Denverite Marne Davis Kellogg was on a roll writing Lilly Bennett mysteries, starring the tough, sexy PI/heiress/U.S. marshal/cowgirl of Roundup, Wyo. She stopped after novel No.6.
Sept. 11 “just changed everything,” says Kellogg. “I didn’t want to write about murders anymore. I didn’t want to go to anymore autopsies. I just wanted to write about things that were beautiful. Wine. Food. Jewelry.”
Enter Kick Keswick, international jewel thief. Her fourth appearance is just out in “Friends in High Places.”
Kellogg describes Kick as “a woman over 50 who’s never been married and doesn’t care if she weighs a little too much. She’s very cool, very self-possessed, she has a lot of exit strategies and an unbelievable amount of money.”
I love this dame.
And she lives the good life – much of it based on Kellogg’s real-life travels with her husband, Peter Kellogg.
Take the dinner she has alone at the Four Seasons in Milan: She sips half a bottle of La Spinetta Barolo with veal tartare with white truffles, risotto with asparagus and white truffles, roast lamb with white truffles, tossed salad and cheese (no truffles), dark molten chocolate cake (no truffles) and a flute of Palladino Moscato. The tab = 400 euros for one, that’s $533. Urp.
Marne and Peter had that exact meal in Italy with Barolo Grill owners Blair and Suzanne Taylor. And they call it research.
Kellogg will be at the Tattered Cover Colfax at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and on CBS’s “The Early Show” with her pal Harry Smith on April 20.
Eats
The wine list – plenty of good deals – is worth a visit to Ling & Louie’s Asian Bar and Grill at Northfield Stapleton, maybe because operating partner Jeromy Krug learned the biz at the knee of his father, Jim Krug, founder and former CEO of Grand Vin. L&L also has some good eats, plus a big gluten-free menu.
And the numbers are in for Denver Restaurant Week, Feb. 24-March 2. This year 119,200 diners participated; that’s more than double last year’s 54,000.
From the really big house
Convicted and imprisoned Tyco cheat Dennis Kozlowski is on “60 Minutes” Sunday night, from the Big House. He sold his own big house in Beaver Creek in November for $10 million to pay fines and restitution. The N.Y. Post reports that Morley Safer tells Dennis that Donald Trump called him “tacky.” Koz the Jailbird says, “Tacky from Donald Trump? … Wow! But he would know.”
Best ever
The Comic Book Guy will be happy to learn that Leonard Nimoy and Gil Gerard (Buck Rogers) will be in Denver for the April 20-22 Starfest Convention at Marriott DTC … And legendary Mad magazine and EC Comics editor Al Feldstein is at the Toy and Comics Collectors Show April 1 at Ramada Plaza Conference Center.
City spirit
We couldn’t reach feisty former gubernatorial hopeful Marc Holtzman on Friday, but GOP brass confirmed that he and wife Kristen Hubbell are expecting twins this fall … Bon Jovi will rock Cheyenne Frontier Days July 20, Def Leppard there July 28 … Kid Rock is in Vail April 14 for Spring Back To Vail … Sez who: “Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix.” Comic Book Guy
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted@denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at denverpostbloghouse.com/husted.
