It is not a done deal – yet.
We hear that restaurateur Marco Colantonio will become a managing partner with Jean Garrett at Manhattan Grill this week. The Cherry Creek steak house would close around May 6 for some renovations, opening at the end of May as a moderately priced, traditional French bistro with an accent on beef.
Mon dieu! I’m hungry already.
Colantonio did the French steak thing in NYC, where he earned his restaurant chops before coming to Denver with Richard Sandoval to open Tamayo in 2001. He then moved on to open Cielo, and then he revved up Mel’s. Now it’s on to Manhattan.
The Manhattan Grill opened in March 2000 with Robbie Hahn, Bruce Garrett and Rich Salturelli helming the joint. Hahn left the operation in October that year; Salturelli bailed at the end of 2001 to concentrate on his Citygrille. Garrett’s been running it solo ever since – but the recent split with his wife, Jean, made for a split from the restaurant, too.
Now it’s Marco’s turn. But he had no comment on the pending deal Wednesday.
Back to work
Pismo, the fine-art glass gallery, has moved into the building at Second Avenue and Detroit Street after its old spot was damaged by fire in December.
A guy was out sweeping in front Wednesday morning – and look! It was former Ch. 9 anchor Ed Sardella.
“This is real labor,’ he said, mopping his brow. His wife, Sandy Sardella, owns the shop, which looks great, BTW. He’s just helping out.
The gallery is open; a Dale Chihuly exhibition runs Sunday through June 30. Check it out.
Wolfie
Wolfgang Puck was in town Monday and Tuesday to check out his new restaurant, Wolfgang Puck Express in Cherry Creek, schmooze and sign his new book.
He told me he has a lot going on. He’s expecting a baby boy, he’s cooking with a fleet of star chefs at the opening party of Wynn Las Vegas on April 28 (that’ll be the party of the year) and he’s recovering from hip replacement surgery. “It’s titanium,’ he said, patting it. “My doctor told me it’s now the hardest part of my body, and I don’t know if that’s so good.’
City spirit
So where do the rockers stay? Sting was spotted at Hotel Teatro last week, and Bono was scheduled to bed down at JW Marriott after his Pepsi Center stop Wednesday night. He leaves town right after the show tonight … Frankie Avalon plays a long-toothed Teen Angel in “Grease’ at the Buell Theatre May 24-29 … Students in Josh Feiger’s class of sixth, seventh and eighth graders at the Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning were so horrified by Eric
Schlosser’s book “Fast Food Nation’ that they renounced fast food and wrote a play about it. They’ll perform it at 6 tonight at the Shwayder Theatre. Admission is free … The Gap reopens its 11 Colorado stores 10 a.m. Friday – and the first 100 in at each store get two tix for that night’s Counting Crows concert at the Paramount … Sez who: “You Are What You Eat.’ Dr. Gillian McKeith
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Husted also appears on Fox 31 News. You can reach him at 303-820-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com.
