{"id":2453933,"date":"2020-01-30T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=320111"},"modified":"2020-01-30T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-30T19:00:00","slug":"food-matters-the-yin-and-yang-of-the-new-bok-choy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/food-matters-the-yin-and-yang-of-the-new-bok-choy\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Matters: The yin and yang of the new Bok Choy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.466275659824\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-320111-829\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-952x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"COURTESY OF BOK CHOY | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-952x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-1-1024x712.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"COURTESY OF BOK CHOY | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-1-1024x712.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-2-1024x723.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"COURTESY OF BOK CHOY | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-2-1024x723.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-3-1024x768.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"COURTESY OF BOK CHOY | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-3-1024x768.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-4-1024x813.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Amanda Rae | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>Amanda Rae<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-4-1024x813.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-5-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-5-1024x789.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"COURTESY OF BOK CHOY | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-5-1024x789.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-6-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-6-1024x824.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"COURTESY OF BOK CHOY | \" class=\"h-100\">\n<div class=\"caption\">\n<p><strong><\/strong><br \/>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-6-1024x824.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-7-683x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto | Refreshing Gin and Tonic on White with a Clipping Path\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Refreshing Gin and Tonic on White with a Clipping Path<\/strong><br \/>Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-7-683x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Refreshing Gin and Tonic on White with a Clipping Path\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-8-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-8-683x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto | Beer bottle with water drops isolated on white\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Beer bottle with water drops isolated on white<\/strong><br \/>Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/food-atw-013020-4-8-683x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Beer bottle with water drops isolated on white\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/food-matters-the-yin-and-yang-of-the-new-bok-choy\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/food-matters-the-yin-and-yang-of-the-new-bok-choy\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">New year, new adventures in food. On Jan. 25, a friend and I seek tasty refuge from frigid temps at the tail end of apr\u00e8s-ski. How better to celebrate Chinese New Year, we figure, than at the new\u2014and only\u2014fast-casual, quick-serve Chinese restaurant in Aspen?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Bokchoy East\/West Kitchen opened quietly Jan. 1 in the space formerly occupied by Little Ollie\u2019s, after a complete renovation \u201cfrom floor to ceiling, wall to wall,\u201d with a Chinese-native kitchen crew and fresh \u201cdumpling house\u201d menu, according to managing partner David Roth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Now, to watch the bright, calm space fill with diners as day turns to dusk is like watching a lotus flower blossom at warp speed in a \u201cPlanet Earth\u201d episode. From my perch at a four-top corner table, I notice many customers approach the entrance of Bokchoy curiously, if a bit tentatively. Teens from X Games. Families on vacation. Couples on date night. Patrons spilling out of Zane\u2019s Tavern next door notice, and shuffle over to peek inside. From the courtyard, it\u2019s apparent that something exciting is happening here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Roth, along with junior partners Frank and Kate Lu of Jing, designed Bokchoy according to feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice that considers energy forces of buildings, objects and habitants to create harmony and flow. Hoping to set a certain tone, the team reconfigured a brand-new door, centered among a row of windows and painted lucky red. Once inside, a visitor can step straight to the counter to order, after which a server will deliver the meal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt seems like everything is put together where it was meant to be,\u201d Roth marvels, gesturing toward sleek-white high-top tables, bamboo chairs, and height-adjustable gold pendant lamps. \u201cThat\u2019s me working with Kate. We have a certain synergy. She\u2019s the foundation that holds up all the creative ideas. Frank\u2019s creativeness with the food, that\u2019s a whole other thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Together Roth and chef Frank Lu plotted the menu, centered on wok-saut\u00e9ed vegetables ($9-$16) and dim sum ($6-$14), along with lightened-up versions of Chinese classics ($16-$19). Dumplings ($9) are the main draw, including the familiar steamed variety in chicken or mushroom-veggie with crispy bottoms; glossy white har gow stuffed with juicy whole shrimp; open-face pork-shrimp shumai; and succulent soup dumplings best slurped in one big bite.