Little Ollie's (Denver, CO)

Little Ollie's is located in the Cherry Creek neighborhood in Denver, CO. The atmosphere is modern and relaxed. I especially like the enclosed patio that I believe was added on recently. Unfortunately I didn't get to sit in the patio, I was dining by myself, and I was seated promptly at a table for two at the intersection of two walk ways, which later proved to be distracting since servers and customers kept passing by me throughout the meal. At one point, the hostess actually handed some napkins over my table to a server on the other side of me, I almost had to duck!



My waiter was friendly and service was fast. I asked for lemon for my water, and I got two fresh slices (tastes great with Colorado water). The waitor suggested "Crab Ragoon @ $5.95 for 4" and "Chinese Dumplings @ $5.95 for 4", since I am trying to stay away from fried food, I decided to go with the Dumplings (steamed with pork filling). The filling was mostly meat, (as expected in more Americanized Chinese cuisine, I'm more used to a near 50/50 mix of meat and cabbage filling). The ginger in the filling gives it a slight kick on top of a hint of sweetness that's not too overwhelming. The filling was moist and had a loose texture. While the skin looks hand made, it's slightly too thick for my taste. (Authentic northern China style dumplings are near translucent and have a more beautiful shape.) It also came with a sweet tangy soy sauce that enhanced the sweet flavor. (I'm more used to a vinegar base sauce.) I also don't understand the pickled ginger, which is usually served with Japanese sushi.

I wanted to try the sea bass and half duck, but since I'm only one person, I decided to go with something a little less daunting. "Yushan Eggplant @ $10.95" was my choice of the evening. The eggplant texture was near perfection since it was either deep friend or stir fried for just the right amount of time. I'm also glad that they used the long Asian eggplant rather than the oval shaped ones you usually see in the grocery stores. The eggplant peel was removed before cooking, which is fine, although I don't mind the peel especially after being deep fried. The sauce for this dish was also sweet and tangy, which could very well be the Yushan style that which I'm unsure about. Other vegetables also included asparagus, red pepper, and zucchini (all of which are not really true Chinese vegetables). The dish went well with the long grain rice. I had plenty to take home, which will make a nice meal for me the next day.

Food: 3 out of 5
Edible but not spectacular. Probably suits American taste more than my own, definitely a nice alternative to the more fast food/take out versions of less healthy Chinese food. The owner claims that "You'd be hard-pressed to find Chinese food this good - even in New York" in Denver's Dining Out magazine (Summer/Fall 2009), I beg to differ.

Service: 3 out of 5
Ambience and location is nice. Waitor was friendly and food was fast so I tipped well, but owner/manager walked by me many times without paying any attention to me. She even yelled "pack up the food" in cantonese to the waitor, without asking or acknowledging me.

Will I go again?
Maybe if I have a couple friends who are more into American Chinese food. I'd definitely ask for a spot at the enclose Patio, and want to try the Sea Bass and half duck. Perhaps combine it with stroll to check out the Cherry Creek shops.

Have you been to Little Ollie's? Leave your comments!