BAR: CAPITAL GRILLE
Capital Grille is the man of the house on Larimer Square. This masculine steakhouse at 1450 Larimer St. pulls in the powerful and the pretty (both genders), who mix it up in a large bar area. You want a martini here — or the house-made Stoli-Doli, a pineapple-infused vodka. Bet you can’t drink just one. And don’t overlook the service, top- notch, or the steak, which hits the spot in a steak-heavy neighborhood.
GRILLED: STEVE FARBER
Steve Farber, 66 next week, has been called the most powerful man in Denver. And few would argue — especially those who credit him with bringing the Democratic National Convention to town in 2008. Born, raised and educated in Colorado (Colfax Elementary, North High, University of Colorado at Boulder undergrad, CU-Boulder Law School), he and pals Norm Brownstein and Jack Hyatt hung their shingle right out of law school. Now the firm has 12 offices around the country and 250 lawyers. He had failing kidneys as a child — which resurfaced in a dramatic fashion in 2003. His eldest son, Gregg, donated a kidney to Steve (over the objections of Steve’s wife, Cindy) — and his book “On the List” records the turmoil. Farber started the American Transplant Foundation to raise awareness of organ donation. He will read from the book, with co-author Harlan Abra- hams, at the Tattered Cover LoDo at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2. He orders a Pellegrino on the rocks with a lime squeeze. Read a review of the book in Sunday’s A&E section.
BH: Pellegrino?
Farber: I actually drank in college enough to last the rest of my life. I used to drink wine and a drink here and there, but after the surgery I kind of made up my mind that there was no good reason to have a drink. I was given life and a new kidney from my son, and I didn’t want to waste it. I did have a glass of champagne in Prague a year after the surgery to celebrate.
BH: Who is this book for?
Farber: A lot of different people. Especially for people who face a transplant. What you go through is a kind of maze. It was to help people as they faced medical issues and family crises.
BH: You became unlikely friends with (TV fashion commentator) Steven Cojocaru, “Cojo.”
Farber: After I had received my transplant, Nancy Davis asked me if I could help out a friend of hers. He was going through a transplant, and he shared with me his struggles and challenges. Cojo’s a terrific guy. We spent New Year’s Eve together. He’s doing very well. One of the things to do when you are facing life-threatening illness is not to panic. There is another day.
BH: You were very private about your kidney transplant before the operation — and this book is so open and personal.
Farber: In order to tell the story, I had to be honest with it.
BH: You had four choices. Death. Dialysis. Going to Turkey to buy a black-market organ. Or go to your son Gregg, who was a perfect match.
Farber: Dying was an option I wasn’t ready for. I thought there was more I could do on this Earth. I talked with people on dialysis, and their quality of life was not very good. Turkey was something I examined very closely. I talked to the doctor. I asked if it was legal, and I never got a clear answer. And you recall the movie “Midnight Express.” I couldn’t get that out of my mind. The doctor was later arrested, and some of his patients ended up in Turkish jail. That’s quite a threat. When you put that all together, it came to Gregg.
BH: Your wife was never comfortable with that. Still isn’t.
Farber: I understood what she was going through. I understood her objections. She would look at me and say, “You’ve solved everyone else’s problems for 35 years as a lawyer. Why can’t you find a solution to this?”
BH: You wrote that you would get some food and go downstairs and watch “Citizen Kane” alone every night.
Farber: It was a way for me to get lost in something that wasn’t real. I wouldn’t think about transplantation for two hours.
BH: How did you sleep back then?
Farber: I did not sleep well.
BH: What did it feel like, staring death in the face?
Farber: I talked to a number of spiritual leaders who were friends of mine. I was OK spiritually. I felt that if this is what God had planned for me, I’ve had a good life, a life far beyond anything I could have expected.
BH: What was it like seeing Barack Obama win the nomination here in Denver?
Farber: It was one of the most magical evenings I have ever experienced. It was an unbelievable night in the history of this country.
BH: What’s your most marked characteristic?
Farber: I am very determined, but I am also very patient. If you’re impatient, your determination will be wasted.
BH: Biggest fault?
Farber: I am overcommitted.
BH: What’s your day like?
Farber: I get up at 6, work out every morning while I read the papers and watch the news. I usually have a business breakfast at the Brown, eat my oatmeal. Appointments during the day, half the time going through all that e-mail, work until 7, then go to the dinners. A cocktail party at one, eat a salad at another and catch a speech at another one.
BH: What’s your idea of total misery?
Farber: That’s a question I never think about.
BH: What fault in others are you most tolerant of?
Farber: I’ll tell you what I am intolerant of. Greed.
BH: What’s your idea of complete happiness?
Farber: To see my children thriving and happy.
BH: Favorite movies?
Farber: I don’t go much anymore. I don’t think the quality is there. I like “On the Waterfront” and “Casablanca.”
BH: Restaurants and food?
Farber: I come here to the Capital Grille, the Palm, the restaurants in Highland. I like Pagliacci’s, Root Down is interesting, Rioja. I like Asian food, Thai food, good Mexican food. I love fish, pasta, sushi. I am a good eater.
BH: Do you like the food at seder?
Farber: I never complain about it, especially if we’re in somebody’s house who was nice enough to cook it.
BH: What are your favorite cities to visit?
Farber: I love Paris, Milan and Barcelona.
BH: Your biggest regret?
Farber: I really don’t have any regrets.
BH: What’s your current state of mind?
Farber: I’m a lucky guy, and I feel great. It’s a great time to be alive.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Bill Husted: 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com
