Daughter Thai Kitchen & Bar

"Yes, Daughter Thai makes excellent panang curry and pad see ew, but it’s the elevated Northern Thai specialties that make this place stand out. Take the mea sai khao soi, which mixes crispy duck confit and a tangle of egg noodles in a spicy coconut curry, or the vibrant larb salad with a mound of soft-shell crab in a citrusy sauce. Whatever you order, you’ll be eating it in a sleek, curtained dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows for prime Platte St. people-watching." - Allyson Reedy

"On the upscale side of the spectrum, this Platte Street looker goes gourmet at every turn: Think curries with lamb, black cod, or mussels; larb with softshell crab; or the popular Volcanic Beef in a velvety chili-garlic sauce beneath a tower of onion rings. The bar follows suit, turning out smart cocktails infused with peanuts, lemongrass, butterfly-pea tea, and aquafaba." - Ruth Tobias

"Daughter Thai Kitchen & Bar, the new Thai restaurant from the owner of Citizen Thai in Golden, has opened in the new Riverview building in LoHi, bringing an elegant new dining option to an upscale address in the rapidly-developing area between the Platte River and Interstate 25. Owner Ounjit Hardacre told Eater that Daughter is her attempt to bring the type of boutique Thai restaurant she says is common in her old home of San Francisco to the Mile High City. For her, that meant focusing not only on the food but also on creating a well-decorated space that would provide an inviting place to spend a leisurely lunch or dinner in. “I want people to walk in here and remember my place,” Hardacre said. “You have to have something iconic. Food is important but decorations you remember.” In the case of Daughter, that iconic something is a set of large red and gold lanterns that weigh around 80 pounds and are meant to look like the large bells that are rung in temples throughout Thailand. Those lanterns, Hardacre said, are the centerpiece of the restaurant’s design, which combines a prevailing simplicity with elegant flourishes like white curtains and its red bar. Then there’s the mural from a local artist depicting the silhouette of a dancing woman and a Thai temple set against a sunset, which takes up one wall in the dining room. Hardacre said she chose to have the woman’s silhouette in the mural because the restaurant had to “have a daughter in it.” She chose that name for the restaurant because she and her husband always wanted to have a daughter but never had one. “This restaurant is our daughter now,” Hardacre said. Hardacre’s focus on decoration extends to Daughter’s take on flavorful Thai cuisine. Dishes such as the Kang Ped Duck and Pad Thai Gong are beautifully presented, with the latter’s jumbo prawns being complimented by a purple orchid. So too are the richly colored and properly garnished cocktails." - Paul Albani-Burgio

"The owners of Golden’s Citizen Thai restaurant have brought their upscale version of Thai cuisine to LoHi with Daughter Thai Kitchen & Bar, which opened earlier this week. Katie Ezzeddine, a friend of Daughter co-owner Ounjit Hardacre who is helping Hardacre with promoting the restaurant, described Daughter as a more elegant version of Citizen Thai that is aiming to present Thai cuisine in a more stylish and sophisticated way than most Denverites are used to. That means a focus on plate presentation as well as culinary quality. “When people think about most Thai restaurants they think the food is always the same and no one thinks of having a date in them,” said Ezzeddine. “Here, Ounjit and her husband wanted to create the kind of restaurant where people can enjoy great food in a good ambience and have a fun place to hang out.” The space, which is located on the ground floor of the new Riverview office building at 1700 Platte Street, is sleek and artful with hanging light fixtures, white curtains, and a wall mural depicting Thai temples. Ezzeddine describes the menu as less traditional Thai than a sort of Thai fusion and says there are several dishes that are unlikely to be found on most Thai menus in America. Among them is the quail tod, which consists of deep-fried quail prepared with pepper sauce, fried garlic, and leeks. Other dishes, such as the lamb massaman, put a more unique spin on classic Thai favorites. “It’s a traditional Massaman curry dish but with a little bit more lychee, which makes it more flavorful and a little bit sweet,” said Ezzeddine. The menu is divided into small plates, Thai street food (which includes pad thai and pineapple fried rice), and entrees. In keeping with the restaurant’s upscale aspirations, street food dishes range from $15 to $19 while entrees are between $18 and $32. There is also a lunch menu with dishes ranging from $13 to $18. Daughter’s bar has both Asian and American beers on tap and offers Asian-inspired cocktails as well as a limited wine list." - Paul Albani-Burgio