Restaurant Reviews

Ace Shows Its Cards

Members of the In Good Taste Denver team have been telling me I HAVE to go to Ace Eat Serve. Nothing against the place, right at the corner of 17th and Pennsylvania, I just haven’t made it in. Boy, have I’ve been missing out! The restaurant has really reasonable prices, clever and stylish uses of reused materials in their decor and incredible attention to detail in the food.  It’s one of those places that feels special, but is fun and casual and doesn’t rack up a big bill.

Within five minutes of sitting down, (less if your dining companions are dullsville), you’ll notice there are no TV’s in Ace’s dining room which is deliberate. Focus on the food and on each other! It’s a concept we, at the IGTD blog can really get behind. Without a TV to turn you into a zombie, it’s perfectly acceptable for you to take a look around Ace’s space. You’ll see a bar made from a cut-apart freight container and a hostess stand made from old airplane parts. Keep looking around – it’s interesting to see how they reused various parts and pieces of things.

There is an entire room filled with ping-pong tables (The Pong Room). The space can also be turned into extra dining for private functions (start booking those holiday parties now!). Take a look at the food we sampled:

Ace
Ace Eat Serve makes their own Bao buns which means they are much lighter and less gummy than ready-made versions. Here, we enjoyed the Char Siu Pork Belly Bao ($4) and Braised Short Rib Bao ($5) topped with fried kimchi.
Ace
Tiger Wings ($10) are a mainstay at Ace and it’s no wonder why. After brining overnight, they fry them multiple times, at a low temperature to build up a crispy crust by rendering the fat out. The third time is done at a higher temperature. They are both sweet and salty thanks to the slightly fishy Tiger sauce they are prepared with. Don’t expect Buffalo Wings here! These have an Asian flare. If you don’t think you’d like the sauce though, there are Naked Wings for $9.
Ace
Sesame seeds and fried shishito peppers are a nice touch in the Brussels Sprouts ($8), served with a dish of lime mayo for dipping. My only complaint here was that the brussels should be either quartered or slivered. The larger halves were more than bite-size and the biggest ones were slightly undercooked.
Ace
Bun Cha ($12), one of the new items on Ace’s menu, has a base of rice vermicelli noodles, grilled pork belly, pickled vegetables and peanuts. The variety of temperatures and textures are most of the fun of noodle bowls. Be sure to pour plenty of the mellowed fish sauce over everything and mix it all up together.
Ace
Tom Kha ($12) was the highlight of our meal with chicken, mushrooms and herbs swimming in a delicious Thai coconut broth. I couldn’t get enough!
Ace
Don’t expect a cardboard-like fortune cookie delivered with your check. For $1, get a house-made, really delicious cookie with various, cheeky, fortunes.

Next time, I’m going to order a Bento Box ($12 or $14) because I love compartmentalized things! It combines my love of office supplies with food, I think. Ace’s Bento Boxes come in Grilled Chicken Breast, Ponzu Grilled Shrimp and Seared Spicy Tuna served with pickled cucumber salad, choice of rice or rice noodles and one of those yummy Ace fortune cookies.

Starting October 15, they will not be open for lunch/brunch on the weekends but will open at 4pm. It’s the same menu day or night, with the same reasonable prices. Speaking of menus, Ace has pulled all of the Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten-Free items they serve and put them on their own menus so people with those dietary concerns won’t have to decipher various symbols! Very thoughtful.

Ace Eat Service is located at 501 E. 17th Avenue, Denver. There is parking in back, on Pennsylvania Street. 

Get yourself a Lyft there – Use our exclusive code, IGTD2016 with the Lyft App for a $50 credit toward your first rides. For new users only. 

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