Parallel Seventeen   

1600 E 17th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
303-399-0988
www.parallelseventeen.com

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Parallel Seventeen, named for both the avenue on which its located and the parallel split between old North and South Vietnam, defies the fluorescent harshness and bare bones atmospheres normally associated with Denver's Vietnamese joints. Everything at this Uptown hot spot is done with style -- you can see it in the sleek outdoor signage, in the espresso-hued Parsons tables with their clean, contemporary lines, in the posh lounge furniture, and in the way the proficient servers deliver artfully prepared small plates of modernized Vietnamese cuisine. The menu, radiating self-confident cool, offers 18 shareable selections, coupled with an eclectic cocktail roster and wine list that prefers nearly 20 pours by the glass. Start with the charcuterie platter: a deconstructed Vietnamese banh-mi served with country pork pate, char siu pork, and a diabolically rich pork mousse pate. Move on to lemongrass steamed mussels, garlic-kissed yard long beans, or the coconut-ginger encrusted calamari tangling with fried lemon and lime rind, pears and jalapenos.