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For a quarter of a century, Imperial Chinese Restaurant has been serving up some of the city’s most consistent Chinese fare. Chef-owner Johnny Hsu—who also owns the Palace Restaurant in south Denver—has carved out his niche with pleasant Szechuan- and Mandarin-style dishes. (Those craving exotics like jellyfish or pig intestine will have to go elsewhere.)
His Peking duck, for example, arrives with its skin perfectly crisped and shiny from a glaze of honey and vinegar. Carefully de-boned, the fowl is carved and wrapped in delicate flour pancakes with julienne scallions, batonnets of cucumber, and a splash of hoisin.
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Sesame chicken is also a favorite, but my go-to entrée is the stir-fried Chilean sea bass, served with an addictive black-bean sauce, as well as bell peppers and sliced onions.
Hsu has peppered the menu with 25th-anniversary prices: Now through April 17, the Peking duck runs $25 (instead of $37.50), and select entreés, including sesame chicken, are 25 percent off.
Bonus: Don’t miss Imperial’s food booth at the annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, which is held each July on the shores of Sloan’s Lake.
431 S. Broadway, 303-698-2800