Aoba A glimmering sushi bar hits Blake St

Opened by a Tokyo chef and his buddy from Osaka (correct, that's the one right by Nishinomiya and Toyonaka), Aoba's a Blake Street 80-seater outfitted with hardwood floors and striking white booths prime for enjoying sushi, noodles, grilled meats, and an array of Japanese small plates the duo claims they haven't seen before in Denver (maybe they're microscopic plates?).

Among the house's cooked specialties are Kushikatsu (breaded and deep-fried skewers of squid/ scallops/ salmon/ chicken), healthier grilled skewers called Kushiyaki (available with jumbo shrimp/ scallops/ lamb/ black pork), noodlers like a seafood nabeyaki udon w/ squid, and Japanese deep-fried chicken called Tatsuage -- tatsgood! If you're looking for something slightly lighter, there's nigiri sashimi (from sweet shrimp to giant clam), and a roster of semi-fancy rolls (like a spicy snow crab/ eel/ avocado/ lobster joint) bolstered with even fancier rolls like the shrimp tempura/ white tuna/ avocado/ caviar "Sex on the Beach" -- keep eating healthy, and you may soon need to pick sand out of more than just your teeth!

And in addition to the requisite bottles of Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo, they've also got Rock Sake, which is actually made in the US, so the fact that they stock it over Japanese competitors means it must be pretty out of sight.