Real Tokyo Ramen in Denver

September 2012.

Our latest visit to Oshima Ramen was to introduce Eli to one of our favorite eateries in Denver.

 We wanted, finally, to get a shot of the owner, who always graciously compliments my Japanese, but he demurred. He suggested we take a picture of ourselves instead. Here is the crew.

After spending five wonderful years in Japan, we were delighted to discover an excellent ramen shop in Denver. Our son discovered it originally, and we have been back many times since. There are a couple of places in Denver where you feel as if you are walking out of the United States and into Japan. Domo Restaurant is one, and Oshima Ramen is another. The proprietor speaks to us in Japanese, and the place has the authentic feel of a ramen shop in Tokyo or Yokohama. Here we are on our latest visit (November 2011).

This was a few years ago. The ongoing visit of our close friends, Bob and Vicki, and a promise we had made to our niece, Liz, was a perfect pretext to make the drive south to 7400 Hampden (just east of I25) to share a bit of Japanese cuisine with our friends. (In point of fact, ramen originated in China, but ramen shops are ubiquitous in Nihon, and that is where we learned to love it.)

At Oshima Ramen, you can also enjoy yakisoba, fried rice, Japanese pickles, and gyoza, to name just a few delightful dishes. Here's the gyoza. Not only is the food tasty, it is reasonably priced. Whether you are a veteran noodle slurper or are looking for something different, give Oshima Ramen a try. You won't be disappointed.

Here's a link to a map and some reviews of this shop, one of our favorite places to eat in Denver.

Original Oshima Ramen with a quintessentially Japanese drink, Ramune.

Chicken-Vegetable Ramen.

Original Oshima Ramen.

Spicy Kimchi Ramen

Chicken Ramen, Gyoza, and two types of Japanese pickles (Tsukemono/Takuan).

For more about ramen, check out this link. 

 

2011 review: Eat Local.2009 review: From Japan, with love: a True Noodle House. 
2008 review: Strangelunch.
2004 review: God Has Smiled on Oshima Ramen.

Boutique Judaica

Editor's Note (09-30-2013): Sadly, for those of us who loved this shop and the people who owned and operated it, Boutique Judaica is now closed for good, sold to another business. Thus this post now goes into the nostalgia file.

 

Boutique Judaica, just west of I-25 on Hampden Avenue, is one of our favorite shops in the Denver area.

A look in the front window provides a glimpse of the myriad of items inside. Books, Kippot, Hanukkiot, Greeting Cards, Challah Plates and Covers, Shabbat Candlesticks, B'nai Mitzvah Gifts, Mezuzot, Tallitot, Fine Jewelry, Candles, Music CD's.
You name it.

The appeal is not just the cornucopia of wonderful merchandise they stock.

It's the warmth and friendliness with which every visitor is welcomed. If you need to hear a good word, visit Boutique Judaica. You'll be treated like family. Here's Roz, showcasing a few of the items available.

Kathy stands by the front window display, chock full of Hanukkiot for the fast-approaching holiday.

Boutique Judaica

Hours of Operation:
Monday - Thursday: 10:30 - 6
Friday: 10:30 - 3
Sunday: 10:30 - 4
Closed Saturday (Shabbat)

Location:
5052 E. Hampden
Denver, CO 80222

If coming from I-25, watch for the Starbucks on the corner and turn left into the Happy Canyon Shopping Center. You'll see Boutique Judaica on your left.

Directions here.

Phone:
(303) 757-1317    Fax: (303) 757-1326

Matsos Family Restaurant

Recently, I was home for my 40th High School Class Reunion, and some dear friends took me to one of their favorite restaurants in a nearby city, Wooster, Ohio. A Greek restaurant, Matsos offers a mouth-watering array of fine Greek cuisine, one of my favorite of all international culinary delights.

Matsos offers an amazing array of Greek favorites. I can vouch for the Spanakopita (which is a filling entrée, not an appetizer) and the souvlaki. My friend, Thorne, loves the Seafood Pizza. I've only been there once, but everything I saw looked and smelled great. Check the place out if ever in Wooster. The menu is here.

Here's another view of the front of the restaurant with Spiro Matsos, the owner.

An interesting sidelight is the owner's participation in a group called Ohio Light Opera. He has pictures of the group decorating the eatery's walls. Here he appears in costume for one of their productions.

For more on the Ohio Light Opera, check out their web site here.

Matsos Family Restaurant offers their delicious Greek dressings online at http://www.matsosgreekdressing.com/.
Thanks again, Thorne and Linda, for treating me at this great Ohio restaurant. Next time, I'll have the presence of mind to snap some photos of the food, which looked and tasted great!

Usage notes:
An entrée, although formerly a smaller course that precedes the main course, the term is now used to describe the main course itself, in which case what would otherwise be called the entrée is called the first course, appetizer or a starter.

