OFM DINING

Ototo Den

Elevated Japanese Eatery

by Ash Trego

Snugly situated on South Pearl Street in Denver, Ototo Den Japanese restaurant is truly a special little spot. This eatery’s name literally translates to “little brother,” and it is in fact named for the owners, Toshie and Yasu Kizaki’s little brother Koichi. Koichi makes daily, early morning visits to, and maintains deep relations with, the fish mongers at the Nagayama Fish Market on Kyushu Island. This is where all three of the brothers’ restaurants procure the wonderfully fresh fish and seafood they are known for. Unlike Sushi Den, the “big brother” whose doors opened in 1984 and offers world-class, sushi delicacies, and Izakaya, the “middle sister” Japanese-fusion, gastro pub, Ototo specializes in Robata-style cooking. Robata cuisine focuses on ramen, bento boxes, small plates, skewers, and such. In an effort to better understand the wheels that make Ototo, Sushi Den, and Izakaya the smoothly run successes that they are today, I wanted to dig in and get the full picture. The saying goes that “behind every great man, there is a great woman,” and this restaurant conglomerate is no exception. Toshi’s wife, Michiko Kizaki is the pastry director for the restaurants. She says, “It was a great challenge to adapt my Japanese recipes to the elevation and climate of Denver.” She spent months practicing and ultimately perfecting her recipes, including her famous banana cream pie. In the kitchen at Ototo, there is another chef named Yuki. Yuki is from Tokyo and moved to Colorado when she was just 19 years old. While she was working as a private chef and caterer, she took a time off, got married, and started a family. Once her son got a little older, she decided it was time to get back in the kitchen. She returned to work, and that is how she landed in the kitchen at Ototo working alongside chef Koga-San.

But, as is the case with any finely tuned venture, the powerhouse is not complete without the front-of-thehouse crew. General manager, born-and-raised Indiana gal, certified sommelier and cicerone (that is a beer aficionado, in case you didn’t know), Erin Dziubczynski has a long-time background in all areas of the hospitality industry. She is front-and-center, smile on her face, and right there to greet you once you walk in the door. She brings a world of experience and a passion for her work to the table.

In addition to her outstanding kitchen and service team, her right-hand man, and my tour guide when I visited, is Izaak Lopez. Izaak is the kind of person we all need by our side. Welcoming, knowledgeable, and a “makes you feel right at home kind” of guy. Erin calls him “a gem,” and I couldn’t agree more. In order to properly give my opinion on any establishment, it is prudent that I check out the food firsthand. So, I paid Erin, Izaak, and the crew a visit. I love the neighborhood that these guys are in. It is full of charming, little shops and restaurants and is really the kind of place you want to walk around.

The restaurant space is sleek yet warm and inviting all at once: high ceilings, brick, wood, soft lighting, and what I can only imagine will be excellent outdoor dining in warmer months. The kitchen is open for patrons to gaze upon the gastronomic magic that is happening behind the scenes, and wall-sized windows allow for a fishbowl view of what is going on outside. On this evening, having never dined at Ototo previously, I asked Erin to guide me as to what I should try. She and the chefs consulted, and I ended up having the crispy, spicy tuna small plate and tonkotsu ramen to start. Tonkotsu, in Japanese, translates to “pork bones,” and it is from these bones, and the lengthy, labor-of-love cooking process, that the rich, succulent flavors and texture of tonkotsu broth create.

The main course was Ototo’s January bento box. This work of art contains, just to name a few items, soy-simmered, tiger shrimp; sake-kasu black cod; roasted duck breast; honeymiso, glazed eggplant, Scottich King-salmon sashimi; soysimmered pumpkin; and crisp, steamed snow peas, and that’s not even half of what is in this beautiful box. For a full description and photos, you can visit their website, ototoden.com. Everything was fresh and delicious! Erin also told me that, as things progress, they are working on expanding the bar offerings and doing seasonal menus to offer the absolute best ingredients to diners. She says that her focus is currently on learning more about sake and Japanese whiskey and developing cocktails using both. My takeaway is that one can quickly sense, in the atmosphere, the personable manner of the Ototo staff, and in the quality of the food that they create here, that synergy, a love of food and feeding people, and a desire to share their passion for these things are at the heart of Ototo. I am so pleased to have discovered this place, and I cannot wait to enjoy a sake cocktail on the patio this summer!

1501 S Pearl St, Denver, CO 80210 (303) 733-2503 Ototoden.com