Spring Break Shenanigans, Part 4: Dim sum at Star Kitchen, Red Robin redux

Catch up! Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

Maybe it's just me, but from the outside, Star Kitchen really didn't look like the kind of place that would serve up good dim sum. The restaurant was located in a dingy strip mall in Southwest Denver, and I would never have thought to stop in on my own. But we were trying to figure out where to tell TL's friend BN to meet us for lunch, and since Star Kitchen had gotten a number of good reviews, we just went with it.

Once I got inside, all my fears were alleviated at the sight of the full tables, bustling servers, and the array of goodies they bore on their carts. The skins of the shrimp dumplings were a little thicker-skinned than usual, and the fried items a little greasier, but we got all my favorites (char siu triangles, shao mai, fried mochi stuffed with pork, and shrimp wrapped in rice noodles) and on the whole I was really happy with everything we picked out.

I especially liked the scallop dumplings, which I'd never had before anywhere else. The belly of each dumpling was filled with shrimp, and a tender piece of scallop lay on top. Yum.

The egg custard tarts were good too, despite their suspiciously DayGlo centers. Heavy on the yolk, perhaps? We also split a bowl of dofu fa, jiggly tofu custard in sweet ginger syrup, and it was excellent.

After lunch TL and I headed to Red Rocks Amphitheater, which is open to the public whenever concerts or events aren't taking place. The amphitheater is framed by gorgeous natural red rock formations, and I was delighted by the sight of people picnicking, sunbathing, and running up and down the stairs for exercise. I can't wait for the opportunity to go to a concert here.

After walking around downtown Denver for a while, we drove back to Fort Collins and tried to think of someplace good to go for dinner; after the previous night's depressing meal at Suehiro, I wasn't in the mood to be disappointed again. So we went for the tried-and-true: burgers at Red Robin. This time, I got the California Chicken Burger, which is TL's favorite and which was awesome: a juicy chicken breast topped with cheese, guacamole, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mayo, and pickles. Say what you will about chain restaurants—I'd totally go back to Red Robin anytime.

Spring Break Shenanigans
Part 1: Braving the Road for Seoul BBQ
Part 2: Pikes Peak donuts, Phantom Canyon Brewing Company
Part 3: Rodizio Grill, Suehiro
Part 4: Dim sum at Star Kitchen, Red Robin redux
Part 5: Farmer's Table, Han Kang Korean Restaurant