looking for insight re Super Star vs. King's Land (DEN)

[tatamagouche]

I've yet to do dim sum at either—Denver hounds, it's time for another outing!—but since about half the folks I respect prefer the one and about half the other, I'm trying to figure out why. My SO the Director just said "whities" ("whiteys"?) prefer SS, which just won the Westword Best Of award, whereas Asians prefer King's Land. He's Scottish or something & prefers KL.

Of course the implication is that KL is more "authentic," whatever that means as usual. I'd really like to know the difference with respect to both range & execution of dishes. rlm & I have specifically discussed chive dumplings, for one thing.

Thanks!

[RobynS]

I'd love to be part of a meet up but wouldn't be available on a weekend day until after April 13th when the slopes close up.

[Pampatz]

When & where? I'm ready. Next Saturday afternoon would be great. KL is larger and much more Asian, but it seems most like SS. I'm game for either.

[zonzon]

Super Star. Better food and better service.

[ClaireWalter]

Zonzon has a strong opinion on this. Having been to neither for dim-sum, I have no opinion except to note that sometimes, one place isn't necessarily "better" than another, but they are different. A possibility here? I'm also eager to try them both w/ a foodish/Chowish group. Hope we can snare a round table!

[Charsiu]

I could be up for Saturday. Right now, I have to say that I can't definitively say one place is better than another. I've done the banquet thing at each, and found them about equal, although I can confirm you can do a great banquet at less than $20 a head. I've never been unhappy with the dim sum at King's Land, although I haven't tried it at Superstar. The one thing that no one's mentioned however, is the hotpot that you cook at your own table at King's Land that simply terrific.

[gastronaughty]

Superstar Asian -- hands down. No question. No liquor license, however, which sucks.

[tatamagouche]

I think there may have to be a showdown, a side-by-side (well, at leat week-by-week) comparison. There are too many people I respect on either side!

[lotuseedpaste]

Does Kings Land have a larger selection than SS? I've only been to SS here, but I've been to plenty of dim sum in other places (Boston, DC, NY, SFC). SS had about half of the selection that I was used to in the bigger Boston dim sum places (only fair, since the restaurant is about 1/10 the size).

[ClaireWalter]

FWIW, 'Westword' (meaning Jason Sheehan) anointed Super Star Asian for dim sum in the Best of Denver issue. Interesting to go to http://bestof.westword.com/bestof/res... and see how that has changed in the years of the 21st century.

Lotusseedpaste, without a concentratration of restaurants or a distinct Chinatown in Denver, I think it's astonishing that so many places offer dim sum at all, so comparing the selection of Boston, NYC, SFO or the nation's capital might not be fair. That would be like saying the selection of Mexican, Tex-Mex or Southwestern food isn't as great in those cities as it is in Denver or Albuquerque.

[tatamagouche]

LSP, are you a Boston transplant too?

[lotuseedpaste]

Sort of, I moved here from Boston, but lived near DC prior to Boston.

I am glad that there are at least some dim sum places, although I wish there were some closer to Boulder. I meant that the menu within SS is rather limited, which I expect is due to the small size of the restaurant (which would fit in a corner of, say, China Pearl or Chau Chow City in Boston) - the smaller dim sum places that I've been to in other cities also had smaller menus. I've been wanting the spicy tripe dish, which tends to be one of the rarer items, but couldn't find it the last few times I went to dim sum (which were SS, a weird dim sum in DC, a small dim sum in NYC, and a small dim sum in San Jose).

[tatamagouche]

Did you post much on the Boston board? The name seems vaguely familiar...
Well, yes, CP and CCC were virtual caverns.

As soon as I can, in the next few weeks, I hope to post a sticky about a dim sum chowdown at KL or SS, but if anyone wants to beat me to the punch be my guest.

[lotuseedpaste]

No, I moved to Colorado a few years ago. When I was in Boston, I had a bunch of foodie friends, so finding good places to eat was easy. Here, I don't know many people who are into food, and it has been much harder, so I gave up on asking people for recommendations and turned to the internet :)

I haven't been to KL, but I'd be up for dim sum at either.

[tatamagouche]

My oft-stated opinion is that we're in the right place at the right time. In Boston, I'd grown so sick of $300 tabs for 2 people for mediocre meals as a matter of course and so sick of the fact that every new establishment was a high-end steakhouse owned by a local celebrity chef—even when it was a chef I liked. Here, the energy is palpable, the growth is imminent, and the tabs are reasonable with a few exceptions.

Anyway, stay tuned. This board isn't nearly as active as Boston's, granted, but the few posters that are active are totally down for get-togethers.

[lotuseedpaste]

I was in grad school in Boston, so spending more than $15 on a meal was very rare - usually stuck to little ethnic joints and home-cooking (I miss Market Basket and TJs). Although I now have a Real Job™, I still like to stay under $30, which seems to be limiting for the 'higher end' places, at least in Boulder.

Happily, dim sum is extremely affordable... :)

[tatamagouche]

Charsiu, who sometimes posts here, says we can have a something like a 10-course feast at KL for $25 if we play our cards right, so I assume dim sum's pretty cheap. I'll ask him to weigh in.
I don't know TJs, was it a market? But yes, Market Basket, much missed .

[lotuseedpaste]

i think it is impossible to spend more than $15 a head on dim sum without causing oneself injury, even if you order the expensive seafood items exclusively.

TJs == Trader Joes; there was one in Cambridge on Mem drive. Now I bring a cooler with me on trips to ABQ and bring back tons of liquorice, triple ginger snaps, and goat cheese. I miss Haymarket when I spend $1.50 per lemon at Safeway...

[tatamagouche]

Oh, Trader Joe's! Yes, there was one in Brookline and the Back Bay too (don't know how long ago you were there; I left last August). But since I lived in the North End I had all the specialty markets I needed...sigh. Still, there are some good ones around here too. Love St. Kilian's, for one thing. Can't compare to Formaggio Kitchen inventory-wise but certainly can compare in terms of owner passion/knowledge.

Right, the $25 feast I'm talking about isn't dim sum, it's full courses.

[Pampatz]

We have been to both and prefer King's Landing. We have been to KL many times and SS only once, so it's probably not a fair comparison.

[ClaireWalter]

We've yet to try either and are open to both. Just hope we're around when a date is set. I've got a sense from all I hear that they are both very good.