Windsor’s YÜZÜ: A serendipitous story about sushi
Fresh, lush, and artistically plated, the fish is the star at YÜZÜ. The Sashimi Sampler overflows with ahi tuna, salmon, escolar and hamachi topped with a tangle of micro greens and edible flowers drizzled with a tangy dressing. Photo by Emily Kemme.
By Emily Kemme
They say change happens for a reason. That the closing of a door opens a window, creating a space where we can gaze outside and ponder the world anew. But for most of us, we thrive on familiarity and the comfort of what we know. Change can leave a hole that aches.
As the pandemic eases, we’ve lost gathering spots where we’ve enjoyed memorable meals served by welcoming waitstaff.
One of those places with a recent gap is on the corner of 4th and Main Street in Windsor. For a decade and a half, Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill offered a butterfly’s kiss of tropical delights, its bale of metal turtles paddling across avocado green walls.
Over the past month or so, people are returning to these places where we can sit and relax while someone brings us food. Lights rekindled, our humanness treads the path of restoration.
YÜZÜ has taken up the spot at 431 Main Street in Windsor. It is one of those places where light has been restored. Named for a bitter tasting fruit originally cultivated in China and Japan, the yuzu’s juices — its flavor a cross between grapefruit and mandarin orange, according to Larousse Gastronomique, make regular appearances in sauces and desserts of those countries’ cuisines.
One of several vegetarian rolls at YÜZÜ, featuring asparagus. Photo by Emily Kemme.
YÜZÜ’s chef and co-owner, Somsanith Sananikone, is no stranger to monumental life changes.
Born a refugee in France in 1976 to a powerful political Laotian family, Sananikone, who goes by “Nith,” said cooking is not in his family’s wheelhouse.
“The family ran the country,” he said. “My great-uncle [Phoui Sananikone] was the prime minister, my maternal grandfather was the head of law enforcement for the entire country, and my paternal grandfather was a business tycoon.”
The one tie to apron strings was Sananikone’s great-grandfather, a chef who had served all the country’s dignitaries. “He told my mom he never wanted her to go into the industry.”
When Laos was overtaken by communists in 1975 during the Vietnam War, the Sananikone family was forced to leave the country. The family was blacklisted and had they remained, would have been killed by the incoming government, Sananikone said. After spending several years in France, the family emigrated to the United States in 1979, maintaining illegal immigrant status until President Reagan gave them amnesty, opening a path to American citizenship.
And in spite of her grandfather’s admonition to avoid the restaurant industry, Nith’s mother learned how to cook, becoming the understudy of the only 4-star Japanese restaurant, Murasake, in Simsbury, Connecticut.
“She broke a lot of conventions in the male-dominated Japanese culture where it was unheard of to have women in the kitchen,” he said. “She learned all the Japanese recipes, forced my stepdad to learn sushi, and over twenty years later, she has her restaurant, and dad has three of his own.”
YÜZÜ was named for a bitter tasting fruit originally cultivated in China and Japan, the yuzu’s juices — its flavor a cross between grapefruit and mandarin orange. Photo by Emily Kemme.
The family moved to Corpus Christi, Texas, where they opened a tiny, 1200 square foot restaurant, Sang’s Imperial Cafe & Sushi Bar, in 1999. The popular Texas sushi spot has undergone four expansions. Sananikone followed his brother, Arik, to the Roaring Fork area near Aspen, helping him establish THC & Sushi before finding an opportunity to open his own restaurant in Windsor.
“For our family, cooking was serendipitous, it was survival,” Sananikone noted.
There was also an element of sweetness in that, for as much as Windsor has, food-wise, it didn’t have a sushi restaurant.
Sananikone’s food philosophy is to use the best ingredients and make the food simple. “It not only has to be beautiful, but it has to taste creative, fresh, with exotic spices, a culmination of my life’s experience of eating around the world.”
Sourcing fish from distributors who work with Japanese markets, Sananikone also uses fish flash-frozen on ship, and as did Okole Maluna, will soon bring in live fish from Hawaii. He pulls from years of experience as a classically trained chef.
YÜZÜ’s menu reflects Sananikone’s culinary knowledge, offering a wide range of Thai curries, Asian classics like chicken katsu, and noodles, along with Japanese favorites like garlic sautéed edamame and flash fried hot shishito peppers on the appetizer menu, and a handful of Laotian specialties. Vegetarian egg rolls are scratch made, stuffed with a rainbow of julienned red, orange and purple carrots, crystal noodles, red cabbage, and fresh taro root. Dipped in a sweet and spicy Colorado honey sauce, the rolls provide a window into Sananikone’s creative mind.
And then there is the sushi. Fresh, yet lush and artistically plated, the fish is the star of Sananikone’s show. If you prefer sushi that’s plumped and sauced, order the Curry-osity Roll, a sweet bundle of coconut flaked tempura shrimp, avocado and yellowtail served with Thai spicy curry dipping sauce. A simpler choice is the So So Delicious roll, with ahi tuna inside and out, topped with fresh sliced jalapeños and a drizzle of hot garlic oil.
Sake on tap from Denver brewer Colorado Sake Co. and Japanese Roku gin are part of a bar line-up designed to compliment YÜZÜ’s menu. Photo by Emily Kemme.
But for the ultimate in simplicity, the dish that best showcases fresh fish at YÜZÜ is the Sashimi Sampler. It’s a plate overflowing with abundance, where ahi tuna, salmon, escolar (white tuna) and hamachi mingle with a tangle of micro greens, slivered green onions, and edible flowers drizzled with a tangy dressing. The plate is finished with truffle oil, adding a layer of sumptuous elegance.
Co-owner Hollishea Victoria, an artist whose bright imagination whirls and sings from paintings adorning the space’s still avocado-green walls, runs the front of house. She said she’s trying to create a bar to complement their food and is off to a roaring start with sake on tap from Denver brewer Colorado Sake Co. Order a refreshing ginger seltzer sake topped with a luxardo cherry and candied ginger, or take it to the next level with sweet Lychee, Horchata Nigori, or Carrot Cake flavors, any of which also makes a great dessert. The spicy Green Machine has some kick and a kimchi Bloody Mary is in the works.
Hollishea said she was invited to go into business with the Sananikone family because it offered a way to add her art to the restaurant’s concept.
“You do your magic front of house and I’ll do my magic in the kitchen,” is how the story goes, she said. She is launching an apparel line with designer Justin Dial, who puts Hollishea’s paintings on women’s and men’s clothing, including athletic gear that she said is getting a lot of love lately.
“I want people to come into YÜZÜ, a place where food is love, it brings people together. The magic is happening in the community. People are getting back into life again and are having a place as a base to mingle, hug, and laugh. It’s not just about eating, we’re here to bring people back to life,” she explained.
People are attracted to light and warmth. YÜZÜ is a good place to find it. And after these long months without the familiarity of our favorite restaurants, there is an understanding that without having tasted bitterness, we won’t recognize what is sweet.
Things to know
Where: 431 Main Street, Windsor, CO 80550
Contact: 970-888-YUZU (9898) | yuzu.biz
What: Asian Fusion | Sushi | Spirits
Hours:
Lunch: Wednesday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Tuesday and Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Saturday from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Closed: Sunday and Monday