With the upcoming addition of Green Russell, a cocktail-centric spot on Larimer Square, and Lou’s Food Bar in north Denver, Denver chef and restaurateur Frank Bonanno is cementing his path toward building a restaurant empire.
While he started with his saute pan planted in the fine-dining category when he opened Mizuna at Seventh and Grant with then-business partner Doug Fleischman (who died in a car accident as the twosome were getting their second fine dinery, Luca d’Italia, off the ground), Bonanno has evolved into opening lower-priced places as dining tastes and budgets have changed.
Osteria Marco, the wildly popular pizza and panini place on Larimer, marked Bonanno’s first venture into food for the people (without a lot of money), followed by Bones, a noodle-bowl joint, next door to Luca on Grant.
Bonanno’s next culinary odyssey will be more about cocktails than cuisine at Green Russell, a below- ground space with a Larimer Street entrance.
On Wednesdays, the place will sell pies from 11 a.m. “till we run out of pie,” Bonanno said. Thursdays through Sundays, Green Russell master mixologists will concoct handmade cocktails with fresh juices, organic sodas and house-grown herbs.
It will be a speak-easy style space — with the exception of having a name on the door — with more rules than the Cherry Creek Grill: No hats (of any kind), no standing at the bar, no cellphones — not even texting — except in the phone booth that’s under construction.
“If there’s not a seat for you, you can’t come into the bar,” Bonanno said emphatically. “I don’t want it to be a hit-on place or a chick-and-guy thing. The cocktails will be labor intensive, and I want it to be very comfortable and intimate without there being three-deep at the bar.”
Reservations will be taken by phone, with an opening target date of Nov. 1.
Lou’s Food Bar, at 38th and Shoshone, will be another Bonanno homage to wallet-friendly prices with casual American and French food, including pâte, charcuterie, sausages, burgers, meatloaf and fried chicken. Lunch five days a week, brunch Saturdays and Sundays, and dinner nightly. