Jason Matsumoto

We stopped in here when visiting Golden, as we always like to check out the town’s visitor center and/or museum when we are in a new town. We’ve been to dozens of similar venues, but this one was one of the better we’ve experienced, especially for a town the size of Golden. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted warmly, asked repeatedly if we wanted any more info, and were regaled with various local anecdotes by the staff and volunteers. The exhibits were quite well done and very interesting. We especially liked looking at the Holland House exhibit, including checking out the old menus, as well as walking through the outdoor trail on the river.

I grabbed some takeout for dinner - the sashimi bento (with chicken teriyaki and ton katsu) and the fried calamari. Everything was nicely packed, well prepared, and very good. The ton katsu was perfectly fried, the chicken teriyaki was flavorful without being too sweet, and the four pieces of sashimi were fresh and larger than expected. The fried calamari was a solid 8/10, though the sweet dipping sauce that comes with it wasn't my thing. The prices are also very reasonable. I will be back soon.

The raw oysters were delicious, but pricey. The tempura was 8/10. The fried chicken wings were also pricey ($9 for 4 tiny wings) but they were very good, as well. The yakitori was average. Unfortunately, while our server was very nice, she couldn't speak one word of English, so we could almost not communicate at all. I noticed some discrepancy on the bill that may have been a completely innocent mistake, but I couldn't even figure out how to bring it up and decided to just let it slide. We probably won't be back anytime soon but again, the food was good.

Outstanding Japanese food. Only complaint is that we arrived almost an hour before their stated close time and were rushed through the whole meal, being told we had to order everything we wanted almost as soon as we sat down. We will go back, but this time it will be at least two hours before close.