OTOTO has won the award for “Best Japanese Restaurant in Denver” for 3-years running
Come see why. Make a reservation today.

For top-notch service, dedication to excellence and continuous innovation, the Kizaki brothers still set the standard for Denver restaurants, Japanese or otherwise. Where else can you nibble on a charcoal-grilled fish head, eat a skewer-full of chicken oysters (the plump little cutlets from the chicken’s back) in pungent kizami wasabi sauce, or sample a bowl of burdock root batons, all while pouring cups of some of Japan’s most revered sakes?

Read more at the Best Of Denver awards.

For publicity inquiries: ellen@getinkpr.com

Want to see more great press? Please visit the DEN Corner Press Page.

OTOTO

• “BEST JAPANESE RESTAURANT”, Westword, BEST OF DENVER 2019 | Read Story
• “EDITOR’S CHOICE: BEST JAPANESE”, 5280 Top of the Town | Read Story
  
• “BEST JAPANESE HAPPY HOUR”, Westword, BEST OF DENVER | Read Story
• “DINER’S CHOICE”, OpenTable | Make Reservation

For more OTOTO news, please visit ototoden.com/news

SUSHI DEN

• 2017 OAD TOP 100+ U.S. RESTAURANTS | Read Story
• Denver’s Classic Restaurants 2017 – Town & Country | Read Story
• DiRoNA Awarded Restaurant 2017 – Distinguished Restaurants of North America | Read Story
• Best Japanese 2016 – 5280 Top of the Town | Read Story
• Denver’s 25 Best Restaurants, 2016 – 5280 | Read Story
• Essential Denver Restaurants, 2016 – Eater | Read Story
• Experts in Gill to Tail – Esquire | Read Story

For more Sushi Den news, please visit sushiden.net/news

IZAKAYA DEN

• 36 Hours in Denver – New York Times | Read Story
• DiRoNA Awarded Restaurant  – Distinguished Restaurants of North America | Read Story
• Best Rooftop Bars in Denver  – PlanetRooftop | Read Story
  
• Best Restaurants in Denver – 5280 Magazine | Read Story
• Inside the Making of Izakaya Den Specials – 5280 Magazine | Read Story
• The Guide to Drinking Sake – Eater | Read Story
• Prepare to Sweet Talk You Roll / Sushi Making Class – Dining Out | Read Story

For more Izakaya Den news, please visit izakayaden.net/press

For publicity inquiries: ellen@getinkpr.com

Sincere Thanks Go To All Who Made This Video and Event Possible:
Michael Bauer – Smart Street
CPTV – Colorado Public Television, Street Level; South Pearl Street Episode
Andra Dohrn, Denver Film Company
All Our Staff, Volunteers and Vendors
Instant Media Press

OTOTO is also open on Sunday nights from 4:30pm-5:30pm/Happy Hour and also 5:30pm-9:00pm/Regular Hour.

Sunday:
Happy Hour is 4:30pm-5:30pm

Happy Hour Menu

With Sushi Den clocking in at over three decades and sister restaurant Izakaya Den approaching a decade, Ototo does indeed have a little brother vibe. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Ototo is actually returning to the dining scene after a four-year hiatus, not opening for the first time. Within spitting distance from its older sisters just across Florida Street on South Pearl, Ototo officially reopened to the public on Friday, September 25….”

Read the whole story…

In Japan, food takes a back seat to sake, where small dishes are prepared to enhance the enjoyment of sake, and not the other way around, similar to the Spanish tapas concept. And similar to wine drinking, different sake would be served during the course of the meal, from the delicate Ginjo and Daiginjo with light appetizers, to the fuller bodied Tokubetsu Junmai and Sparkling sake with heavier, fried foods, and Kimoto and Yamahai sake with grilled dishes and gamey flavors, to fully enjoy the flavor combina-tions. Sake can be served chilled, at room temperature or gently warmed. The premium sakes are best served chilled.

SAKE CATEGORY

• HONJOZO is aromatic and light, and tends to go better with simple dishes like salads and starters.
• JUNMAI has a rich, heavy body, is sometimes considered the “red wine” of Sake. It is slightly heavier and has a fuller flavor than the others and has slightly higher acidity content. It can pair with stronger flavors including beef, fried foods and rich sauces.
• GINJO is the premium sake. The taste is layered or complex and it is light-bodied, smooth, clean, refreshing, fruity to dry, with low to moderate acidity. It is comparable to many quality white wines. It should be paired with lighter, milder foods, such as seafood and chicken. Ginjo means that the alcohol was added during the brewing process. If it is labeled Junmai Ginjo, it has no alcohol added.
• DAIGINJO is also the premium sake and it is typically lighter bodied and complex. It should be matched with richer, more complex dishes. Daiginjo means that the alcohol was added during brewing process. If it is labeled Junmai-Daiginjo, it has no alcohol added.
• NIGORI is not filtered and there is much rice sediment in the bottle. Before serving, the bottle is shaken to mix the sediment and turn the sake white or cloudy. Great as aperitif and after dinner cordial; also complements spicy food. Always serve chilled.

SAKE GRADES

The more of the rice grain that is polished away, the more full-bodied and complex the sake will be.

• Honjozo in which the rice is polished in such a way that a minimum of 70% of the grain remains.
• Junmai does not require a minimum percentage; however it is most commonly milled to a minimum 70% as well.
• Ginjo and Junmai-Ginjo rice is milled so that only 60% of the core remains.
• Daiginjo and Junmai Dai-Ginjo is a further refinement, with a minimum of 50% polishing.

RICE, WATER AND YEAST

In the process of making sake, another layer of complexity is added by using varieties of sake rice.

• Each type of sake rice contributes to the flavor of the finished sake. The ”king” of sake rice is Yamada-Nishiki, which provides a full body and very complex sake. It is followed closely by Gohyakumangoku, and many others. Sake rice is very special, and these rice have been chosen for certain qualities.
• The “original” sake rice, discovered in 1859, is Omachi. Omachi is very rare, and very different than most sake rice. It tends to be more spice, earth, and very complex. The aromas of sake are mostly influenced by the type of yeast that is used. There are traditional yeasts, more Umami, mushroom, soy notes, and there are modern yeasts, producing aromatic sake, flowers and fruits. Sake does not express terroir, however it does express regional styles, which are driven by the climate of the region, the minerals and hardness or softness of the water used and the style of the individual Toji – Brew Master.