BAR: SUSHI SASA
Sushi Sasa, 2401 15th St., is downtown’s premier sushi bar. Open for five years this summer, it’s one of the best-looking rooms in Denver, very elegant with blond wood and white tablecloths, candles and carafes of soy sauce. Owner Wayne Conwell brings years of serious sushi cred to the place, which welcomes visiting athletic teams, women and lone fans of raw fish and sticky rice at a sushi bar that seats 13. Customers don’t just eat the food here; they worship it. The dining room seats 62 — which is about to double when Sushi Sasa busts through the wall to the space next door. “Lullaby of Broadway” plays on the sound system.
GRILLED: KATHY LEE
Kathy Lee, 37, came of age in Denver as the producer of and sidekick to Lewis and Floorwax on 103.5 the Fox radio’s morning show, where she has worked for 16 years. The boys tease her, tell off-color jokes — and treat her like a kid sister. She’s also on CBS4’s Broncos pregame show on Sundays during the season. Born in Seoul, South Korea, she moved to Denver with her parents when she was 2. The family owned and operated the Golden Hours motel on East Colfax. Lee went to Overland High School and then to CU-Boulder — which she left one semester short of graduation. She’s 15 minutes late and quickly orders a Chopin martini, up, dirty.
BH: Are you ever late for the radio show? It starts at 6 a.m.
Lee: I have never been late for the show. But I am always 10 or 15 minutes late to everything else. I don’t know why. I called you, at least.
BH: How do you describe the show?
Lee: We take everyday subjects and try to make them funny.
BH: Do you like Seoul food?
Lee: I love it. The real ones are in Aurora. There are a lot of them, and they’re awesome. And my mom is an excellent cook.
BH: And you?
Lee: Not so much.
BH: What are your favorite restaurants?
Lee: Here, Sushi Sasa and Capital Grille.
BH: And you’re engaged?
Lee: Yes, to Eric White; he works in oil and gas. We’ll get married next January. We want a winter wedding.
BH: And he’s younger?
Lee: He’s 26.
BH: Eleven years. That’s a lot.
Lee: I don’t think it matters. Age is so irrelevant when it comes to love. People hear about our age difference, and they go, “Wow,” — but then they meet him. He’s so mature for his age, and I’m immature for mine. We’re perfect for each other.
BH: What do you drive?
Lee: A Cadillac Escalade. I only like big cars. I need the space. I know it’s bad for the environment, but I need the space.
BH: Lewis and Floorwax rather famously gave you breast augmentation as a present. How’d that work out?
Lee: I love them. That was 10 years ago.
BH: What do you fear?
Lee: Dying alone.
BH: What’s on your iPod?
Lee: Kings of Leon, tops. Black Eyed Peas. I love country. And you can’t forget about ’80s glam rock. Def Leppard and Journey.
BH: What movies do you like?
Lee: “The Express, “The Blind Side,” movies based on real people. And I love cheesy girl movies and scary movies.
BH: Books?
Lee: I belong to a book club. We just read “The Help.” It was amazing.
BH: Do you ever show up at the book club without having read the book?
Lee: All the time.
BH: Do you still talk about the book?
Lee: Sure.
BH: What’s your greatest extravagance?
Lee: Makeup and hair products. I probably have 50 bottles of shampoo at home.
BH: Where do you like to shop?
Lee: Blush on Larimer Square and Nordstrom.
BH: What’s your style?
Lee: Conservative, unless I’m going out, and then sometimes things start hanging out.
BH: What’s your current state of mind?
Lee: Very happy. I’m getting married. I have lots of great opportunities right now. I just can’t complain about anything.
BH: What don’t you like about your appearance?
Lee: I have skinny calves.
BH: What people would give for those calves.
Lee: And I have love handles.
BH: What word or expression do you overuse?
Lee: “Whatever.”
BH: Who or what is the greatest love of your life?
Lee: Eric. I have never been in love before. Never said “I love you” before. I have never had a broken heart.
BH: When were you happiest?
Lee: Right now.
BH: What talent would you like to have?
Lee: I’d like to sing. I have a horrible voice, but I still sing karaoke. “Don’t Stop Believin’ ” and “Bette Davis Eyes.” Those are the two songs I like to sing.
BH: Most treasured possession?
Lee: My dog, Chopsticks. A pug. And my citizenship papers.
BH: So you talk about anything on the radio?
Lee: Yes. From losing my virginity to getting a boob job. I feel like I have grown up with the people of Denver — for 16 years. I’ve gone from a 21-year-old virgin to a 37-year-old almost-married woman.
BH: What do you like on TV?
Lee: I TiVo “Oprah” every day. And I like “Real Housewives.”
BH: Biggest regret?
Lee: Not finishing college.
BH: How would you like to die?
Lee: Not freezing to death and not dying of thirst.
BH: Were you wild when you were younger?
Lee: I probably flashed everyone on the campus in Boulder. And I mooned them too.
BH: Did you do drugs?
Lee: I do not have an addictive personality. I still do shots. I was known as the Shot Queen.
BH: What are your favorite shots?
Lee: I like car bombs, surfers on acid and whiskey.
BH: Any obsessions?
Lee: My obsession is beef jerky. I love beef jerky. If I had one food for the rest of my life it would be beef jerky. My last meal would be steak — with some beef jerky.
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Bill Husted: 303-954-1486 or bhusted@denverpost.com.
