We’ve all heard the phrase “odd duck” in reference to an eccentric person, but what in the heck is an Odd Rabbit? Thanks to chefs Christopher and Ariana Teigland of Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee glo Noodle House, we’re all about to find out. After all, that’s the name of their sophomore venture, a sushi-centric Japanese restaurant set to open in Boulder on April 30.
“To be honest, so many names have a copyright already that it’s really hard to find one,” admitted Christopher, who serves as executive chef. “You kind of have to pick something strange that no one else has done before.”
But that, in his view, is turning out to be a plus. “You’re going to see [the name] and say, ‘Well, I’ve got to know what they’re doing, because it’s unusual.’ It lets us be a little weird and doesn’t set any expectations.”
Granted, one expectation can’t be avoided given fans of glo will no doubt anticipate his signature ramen—and they won’t be disappointed. But, he’s got some surprises in store for them.
“We’re playing with a thicker, richer chicken broth instead of the pork broth that we do in Denver,” Christopher said. In addition to a shoyu ramen with roast pork and a spicy variant with crispy chili-glazed chicken, he plans to offer a shio ramen featuring rabbit confit. Small plates like pickled crab claws with citrus mayo and chicken wings in fish sauce caramel with peanuts, chili, and lime will be on deck to kick things off, while whole fried black snapper and a couple of other entrees will round them out.
As for the sushi section of the menu, it’s being overseen by chef Stephen Nguyen, formerly of Temaki Den and Uncle. The selection won’t be huge; Christopher envisions about eight nigiri, no more than six hand rolls, four sashimi plates, and a few selections on crispy rice, such as uni with egg yolk and ikura. Despite the size, he assured it will be crowd-pleasing and includes favorites like bluefin otoro, hamachi, scallop, and amaebi.
On the drinks side, Ariana handles the beverage program and plans to use as many Japanese ingredients in the cocktails as possible.
“We’ll also work with the kitchen to cross-utilize whatever’s in season,” Ariana added. “The way I do drinks is very ingredient-focused. [For instance,] I had a drink with carrot and dill on the menu last spring, and I want to work sunchokes into this menu.”
Sake will be another highlight. Showcasing 20 to 30 labels, she’ll put together flights with themes like “Tasty and Timeless” or “Fun and Funky” for guests to explore.
“We really love walking people through our favorite sakes and educating them on what makes each style different and how different rice or yeast [strains impact them],” she continued. “It’s so much more like wine than I think people realize.”
Speaking of fun and funky, the owners said the vibe feels similar to glo. It’s located on Boulder’s East Arapahoe Avenue, which happens to be just a couple of blocks from Blackbelly, where the couple met on the line. The dark interior has wood touches and natural finishes, with pops of bright color. Diners may recognize the lanterns, which you can see right when you walk into glo in Denver. The couple used a local artist for a few of the murals, and all that frames the kitchen.
“It’s always big to us that the kitchen is open and is part of a show,” added Christopher. “You want to go somewhere and see them cooking the food, and if you’re really into it, you can sit at the chef’s counter and talk to the chefs and see what they’re doing.”
While Christopher himself is not himself Japanese, he came to run two restaurants that are. The reason, he said, stems from his childhood.
“I grew up in Chicago, where my mom was a pastry chef, and something I’ve learned as time goes on is that when you cook all day for a job, the last thing you want to do is make a meal when you get home,” he pointed out. “And our neighborhood was surrounded by so many awesome Asian takeout places. So ever since I was little, that was my favorite thing when my mom would go grab that on the way home.”
His mother observed how he gravitated toward Asian food, and ended up buying him a wok and sushi cookbooks to encourage him to create what he liked doing.
“[While there are] other concepts that we also would like to do one day, for now, we’re pursuing what we love,” he said. Taste the joy these chefs have for the food at Odd Rabbit, opening April 30 at 5863 Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder.
