After more than two years paying rent on an empty space, TurnTable Restaurant Group is about to occupy the former Il Fornaio building at 1631 Wazee St.
TurnTable, headed by famed restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow (China Grill, Asia de Cuba), will open Big Game, a super sports bar, in late March or April.
This raises the question: What took them so long? Il Fornaio closed in May 2007 after a 10-year run, and I reported Chodorow’s intention to enter the Denver market in January 2008.
“We were working on this proj ect over a year and a half getting all the moving pieces to come together,” said Zach Chodorow, TurnTable’s chief marketing officer, who has collaborated on Big Game with business partner Dan Smith. “It’s a pretty big undertaking. We have taken the time to get to know the area and the people in the area.”
Zach’s vision for Big Game includes a giant TV that can show up to 12 sports events at the same time. The menu will include some game- meat entrees, but, he added, “the menu is still a work in progress.”
Big Game will be TurnTable’s second restaurant and the first of its concept. Zach and Smith recently opened El Scorpion Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar in Miami’s swanky South Beach area.
Denver design firm Semple Brown will create the interior with much of the beautiful Il Fornaio design elements left intact.
“Why rip out something that’s perfectly good to put in something new?” Zach asked.
Cutting edge.
Wenger, best known as the maker of the Swiss Army Knife, is opening its first U.S. retail operation in April in the center of Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall.
“Boulder is the first (store) because we feel like it’s the center for all things outdoors,” said store manager Melissa Page, who lives in Boulder. “We thought it would be the best place for us to bind with the community and get real feedback on our products, as well as the fact that the Swiss think that Boulder is the closest you can get to Switzerland.”
The 3,000-square-foot store, conceived by Wenger Footwear licensee Established Brands International, will sell the iconic knives as well as camping and hiking gear. The footwear line debuts in August.
“It’s a one-stop shop if you’re going camping for the weekend,” Page said.
Best bets. 5280 magazine is out this week with its annual Dining in Denver issue. Senior editor and food editor Amanda Faison and her folks ranked the metro area’s top 25 eateries, with Frasca Food & Wine in Boulder leading the list. No. 2, Mizuna, and No. 4, Luca d’Italia, are both owned by super chef Frank Bonanno. Fruition ranked No. 3, and Opus in Littleton came in at No. 5.
On Wednesday, Denver Post dining critic Tucker Shaw ran the 10 “most important” restaurants in Denver only. The list: Olivea, Rioja, Super Star Asian, Fruition, Root Down, Bones, Chipotle, Lola, the Squeaky Bean and Table 6.
EAVESDROPPING
A man standing in the horrifically long lift line at Breckenridge’s Falcon chairlift:
“It’s like skiing in New York City.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-630 AM. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
