Normally people associate the most must hit restaurants of Denver as the one’s located right by Union Station or in the suburbs on Pearl street. Instead, DU students can rejoice to know that solely a block or two from campus, they can relive their thrilling experiences studying abroad with the Asian fusion being served on Evans. D Station harbors a fun environment that encourages friends and family to come together over their ability to play with their food. D Station focuses on hot pot cooking, which can pretty much be explained by the name itself. Originally developed in China, a pot of simmering stock is heated over a burner within the table to allow those hovering around it to cook their meal before their own eyes.. They have integrity when it comes to building flavor profiles in their stocks with bones and vegetables that steep for hours in large pots in the back of the kitchen to ensure every ounce of flavor is extracted. If you think that the stocks were made that day, you’re wrong. Seasoning, richness and depth take time, which is definitely delivered here. They rotate their bases, so be prepared for a unique experience if you ask for the special of the day, because it’s here this time but gone the next.
Chinese cuisine loves a good kick, which my Mexican background can resonate with because I grew up on comida picante (spicy food). Therefore, there was no hesitation to try one hot pot that got that name from both temperature and spice level. The deep red broth arrived at the table with flecks of chiles swimming freely. It looked like yin and yang when the other pot of pork bone broth arrived by its side as a murky pale broth similar to miso soup in appearance but comprised of meaty saltiness that kicks any chain miso soup to the curb. The magic begins once you regain consciousness after being mesmerized by the bowls of flavor simmering away in front of you. With the broth comes a shaved protein of choice which makes cooking a breeze; obviously it depends on what you’re cooking, but just a quick dip in the pool or a long lasting soak can inject tons of flavor into that one piece of meat. But that’s not near the end of the party: it’s like Burger King, because you can have it your way.
They have a buffet to choose from fresh produce that rotates daily. It’s composed of everything from American classics like broccoli and button mushrooms to the unique asian staples like bok choy, enoki and wood ear mushrooms. Each is a delight in its own right and capable of sopping up the broth like rustic bread absorbing olive oil at an Italian restaurant.
Now let the seafood fiends rejoice in the unlimited options available. The head-on shrimp should be cordially invited to the feast because staying intact through the cooking process allows for their sweetness to mix with the broth for an intense shrimp flavor that notoriously gets lost in the sad shrimp cocktail. Crawfish are always in season and the squid tentacles are waving you down as we speak. This experience allows for the adventurous eaters to test their bounds while also accommodating those that usually stick to scanning the children’s menu before ordering.
No meal would be sufficient without hitting all the food groups, and that is where the noodles come into play. Religious ramen eaters can get their fix and continue to live the college dream. Everyone knows that the key to a perfect ramen is the soft boiled egg, and while it may take some research to time it just right, the perfect soft boiled egg can be achieved from grabbing one of the eggs of the buffet bar and giving it a nice bath in the hot pot. Additionally, if you’re interested in tapping into your Italian roots, the udon noodles remind me of a thicker bucatini that absorbs spices beautifully.
At this point, you have gotten the hang of this style of cooking, and culinary school might start to seem more and more enticing, it’s time to continue building flavor, which comes at the sauce bar. They have a white board with their versions of flavor bombs sure to intensify your meal, but again, the fun is experimenting. Be your own mad scientist and concoct your new favorite flavor combination. Sure it might end up like the jelly belly bean boozled game, where it looks like tutti-frutti but takes like stinky stocks, but this allows for your creativity to surface along with your iron chef abilities. Show your family and friends that you’re the next Bobby Flay.
For only 20 dollars this is basically an all-you-can-eat experience, so bring your sweat pants and some hungry pals because you’ll be eating well. No dinner is complete without a bit of sugar to top it off, so get rolling with their rolled ice cream ladled with chocolate sauce.
