MAGAZINES 
A’s All Round
95a Bistro & Sushi Bar makes big changes
Clockwise from left: Mussels & Frites, Pan-seared Scallops, Lamb sandwich, French onion soup; Squash agnolotti with housemade pasta, apples and walnuts
By Hugh Ashmead • Photos by Phil Mumford
A codebreaker might correctly deduce that 95a Bistro & Sushi Bar derives its name from its location at the intersection of 95th Street and Arapahoe Road in Lafayette. However, co-owner Rob Kukura explains that the “a” also stands for “affordable and approachable.” To this end, nothing on 95a’s tapas menu costs more than $7, and the entrées top out at $20. The menu, according to executive chef Brian Horton, showcases “good, down-home food at an affordable price.”
Kukura realized that previous occupants of the space—most recently the Magnolia Restaurant—were better suited for special occasions, and priced accordingly. Nowadays, one can enjoy a lunch of a grilled chicken breast sandwich with aioli, rosemary and Gruyère and a side of fries for an eminently reasonable $6. Recent examples of affordable dinner specials include a salad of olive oil-poached striped bass over fennel and arugula for $10, and a plate of ricotta gnocchi with pork meatballs for $16. For kids 12 and under, there’s a $6 children’s menu that includes chicken fingers, corn dogs, and macaroni and cheese.
On the liquid side, happy hour features draft beer, wine and Martini specials, and bottles of wine are half-off on Wednesday nights. For those desiring less than a full bottle, 95a also serves up a selection of 30 wines by the glass starting at $6. Signature cocktails include sake-based libations laced with lychee fruit and green-tea extract.
When Kukura and his wife, Kelly, took over the space over last May, making the restaurant more approachable was a priority. Besides beefing up the kids’ menu, the Kukuras added crayons and a toy box to keep young diners occupied; and a patio overlooking a neighboring park enhances family appeal. Families aren’t the only ones drawn to 95a, which has also become a popular spot among business people, especially those seeking a quick bite after working late. The Kukuras changed the restaurant’s formerly clubby, more confined design scheme to one that’s more open and sunny, accented by vibrant artwork by local artists. Guests can now enjoy an inspiring foothills view from a second-story deck, and the interior adroitly balances comfort and understated sophistication.
Owners Kelly and Rob Kukura
Med-esque flair & fresh sushi
While he describes the restaurant as a neighborhood bistro, Kukura also wants to provide an experience comparable to the best that’s locally available. For a top-shelf experience, he says, “people don’t have to drive to Boulder or Denver.” He spent 19 years at the The Med in Boulder, and that time has influenced 95a’s tapas menu: “I wanted to bring Mediterranean flair here.”
To realize their ambitions of excellence, the couple recruited family and, in Kukura’s words, “younger, energetic people, eager to grow.” Staffers include manager Benjamin Smith, another Med veteran, and chef Brian Horton, who honed his bistro technique during a stint in St. Louis with Gerard Craft, a James Beard Award nominee. On the sushi side, chef Craig Amidon is an alumnus of more than a half-dozen Japanese restaurants, including Boulder’s Sushi Tora.
Horton is a decidedly hands-on chef, crafting pasta dishes like 95a’s lamb-shank tortellini in-house. Ingredient selection is important to him, and he eschews commodity-grade meats in favor of those that are ethically raised by local providers. The lamb, for example, comes from Triple M Bar Ranch east of Pueblo. Horton orders whole animals, whose meat might show up in a pasta dish, a lunchtime sandwich and a tapas plate. Horton is so dedicated to butchering and preparing his own meats that he sports a tattoo of a pig divided into various cuts.
His expertise is evident in such dishes as the $7 braised pork cheek, one of Kukura’s recommendations from the tapas menu. Served over carrots and mashed potatoes, this dish would fit in perfectly at a Parisian brasserie. Its judicious marbling and depth of flavor are best compared to a moist and tender prime-grade pot roast. Wine and a concentrated pork flavor contribute to sauce with a sheen, and richness rivaling the best French daubes.
Amidon’s sushi is among the finest locally, and his eye for detail and freshness is as sharp as the edge on his Damascus-bladed chef’s knives. Instead of getting uni, or sea urchin roe, in a box, he orders live urchins from California. His $8.95 toro, or fatty bluefin tuna, is simply exquisite, combining sparkling-fresh flavor with surprising richness. For those preferring cooked fish, his $9.95 miso yaki black cod expertly tempers this fish’s buttery qualities with the salty complexity of fermented soy. Another can’t-miss is the $9.95 unagi shirayaki, or cooked eel, served without the typical teriyaki-style sauce. Unadorned, this freshwater treat possesses a vanilla-like delicacy absent from sauced preparations.
The Kukuras have set out to create a Lafayette dining destination emphasizing the “a”s of affordability and approachability. With the help of their expert team, they have already lived up to their aspirations, particularly with their expansive East-meets-West menu. “We have anything that anyone wants,” Kukura proclaims. “It’s a restaurant for everybody.”
When he’s not exploring Boulder-area restaurants, Hugh Ashmead spends the winter alpine skiing and refining his golf swing on sunnier days.
95a Bistro & Sushi Bar (303-665-3080; 95abistroandsushi.com) is at 1381 Forest Park Circle, Lafayette, CO 80026, with ample free parking. It’s open for lunch Tues-Fri 11:30am-3pm, and for happy hour/dinner daily beginning at 3pm till 9:30pm or later. Happy hour, with specials on drinks, is from 3-7pm daily; tapas menu is available all the time. Weekend brunch begins in 2012. Full sushi bar and tapas are available at all hours. Reservations are requested for groups of six or more. Ask about catering, weekly bistro and sushi specials, and vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.
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