Our search for Colorado’s culinary secrets takes us to a sushi food truck. Because raw fish, from a food cart, in a land-locked state … What could go wrong?

Our search for Colorado’s culinary secrets takes us to a sushi food truck. Because raw fish, from a food cart, in a land-locked state … What could go wrong?

Sushi is a delicate decision that even the most open-minded eaters are wary of. If you’ve had bad sushi, you know it can be a swift bitch-slap to the digestive system and must be avoided at all costs. Buying some from a food cart seems like a pretty high-stakes gamble. But when you see the size of the rolls coming out of Yatai Food Cart and the line winding down the street, you’re going to shit your pants — but in a good way.

The hand rolls are massive. On a trip to Australia, owner Brittany Bisk first found these burrito- sized temaki in Sydney and fell in love. Once she came back stateside, she started rolling up fish and veggies flown in fresh every day into literal handfuls of sushi. The ingredients are simple and follow the golden rule of raw food: complementary and beautiful.

Salty nori gives way to fresh veggies that snap into firm, spicy tuna. All those flavors meld seamlessly with the creamy crab salad sandwiched in the middle. We’re talking real, sweet, buttery crustacean here, not that imitation shit you’re used to. And the best part is you don’t have to embarrass yourself in front of your friends because you haven’t figured out how to use chopsticks.

Yatai is certainly not a one-trick cart; their philosophy of fresh food spreads to every aspect of Asian cuisine. If you’re too much of a codfish to sample food-cart sushi, try a fresh spring roll dipped in their rich and spicy roasted peanut sauce — they’re just as big, fresh and flavorful.

If you’re in the mood for soup, they’ve got a menu of miso, including a freaking delicious spicy dish that Brittany admits is “completely bastardized pho.” It’s finished off with rice noodles, crispy bean sprouts and a slice of creamy avocado that cools down the chilis just before they explode on your palate.

Trust us: You’re gonna eat food-truck sushi, and you’re gonna like it so much that you’ll never sit down for raw fish in Denver again.