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Find chicken (General Tso\u2019s, kung pao, orange, sesame); beef (Mongolian with broccoli); seafood (walnut shrimp, teriyaki salmon); and duck (barbecue-roasted over bok choy with majorly craveable Shanghai secret sauce). A BBQ half-duck is the priciest item on the menu\u2014an anomaly at $27, to share\u2014but fans of Lu\u2019s signature dish at Jing will understand why. Among hearty fried rice and noodles ($16-$19) are \u201c8-veggie\u201d or \u201ckitchen sink\u201d options.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">There are a few surprises, too. An instant standout is the Krack Chicken and Waffle: crispy morsels of chicken served in a waffle-cone dish lined with maple syrup. (Coated in rice-flour, the poultry is gluten-free; the sweet edible vessel is not.) There are dessert wontons and a \u201cmuffin of the moment.\u201d Four soups include egg flower, hot \u2018n\u2019 sour, wonton noodle, or matzo ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Availability of this Jewish staple makes sense\u2014and why the entire Bokchoy experience might spark a glimmer of d\u00e9j\u00e0-vu\u2014when one realizes that Roth helmed Peach\u2019s Corner Caf\u00e9 for years until it closed in 2017. Roth and the Lus were around-the-corner neighbors before Asie Restaurant became Jing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWhen I met Frank I was very enthusiastic about watching the evolution of Asie to Jing,\u201d says Roth, an accomplished restaurant consultant in the U.S., Bangkok and Bali, who helped with that transition. \u201cWe befriended each other over food.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Yin-yang elements infuse many aspects of Bokchoy. Recipes draw mainly on Northern China, specifically Shanghai, where Lu was classically trained and enjoyed early success as a chef-restaurateur. Both Roth and Lu lean toward vibrant flavors with organic ingredients when possible, a philosophy shared by Peach\u2019s (R.I.P.) and Jing. That Bokchoy\u2019s menu leads with vegetables such as seared kung pao cauliflower is \u201ca reflection of what we\u2019re attempting to do for the community,\u201d Roth says. The goal: offer a greener spin on a cuisine that regularly gets a bad rap as greasy, carb-bomb fare.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">By Aspen standards, Bokchoy also feels vaguely futuristic in a few environmentally minded ways. First, all food arrives in recyclable, biodegradable containers. This serves a dual purpose: it eliminates gallons of water per person on dishwashing and makes taking leftovers to-go as simple as snapping on a lid. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages are displayed in a self-serve case at the front of the room (see sidebar, this page). The corner of each table is stuck discreetly with a QR code decal: Scan it with a smartphone camera to navigate the Bokchoy website for instant ordering (food for pickup may be ordered this way also). Roth is even cautiously experimenting with Impossible Foods plant-based \u201cmeat\u201d in one dumpling preparation. (It tastes like cheeseburger!)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Soon: grab-and-go, heat-and-eat dumplings to prepare at home, and private dumpling classes upon request. All of which helps to invigorate Aspen\u2019s dining landscape while striking delicate balance within Bokchoy\u2014fitting, as Chinese culture settles into 2020\u2019s Year of the Rat, believed to symbolize abundance and optimism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe\u2019re not trying to \u2018modernize\u2019 Chinese food,\u201d Roth maintains. And yet: \u201cThere\u2019s a little bit of a twist to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\"><span><em><a href=\"mailto:amandaraewashere@gmail.com\">amandaraewashere@gmail.com<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/food-matters-the-yin-and-yang-of-the-new-bok-choy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COURTESY OF BOK CHOY COURTESY OF BOK CHOY COURTESY OF BOK CHOY COURTESY OF BOK CHOY Amanda Rae COURTESY OF BOK CHOY COURTESY OF BOK CHOY Refreshing Gin and Tonic on White with a Clipping PathGetty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto Beer bottle with water drops isolated on whiteGetty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto Show CaptionsHide Captions New year, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2453933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 18:11:38","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453933\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2453933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2453933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}