The newest restaurant tenant on South Pearl Street arrived in the neighborhood after its owner sparked up a relationship with one of the most revered culinary figures in the city.
Margot, a pop-up concept started three years ago by chef Justin Fulton, moved into 1551 S. Pearl St. in May. He shares the address with Sushi Den co-founder Toshi Kizaki’s new 20-course chef’s counter, Kizaki.
The sushi chef first envisioned a rotating cast of chefs taking over the main dining room of his property, called Denchu, Fulton said. However, he later decided to focus exclusively on Kizaki and rent the rest of the space out to just one other concept.
Fulton was born in Keystone and was trained on the East Coast in British, French and Japanese methods of cooking, he said. After the coronavirus pandemic, he and his family returned to Denver, where he joined the kitchens at esteemed Denver restaurants Mercantile and Coperta.
Margot began as a weekly pop-up at Coperta and graced diners at the now-shuttered French restaurant Noisette. Fulton’s style, which aims to balance different flavor profiles and use seasonal ingredients, manifested itself through a menagerie of pristinely plated dishes.
Fulton developed a friendship over the years with Kazu Oba, a Colorado-based sculpture artist who sells ceramic tableware. He was Toshi’s purveyor of plates, as well.
When Toshi told Kazu he was looking for a tenant to take over the front-facing space at Denchu, the artist introduced him to Fulton. The two chefs met in December and entered into a contract.
“I put all my chips into making it happen,” said Fulton.
Margot’s “tasting plate” concept fits with Kizaki’s own way of dining, where guests are under the pace and direction of Toshi and his team. Fulton will operate his own eight-seat chef’s counter, serving twelve courses in a private room tucked inside Denchu.
Walk-ins will likely choose the “a la carte” experience at Margot. They’ll sit in individual or communal tables in Denchu’s main dining hall and pick from raw, small- and medium-sized dishes to share among their party.
“I want people to be interested in having a whole bunch of different flavors in a meal,” Fulton said.
His kitchen prepares East Coast oysters, spot prawn aguachile and seabass crudo as raw options; pickled sardine escabeche and marinated olives and radishes as small plates; and whipped ricotta and spring pea toast and pistachio salad as medium plates. Fulton teased newer dishes, too, including a tomato salad he has been fine-tuning.
Denchu is visually striking, resembling a fort or museum with its chef’s counters hidden inside the building. There is even an apartment upstairs that Toshi plans to move into, he said last month.
The bar and dining room where Margot’s “a la carte” menu is served faces Pearl Street and is exposed with floor-to-ceiling windows and tall ceilings. A wall of black Brazilian limestone adds contrast to the room’s minimalist design.
Between the chef’s counter and the main dining area, Fulton has his hands full, he said. He hopes to begin a weekend brunch service this summer — preferably before the end of the Pearl Street farmers market.