I’m always reluctant to order them in a gourmet restaurant. The idea of a gourmet slider just seems like an oxymoron to me. One bite of the Kobe Beef Sliders at Izakaya Den, however, changed all that. Don’t let the size fool you; this meal will definitely fill you up.
A lot of restaurants have Kobe Beef Sliders on their menus. What makes Izakaya Den’s stand out is the lightly seared foie gras. The salty fattiness of the Kobe masks some of the strong pungent taste that one often associates with foie gras. The searing also gives the froi gras some firmness. This combination of firmness and slight pungent taste actually gives the foie gras a flavor profile that is very similar to a stinky cheese. In a sense, it’s like eating a cheeseburger.
But the feast of flavors doesn’t end with the sliders. The Kobe Beef Sliders are accompanied with fresh cut pomme frittes lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. The hidden treat of the dish is the habanero ketchup. It has a nice sweet and tangy flavor with a bit of heat kicked in at the end of it. The Kobe Sliders help bring some of the heat down. After finishing my entire plate, I realized that this was not just sliders with a side of fries. The dish is well thought as a whole with the flavors from the buttery buns, fatty Kobe ground beef, pungent foie gras, crispy pomme frittes, and the tangy habanero ketchup all playing off of each other.
Izakaya Den’s Kobe Sliders are the very definition of gourmet comfort food.
Izakaya Den
518 S. Pearl Street
Denver, Colorado 80210
303.777.0691
www.izakayaden.net
Executive Chef: Darren Pusateri
