Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan is following John Elway’s best postseason play: He’s set to open an eponymous restaurant with a seasoned pro, former Del Frisco’s general manager Marc Steron.
Elway opened the phenomenally successful Elway’s steakhouse in Cherry Creek with restaurant vet Tim Schmidt in 2004. It has hardly seen an empty seat since.
Steron, Shanahan and business partner Steve Mooney have signed the deal to develop Shanahan’s in a new building next to the ReMax Tower at Interstate 25 and Belleview Avenue in the Denver Tech Center. The opening is slated for the holiday season of 2009.
The new restaurant will be similar to Del Frisco’s, with more emphasis on fresh seafood and a variety of fine meats, Steron said Monday. And it’s going to be a big place, says Steron, with more than 200 dining seats in 10,000 square feet, a big dining room, three private dining rooms and a piano bar that’ll seat 100.
Steron left Del Frisco’s in March after a 10-1/2-year stint at the steak palace.
Unlike Elway, who settled in Cherry Creek with a satellite operation downtown, Steron likes it down south. “I feel the Tech Center is a city within a city,” said Steron. “I live out here, and it’s where I’ve staked my claim.”
Bill Husted: bhusted@denverpost.com or 303-954-1486
