she and a partner ran China Village for many years. then she decided to retire. but retirement was not for her, she soon discovered. in 2001, she opened Hunan springs downtown and her former customers quickly found her.

“i say customers, but they are really my friends and my family,” she says of her loyal following. “i have known some of them for more than 25 years. i know what they like. they come in and i say, “you want the same?’ and they smile and nod.”

she likes the smaller venue, she says, because she can run it by herself and she can make sure each dish is made to order. Nothing on the menu is set in stone. if you want chicken and vegetables, but prepared in garlic sauce, just ask.

“We can make almost anything on the menu to be vegetarian,” she says. “you get it just the way you want it.”

Her most popular dishes? sesame chicken and kung pao chicken are among them.

Diners also can get dim sum any time.

Another favorite is what she calls her “ Wonderful Chicken.”

“P.F. Chang’s calls it lettuce wraps. Mine is better,” she says with a smile.

left Chicken dishes, including chicken and broccoli, are among the most popular at such local Chinese restaurants as hunan springs and shangri-la

JUN

Crave sushi? that and other Japanese special-
ties – always fresh and tasty – are yours at either
location of Jun Japanese restaurant & sushi bar.
the original restaurant on Dublin at Academy
boulevard opened in 1991. the second location
on Centennial boulevard opened three years ago.
At either one, expect to sample what is popularly
considered the best sushi in town. but that’s not
all you’ll find here. try the tempura dishes –
crisp, never oily, and definitely fresh.
For entertainment with your meal, choose one
of the tappan tables, where up to 10 guests watch
as their meal is prepared by a dexterous chef.

owner Jun Aizu, who has “been back and forth to Japan and the u.s. since i was 8,” has lived in Colorado all his adult life and attended Harrison High school.

“i just wanted to open a place that served good sushi,” he says – and serves about 2,000 pieces a day!

the original restaurant is casual, friendly and fun, he says. the new West side one is more formal and elegant (but the prices are the same).

“i spent a ton of money on the décor,” he confesses. “i wanted this to be a special-occasion place.”

Whether you want a California roll, very fresh fish
or a stellar Kobe steak dinner, Jun is the place to go.
it’s a recipe for success.
in fact, Aizu plans to open a third Jun on the east
side of town “in a year or two. it’s still in the dream
stage.”

IF YOU GO:

JuN, 3276 Centennial Blvd., 227-8690, or 1760 Dublin (at Academy), 531-9368; or www.junjapanese. com HuNAN sPriNGs, 24 E. Kiowa St., 634-0800 sHANGri-LA, 8850 N. Union Blvd., 495-1738 siLVer PoND, 5670 N. Academy Blvd., 594-9343, or online at bestsilverpondchinese.com