This year’s snowmelt may not deliver heart-pumping whitewater rafting conditions, but plenty of us are still heading to the mountains to spend weekends on the Arkansas River—the most commercially rafted section of whitewater in the nation. And if the rafting and kayaking don’t look promising, the wilderness around Salida and Buena Vista still offers lots of hiking, biking, and other alpine activities.

After one particularly scorching Sunday of splashing through the June rapids in our 14-foot Hyside raft, my family and I headed to Salida in search of sustenance. We were hot, hungry, and looking for shareable bites that would appease the grown-ups as well as a nine-year-old. We found that goldilocks grub at Osaké Steak & Sushi Bar.

The waiter handed us a weighty menu of Thai, Chinese, and Japanese plates. The bartender offered suggestions for thirst-quenchers, like electric violet lychee-pineapple martinis and margaritas built with the restaurant’s signature spicy tequila infused with Thai chiles and jalapeños.

We delighted over an impromptu—albeit indulgent—family feast that dabbled in every section of the menu. We sampled crispy soft shell crab and Jimmy Hendrix sushi rolls (with spicy ahi tuna) and delicate slices of marbled Kobe ribeye sizzling in its cast iron cradle of Japanese juices and spices.

Shrimp har gao dumplings in a steamer basket.
Osaké’s shrimp har gow (also called haukau). Photo courtesy of Osaké Steak & Sushi

But the best part of the meal was the dim sum–style offerings: steamed shrimp noodle rolls, barbecue pork ribs, shrimp har gow dumplings, roasted duck, and puffy pork buns, all arriving in a steady flow of bamboo steamers. Watching the tables fill to the expansive restaurant’s capacity, we quickly learned our surprise Sunday refuel stopover was a weekend community party that started several years ago.

Osaké opened in October 2022 as the most recent addition to Paula Rungsawang Coult and Kirk Coult’s family of restaurants (the couple owns Bangkok Happy Bowl outposts in Breckenridge, Aspen, and Hawaii). Paula, who grew up in Thailand surrounded by Chinese culinary influences, saw an opportunity to infuse her family recipes into a traditional (with twists) dim sum menu—along with a roster of Thai curries and larb gai (a pungent Thai chicken salad)—that fills a void in the Salida dining scene.

But Osaké isn’t just a lunch or dinner joint. The eatery’s year-round dim sum brunch is offered from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday. A laminated Rolodex-style menu invites diners to pluck individually priced items from the frequently changing, fresh-made lineup. Saucy pork ribs, shumai dumplings, and steamed barbecue buns are among the bestsellers. Live music creates a celebratory atmosphere and familiar faces roll in each week, catching up and passing plates.

“It’s a Sunday after-church social event—a local tradition,” Paul says. “It’s the perfect relaxed Sunday brunch. Dim sum isn’t heavy. It’s healthy, steamed, so you can try a little bit of everything.”

Osake’s Pan-Asian menu can be all over the place with its Thai noodles, Chinese bowls, and Japanese steaks, but the dim sum is worth the drive. Your nine-your-old may even reach for that last plump dumpling.

Osaké Steak & Sushi Bar is located at 137 E. First St., Salida. The restaurant accepts reservations for daily lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., as well as Sunday brunch.

Lisa Blake
Lisa Blake
Lisa Blake is a freelance writer and children’s book author living in Breckenridge. When she’s not writing about food and mountain adventures, she can be found on the river with her son, pug, and husband.