From the outside, Vietnam Grill isn’t much to look at. Truth to tell, the little restaurant housed in a shopping strip on South Federal Boulevard has one of the less promising front doors on the Denver dining scene.

But get past that, literally and figuratively. This gem of a restaurant features some of the best Vietnamese food in Colorado.

This is a family-run place frequented by a mix of Vietnamese ex-pats seeking a taste of home, and diners-in-the-know who need a fix of pho, one of those classic regional soups that has garnered a global following. (Think bouillabaisse.)

It’s a cozy room, with red-and-black decor and glass-topped, white-tableclothed tables. There is a compact list of beer and wine, plus house smoothies that include flavorings such as honeydew melon, mango and lychee.

The menu is extensive, with more than 150 items. It is also ambitious. Along with simple dishes such as short ribs and fried tofu, there are complex offerings such as quail, whole striped bass, rabbit and squid.

And yes, there are some deeply traditional dishes that might make some palates flinch, including fried pigs ears and a soup with pig’s feet and blood gelatin.

Our suggestion for first-timers is to mix playing it safe with a few culinary dice rolls. This is one of those close-your-eyes-and-point menus — you really can’t go wrong. Plus, the servers do a thoughtful job of navigating newbies through their options.

Two visits found artfully prepared food, pretty on the plate and bright in the mouth. Ingredients are fresh; the glistening produce looks straight out of the garden.

Where to start with what we liked? How about appetizers.

The cua lot for two ($12.95) was a crispy-fried soft shell crab served with vermicelli and a sweet, chile-flecked dipping sauce. The dish arrived with a bowl laden with bibb lettuce wrappers, bean sprouts, vivid bunches of mint and purple basil, plus marinated carrots that had undergone some fancy knife work. The meaty crab had a proper crunch. Texture, color, flavor — the theme ran through the meal.

A green papaya salad ($8.95) had some twists, including the addition of beef jerky and smoked chicken liver, all spiked with basil.

Another appetizer, banh khot, was intriguingly billed as a shrimp cupcake (9.95). The plate was an array of small, custardy rice-flour cups, each bearing a plump shrimp sprinkled with scallions and toasted coconut flakes.

The bi cuon ($3.50) featured crispy pork skin wrapped in rice paper with lettuce and mint, served with the chile sauce.

This was one of several dishes reminding diners that Vietnamese cuisine, rooted in an its ancient crossroads culture, produced a snout-to-tail approach to pork long before hip-kid chefs in contemporary American kitchens did.

Goi ga ($11.95) was a hearty salad for two. A mix of torn raw cabbage, carrots, cucumber, celery, bell pepper and onions was topped with shredded chicken — so much better than cubed — and crushed peanuts. Tossed with a light vinaigrette, it was served with shrimp chips that ringed the bowl like fence posts.

Our waiter recommended the chim cuc chien bo, or butter-garlic quail ($13.95). It was one of the standing specials, served with steamed rice.

The dish featured a covey of birds, split lengthwise down the backbone, with each portion delivering a breast and leg. The butter-garlic coating produced a deep lacquered effect, akin to what happens to the skin of a slow-roasted pig. The plate came with a ramekin of finely-ground pepper and a bit of salt. Squeezing a lime wedge over it made for a snappy dipping paste.

Another winning special was banh cuon ($7.95). This was a rice crepe packed with ground pork, onions and minced wood ear mushrooms (a nice touch), served with bean sprouts, mint and Vietnamese ham. The latter isn’t a cured product, but rather pounded pork blended with sundry seasonings and fish sauce. Traditionally, it is wrapped in banana leaves and boiled.

Visit a Vietnamese restaurant, even during August’s dog days, and you should try pho, the national noodle soup that, somewhat oddly, was an early-20th century development. We departed from the beef version, which was packed with brisket, tendon and tripe, and went with the chicken.

In a nice touch, a free-range bird was offered, a step up in texture and flavor from over-processed mass market chickens. A big steaming bowl arrived with a side of bean sprouts, herbs and jalapeños — all of which got shoveled into the aromatic pho, along with a big squeeze of lime.

Bliss.

Vietnam Grill will reward newcomers and longtime fans of Southeast Asian cuisine — and repeated visits.

William Porter: 303-954-1877, wporter@denverpost.com or twitter.com/williamporterdp

VIETNAM GRILL

Vietnamese. 1015 S. Federal Blvd. 303-936-5610

*** Great

Atmosphere: Cozy, casual

Service: Fast, friendly

Beverages: Sodas, coffee, tea, beer, wine, plus a range of house smoothies.

Plates: $4-$15.95, with a handful of more complex dishes for two in the $28-$30 range.

Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Closed Wednesdays

Details: Surface parking in front; free wifi.

Two visits

Our star system:

****: Exceptional

***: Great

**: Very Good

*: Good

Stars reflect the dining reviewer’s overall reaction to the restaurant’s food, service and atmosphere.