Spanakopita (σπανακόπιτα, from σπανάκι, spanáki, spinach, and πίττα, pítta, pie) is a Greek spinach pie made with layers of phyllo and a filling of seasoned spinach, onions and scallions, feta, and sometimes eggs.

Lael Gallery & Studios

This blog is about our family and friends and our favorite things, and one of those favorite things is the artwork of our friend, Lael.

Last year, she opened her own gallery. If you missed it, you missed an exciting event.

We originally met Lael when she and her mother were trying to teach a bunch of us adults elementary modern Hebrew.

The class only lasted a few months, but our friendship with her family and participation in other educational opportunites have flourished over the years.

We later discovered Lael's tremendous talent for producing beautiful works of art like this one.

You can find more examples of her artwork and directions to her gallery by clicking here or on the logo below.

For more about Lael, click here.

Congratulations, Tony Fernandez

This is a very special blog post in honor of a very special person in our lives. My cousin Lissa's husband has been like another brother to me ever since we met in Spain many years ago (just as my cousin and I grew up like sister and brother, our families were so close). Today he is also my employer at Affordable American Insurance, the highly successful enterprise he and Lissa established, as well as my golfing buddy, and a very dear friend. Recently, Antonio was honored with a prestigious award, Rotary's Paul Harris Fellow for his efforts on behalf of the people of the Dominican Republic.

Tony Fernandez Honored with Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow
Local Rotarian Honored for His Work Helping Needy Third-World Children
Thornton, CO (Rotary Newswire) 12 Jun 09 – Recently Tony Fernandez, a local business owner and Rotarian, was honored for his tireless efforts to help children in the third-world country of the Dominican Republic with Rotary’s prestigious Paul Harris Fellow.

Several years ago Tony was in the Dominican Republic with his family and church group when he realized the overwhelming need for health-care for the children of this impoverished nation and decided to do something about it. Shortly thereafter, he contacted the people at Project Cure (http://www.projectcure.org/) and got them to commit to giving him $1.5 million dollars worth of medical equipment. Project Cure gathers medical supplies that are no longer needed in our communities so that they can be donated to needy peoples around the world.

The real problem was getting all of these medical supplies from here in Denver to where they are needed most. Tony solved the problem by going to his local Rotary club (of which he is a member) and asking for a small donation of $3,000. He also approached a few other clubs asking for donation. All together local Rotary clubs donated $10,000 but that still wasn’t enough to get all of these supplies to the Dominican Republic. Tony took these funds to the local Rotary District and to Rotary International to get matching funds that totaled $38,100. At long last, Tony had the money needed to ship all of these valuable medical supplies to the Children’s Hospital in the Dominican Republic.

Later this month, Tony will gather a large group of local Rotarians to load all of these supplies into cargo-containers so that they can begin their long journey across land and over sea to the small Caribbean island nation of the Dominican Republic. In about 4 month’s time Tony plans to fly down to the Dominican Republic to meet with the first lady of that nation so that he can present over 1.5 Million dollars worth of medical supplies to her and her charity which is the local childrens’ hospital.

Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow that is given in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world. Rotary International is the world's first service club organization, with more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the motto Service Above Self. For more information: http://www.rotary.org/en/AboutUs/Pages/ridefault.aspx.

About the Rotary Club of Denver Metro North: 
The Rotary Club of Denver Metro North was founded on April 24th, 2007 with 20 members and has done a large amount of service to the community and for the world in it’s short lifespan.

In 2007 this club hosted a fund-raising roast of former Thornton Mayor, Noel Busck, and raised $23,000 for Holy Cross Church for a rec-center expansion project. Last year they roasted Odell Barry (former Northglenn Mayor and Broncos football player) where they netted about $42,000 of which $21,000 went to the Butterfly Pavillion (to help them with operating expenses) and the other half went to other local charities by way of it's Rotary Foundation. This last year the Rotary Club of Denver Metro North roasted Jack TerHar (of Sil-TerHar Motors) to benefit The Broomfield Community Foundation (http://www.broomfieldfoundation.org/) and it's Rotary Foundation. They are still waiting on the numbers for that fund-raiser.

Every year the Rotary Club of Denver Metro North delivers free Thanksgiving dinners to many needy families in the local community. They've also participated in getting flowers from Denver’s Home and Garden show to senior centers in the community after the show to help brighten the days of local seniors.

The Rotary Club of Denver Metro North is composed of a wide cross-section of the local communities. They participate in many worthwhile Club, Vocational, Community and International Projects and they meet at the Egg and I at 855 Thornton Parkway, Thornton CO 80229 every Tuesday morning at 7am. Prospective members are always welcome as they're always looking for a few good people to help serve the local community and the world.

More information about the Rotary Club of Denver Metro North can be obtained by visiting http://www.denvermetronorthrotary.com/.



Earlier this year, Antonio and Lissa's insurance agency, Affordable American Insurance, was recognized as one of the Top 50 Family-Owned Companies in Colorado.