Jeff Osaka, former chef/owner of Twelve restaurant, is opening a second Osaka Ramen in the former Ay Caramba Cherry Creek space at 2817 E. Third Ave. in mid-April following the opening of the first Osaka Ramen in RiNo mid-March.
The Cherry Creek space covers 1,880 square feet with 30 seats downstairs and 25 seats upstairs including the bar plus 25 seats on the covered and enclosed sidewalk-facing patio.
The Five mainstay ramen bowls are shoyu, shio, tonkotsu (the star ramen, all pork broth), tantanmen and a vegetarian ramen of Thai green curry with coconut milk, but with noodles. Ramen bowls will be priced at $14. In addition, Osaka will offer seasonal ramen selections (an Olathe corn ramen, for example). All of his noodles will be sourced from Sun Noodle (www.unnoodle.com/).
Small plates, of which there will be 20 to 25, will range in price from four to $12. Examples: pan-fried oysters, grilled shishito peppers, bacon-fried rice, gyoza, chicken karaage and a signature Osaka Ramen salad that’s cabbage-based and dressed with sesame.
Osaka Ramen will also feature bento boxes as an alternative to ramen. Bento boxes will include rice, salad, house-made pickles (tsukemono) and a protein (miso cod, spicy tofu or chicken/beef teriyaki).
Beverages will focus on sake and soju. In addition, there will be wines and 16 taps. A selection of Japanese beers will be offered by the bottle.
The primary difference between the RiNo and Cherry Creek locations is that Cherry Creek will offer everything to go, whereas RiNo won’t have a takeout option, although Osaka is considering adding a to-go option for the RiNo store later on.
Cherry Creek hours: Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.
“While Cherry Creek went through a period of low density, there’s a huge resurgence going on in the neighborhood, which is super-exciting,” Osaka said. “A lot of new developers are coming in, and there are several new residential living spaces that are on the horizon, plus the restaurant itself is well-positioned on the block with great street visibility. The two-tiered space is broken up really nicely into smaller areas, which makes it feel quaint and intimate.”
In addition to unveiling two Osaka Ramen locations this spring, the chef is also opening Sushi-Rama. The sushi bar concept, which will boast a revolving conveyor belt called a kaiten, a carousel brimming with displays of impeccable sushi that diners can grab and eat, is slated to open this summer at 2621 Larimer Street.
For more on Osaka Ramen, go to www.osakaramendenver.com.
Comments are closed.
Leave a comment