Photo and text by Kristen Browning-Blas, The Denver Post.
As long as the people in your party like Japanese, Chinese, Thai or Vietnamese food, East Moon Asian Bistro is a something-for-everyone restaurant.
With each new location (there are four now), East Moon Asian Bistro grows a little more ambitious. Siblings Jeff and Cindy Zhou and their partners opened the glitzy Westminster and Fort Collins restaurants in recent months, with similar menus that serve our favorite maki rolls with crunchy tempura inside, Vietnamese rice noodle bowls and Thai peanut curry.
The original East Moon, on Prospect Road and Lemay Avenue in Fort Collins, is small and busy, serving locals a little bit of everything from the Pacific Rim. The new location, on Harmony Road, added hibachi tables and a large bar where New York- trained sushi chefs create the restaurant’s signature rolls, sashimi and nigiri.
The Westminster East Moon, too, is much bigger than the original, with a sushi bar, high ceilings and a nightclubby decor. It’s a hipper offering in Westminster’s sea of chains along Church Ranch Boulevard.
The new locations have raised prices slightly, but the level of service and serving size have increased as well. Although Westminster manager Kam Do had no idea our party was there to sample the food for this story, he treated us like VIPs, even bringing out three glasses of champagne to celebrate the opening.
The dinner entrees came on large rectangular platters decorated with radish roses, bow-tied scallions and steamed rice molded in a heart shape.
The lamb connoisseur in our group declared the Outback Lamb of China to be the best buy in town, at $13 for four good- sized chops with a smoky, slightly sweet sauce, steamed rice and stir-fried veggies.
The hot and spicy shrimp delivered on both counts, and we sponged up the sauce with the steamed broccoli tops.
Wanting something peanutty but lighter than satay beef, I chose the Thai peanut curry with firm tofu triangles, chunks of red pepper, onion, asparagus tips and broccoli, in a light, sweet (but not too) sauce, and there was plenty left for the next day’s lunch.
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– EAST MOON ASIAN BISTRO –
Pan-Asian. 11 a.m. 10 p.m. daily. 10431 Town Center, West- minster, 303-635-1888; 1624 S. Lemay Ave., Fort Collins, 970-416-8333; 2400 E. Harmony Road (Villagio mall), Fort Collins, 970-223-0666; 2144 Main St., Longmont, 303-684-8383
– Kristen Browing-Blas
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Isn’t there one of these in New York too?
Comment by Mark S. — December 9, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
Actually, I found that I did not receive the same grand treatment you received at the Westminster one. The manager “graciously” sat us in a booth secluded from the rest of the people dining in that night. The waiter and him had an argument over who was taking the table because “we looked like bad tippers”. We ended up tallying a $30 bill and we tipped $10. Throughout our meal, the manager actually went to every table and asked how they were doing and skipped over ours. Repeatedly. He actually followed us out after our meal because as he asked another waiter in chinese, which I’m fluent in, if we skipped out on our bill. I found that absolutely ridiculous. I am never setting foot in that place again.
Comment by Linh — December 23, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
I’ve been to the one in Westminster a few times and have had great service and sushi every time! The pieces of fish are always fresh and large and the design the trays they come out on so wonderfully. Our servers have always been very nice. I also like that they have had a grand opening special for $1 sake and $1 beers for a little while now as I love hot sake!
Will be going back plenty in the year to come!
Comment by Jamie — February 13, 2009 @ 2:36 pm