Jai Ho tries to fill a gap in Colorado's Indian food offerings

Mark Manger

Until last year, Sathya and Sujatha Narayan had never run a restaurant -- but they saw such a gaping hole in Denver's Indian food scene, that they couldn't resist picking up an Aurora strip mall spot and giving it a go, opening Jai Ho last spring.

In particular, the couple -- a former architect and a realtor -- wanted to move away from the Anglicized northern dishes found on most Indian menus around town and instead offer a broad taste of the country, focusing particularly on the south. And while they've allowed familiar staples to creep in -- like tikka masala and tandoori chicken -- they've managed to put together a board highlighting the specialties of Kerala, Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu that is unlike any other in town.

And the quirkiness of the menu, I discovered when I stopped by for this week's review, extends beyond the food.

Learn more about Jai Ho -- and find out how the food was -- tomorrow, when the review is posted here.