The List Twelve Restaurant, 2233 Larimer Street. Risotto, pot pie, poussin and abalone all on the same menu? Absolutely. Twelve is one of the new breed of small, aggressive and intimately chef-driven neighborhood restaurants popping up all over the city.
"My palate has a very short attention span," says chef/owner Jeff Osaka of the brand-new twelverestaurant on the edge of Denver's lower downtown area. "So I like to do little plays on different forms."
Best Bites: Twelve Restaurant 5280's Table Talk January 27, 2009
Before the month is up, make a point to dine at Twelve, an upscale restaurant downtown. The Modern American menu changes every month, and while we have no doubt chef-owner Jeff Osaka will dream up another perfect dish, January's pork entrée is not to be missed. Tender and full of flavor, the tenderloin is beautifully cooked, while the shoulder is shredded and hidden inside a delicate cabbage package. Spaetzle rounds out the dish, and a rich jous is poured tableside. Try it paired with a glass of the full-bodied, almost raisin-y Taurino, and we think you'll agree that this is the city's best pork tenderloin. Note: We find Twelve on the expensive side, but remedy that by dining at the handsome bar and making a meal out of a couple appetizers or a shared entrée. 2233 Larimer St., 303-293-0287 --AMF
Tucker Shaw Denver Post January 21, 2009
The assessments are gloomy. The numbers are dire. The forecast is grim. The delicate, intricate global economy is in the midst of a daunting, red-flag moment.
It is, to put it mildly, a challenging time to open a restaurant.
Anna Fialho American Way Magazine December 15, 2008
Restaurants City Eats: Last month, Denver's Ballpark Neighborhood welcomed a new tenant when Twelve Restaurant (2233 Larimer Street, 303-293- 0287, www.twelverestaurant.com) opened its doors. The aptly named unique eatery is the brainchild of chef Jeff Osaka and treats diners to a different menu each month to ensure that the organic ingredients it uses are at their peak of freshness and in season.
Leftovers: After opening Twelve Restaurant at 2233 Larimer Street just a month ago, chef/owner Jeff Osaka is already making changes. "Due to the current economy, and feedback from our loyal customers, Twelve has responded quickly and adjusted its price structure to reflect this demand," he wrote in an e-mail last week. "However, changes will not be made when it comes to using the finest products available and the care that goes into preparing them."
A restaurant's name can tell a whole story, or leave the impression there’s nothing to tell. Chef Jeff Osaka is fresh on the Denver scene, having moved here three months ago, but with an eye on the Mile High City for much longer.
NEW EATS: I was a guest at a pre-opening party for twelve, a fine dining eatery in the oddest place - 2233 Larimer St. It's across the street and down a few doors from Snooze, the tres hip breakfast spot in the ballpark neighborhood, but fine dining in that 'hood? God bless 'em.
Also on the fresh-paint front is Twelve Restaurant (2233 Larimer St.), the brainchild of chef Jeff Osaka, whose cooking gigs have run the burners from Bradley Ogden's One Market in San Francisco and Wolfgang Puck's Chinois in Las Vegas to Chloe, Osaka's own joint in Los Angeles. His Mile High menu, a jumble of modern American plates, changes every month - or 12 times a year. And now you know why Osaka named his restaurant Twelve.
Today is not only Election Day, it marks the opening of Twelve Restaurant. Located in Ballpark, between Snooze and Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria, this is the first solo venture from chef-owner Jeff Osaka. The Los Angeles-born chef (who most recently cooked at L.A.'s two-Michelin-star Mélisse) found the location on Craigslist in March, moved to Denver in August, and immediately got to work on the space.
Jason Sheehan Cafe Society - The Westword Food Blog November 3, 2008
And just up the street at 2233 Larimer, in the old home of Kokopelli's (and Manny's Smokehouse before that), the lower-cased twelve restaurant will open on Tuesday, November 4. The chef/owner is Jeff Osaka, an L.A. native who did time at One Market in San Francisco and Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois, cooked at Restaurant Terroir and Koshu in Jackson Hole, then went back to California to open his own place, Chloe, and work at Melisse, a Michelin two-star. (The mystery of who's claiming to be the owner, as Patricia Calhoun wrote here, has yet to be solved.)
Patricia Calhoun Cafe Society - The Westword Food Blog Oct 30, 2008
There's a mystery behind twelve, and it's not why the restaurant opening November 4 in the Ballpark neighborhood, at 2233 Larimer Street, refuses to use capital letters.
