Ask mega-restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow about his duties as CEO of the TurnTable Restaurant Group, the company that just opened Big Game in the old Il Fornaio space on Wazee, and he stares at his son, Zach.
“I am?” the senior Chodorow said, sounding surprised.
“When we formed the company, it was a little informal,” Zach explained.
“I don’t personally care about titles,” Jeffrey said. “I don’t operate with a corporate culture.”
But he operates in a big-bucks culture as head of China Management Group, a $200 million empire of 25 restaurants that includes marquee brands China Grill and Asia de Cuba.
Big Game — a giant, comfy sports bar with a more upscale menu — is the first of the family’s businesses they hope to bring here. The China Grill honcho was so drawn to Denver that he paid rent on the empty Il Fornaio space for more than two years.
“We did a multicity tour to get a feel for the rest of the country,” Jeffrey said. “We looked at spaces in Dallas, Milwaukee, Chicago and Denver. We saw this space and said, ‘Wow.’ We paid a lot of rent, but at least we’re honorable.”
“Honorable” is also the term he gives his former partner, reality- TV-series chef Rocco DiSpirito, whose eatery Rocco’s on 22nd Street famously failed when Chodorow successfully sued the chef during the NBC series “The Restaurant” in 2003.
“He honored his (financial) obligations over time, which I’m impressed with,” Jeffrey said. “He’s a very talented guy, but Rocco, if he wants to be, is very charming. If he doesn’t want to be, he’s not.”
Moving along . . . now that Big Game is on the books — the restaurant serves lunch and dinner daily and features free Wii games, cushy leather booths, a loungy front bar and a pingpong table — Jeffrey says his company will be looking for a Denver space for China Grill in its new iteration, which features half-portion entrees, dim sum and sushi.
Zach, who calls his suitcase his home (he opened his first eatery, El Scorpion Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, in Miami), is working on a handful of projects but won’t be specific.
“We’ve had a good first week and a half,” Zach said about Big Game. “Denver is a great city, and this is a great space.”
Good going, Groupon.
My Twitter and Facebook postings Wednesday afternoon talking about the state’s seizure of BriteSmile at 231 Detroit St. for nonpayment of back taxes (as reported in Thursday’s column) started some nervous twitches from folks left holding worthless gift certificates for the teeth-whitening service.
But if you bought a gift certificate from , the online deep- discount website, no need to grind your teeth.
A Twitter follower sent me a note Thursday saying that she bought two $185 gift certificates from Groupon. She notified the website about Brite Smile’s closure, and Groupon is sending her a full refund. Go to to request a refund.
EAVESDROPPING
Two women sampling from the new sushi bar at Elway’s at the Ritz-Carlton:
“You’re a sushi virgin?”
“I thought I would do it in private, but oh, well. This way is better.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
