Taki's Healthy Japanese Food

341 E. Colfax Ave., at Logan Street, serving 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; delivery hours, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, minimum of $10 per delivery; 303-832-8440

• What: Quick-casual eatery with a variety of Japanese soups, bowls and platters, including sides of edamame and yakisoba noodles, serving lunch and dinner daily. Sushi party trays and catering are available.

• How cheap is it? Sides and soups from $1.18 for a small bowl of miso soup to $6.58 for udon soup, with udon noodles, tofu, chicken and shrimp; bowls from $4.98 for chicken to $6.48 for eel; platters from $5.78 for a gyoza platter with six meat dumplings to $6.48 for grilled salmon; vegetarian dishes from $5.38 for a tofu-and-vegetable bowl to $5.78 for vegetarian gyoza. Top price on the menu is $8.58 for seafood with udon noodles. (Menu prices include tax.)

• Our deal: We went vegetarian, limiting our entree choices to the five-item veggie menu. One ordered the tofu-and-vegetable bowl for $5.38, while the other picked the vegetarian gyoza platter for $5.78. We also got soup - a small miso at $1.18 and a small miso ginger at $1.48, the latter billed as the original "flu killer soup" - and a side of yakisoba noodles at $2.58. There also are fish dishes - shrimp, grilled salmon - if you're that kind of vegetarian. A cup of green tea (98 cents) and water completed our meal.

• So how's it taste? Taki's food is cheap, fresh, mostly flavorful and quite abundant. The miso soup was particularly good on this chilly winter's night, with crisp vegetables and large chunks of tofu in bowls of steaming aromatic broth. The ginger in the ginger miso soup was pronounced just right, yielding a flavor that wasn't overpowering but had a bit of a bite. The yakisoba noodles in the side order also were tender and plentiful, though the sauce tasted a little too much as if it had been poured from a bottle. Of the entrees, the vegetarian gyoza was much better, with six small dumplings filled with crunchy vegetables accompanied by a tangy dipping sauce. Steamed tofu, rice and veggies completed the gyoza platter. Portions of all dishes were generous. Everything - soups, side and entrees - was brought out together, and the five dishes crowded the table. Though filling, the ample size didn't make up for the blandness of the tofu-and-vegetable bowl, with its white rice - brown rice is 50 cents extra - topped with raw veggies and large chunks of tofu.

• Who else eats there: The ski-jacket-clad young urbanites who live on Capitol Hill made up most of the diners, though an older couple and a family with two young boys also appeared to enjoy their meals. A steady stream of singles, couples and groups of friends grabbed tables or picked up takeout throughout the evening.

• Deals we wish we'd tried: We'd try anything on the menu at these prices, particularly since the fish and vegetables appear to be fresh. Most tempting are the three specials with udon noodles.

• Final damage: $17.38 plus a $4 tip for a total of $21.38

Nancy Mitchell is a reporter at the Rocky Mountain News; mitchelln@rockymountainnews.com. Want to nominate a restaurant for $25 for Two? E-mail: lehndorffj@RockyMountainNews.com