The Best Sushi Near Westbound & Down, by the Record

Diners are told to eat fast, and at a handroll shop this good, that's not a hardship. Temaki Den sits inside The Source market hall in RiNo, its dark palette carving out something moodier than the food-hall format might suggest. The kitchen rolls temaki one at a time, to order, with aburi nigiri on the side for good measure. The nori stays crisp for exactly as long as it needs to, which is the whole point.

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A whiteboard lists the day's fish, and the counter fits a handful of people who know to leave the sauces out of it. This tiny sushi shop inside Vail Village runs a purist's game, nigiri and sashimi cut clean, with cuts like hagatsuo that rarely travel far outside Japan. The Michelin Guide has noted it, which in a ski town full of après-ski excess says something about where the serious eating is happening.

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