The List: Dim sum in Denver

I've always been surprised that a city like Denver can support more than one dim sum restaurant. San Francisco? Sure. New York? Absolutely. But dim sum is something special, and this Chinese brunch rarely seems to travel too far outside major metropolitan areas. Most of the time, a medium-sized city is lucky to have one dim-sum joint. But here in Denver, we have...

1) Star Kitchen, 2917 West Mississippi Avenue (shown here). I recently reviewed Star Kitchen, and it currently stands as my favorite dim sum place in the city. It has a liquor license, and It's just a little bit faster and a little bit more creative than its closest rival...

2) Super Star Asian, 2200 West Alameda Avenue. Super Star is a great restaurant in its own right. But I'm kinda like a kid on Christmas -- more excited about his new toys than his old ones. I have no idea whether I'll like Super Star or Star Kitchen better a year from now, only that I will probably like them both better than...

3) King's Land, 2200 West Alameda (across the parking lot from Super Star). If King's Land were the only dim sum restaurant in the city, I'd be very pleased -- and would spend the rest of my days eating pork buns and chicken feet in black bean sauce.

4) The Empress, 2825 West Alameda. Close by King's Land is another huge dim sum place, the Empress, with a menu that goes on for days and a white-tablecloth dining room that frequently hosts karaoke wedding receptions.

5) The Palace, 6265 East Evans Avenue. Named Best Dim Sum for Beginners in the Best of Denver 2007, the Palace has a vast menu of non-dim sum items and an easy, welcoming air.

And to make it an even half-dozen, there's also

6) Heaven Star, 7600 West 120th Avenue in Broomfield, which opened in January and was brought to us by the good people behind Super Star Asian.