamed clams with chili-lemongrass sauce, heaping salads, hot-and-sour firepots, and whole fried fish." - Ruth Tobias
"The much-missed Savory Vietnam has happily been reincarnated as this instant sensation on East Colfax, whose snug dining room bustles at all hours with families and friends digging into DIY spring roll platters and clay pots featuring catfish or pork belly and bamboo shoots. As favorites go, front-runners include ốc len xào dừa (periwinkles in lemongrass-coconut sauce); áp chảo xào thập cẩm (rice cakes with beef, chicken, and shrimp in oyster sauce); deep-fried whole sea bass in ginger sauce; and the tequila-based Salty Pickled Lime Spritzer to wash it all down." - Ruth Tobias, Eater Staff
"Horiuchi loves the build-your-own spring rolls at Dân Dã, an opinion shared by Westword Food & Drink Editor Molly Martin." - Cynthia Barnes
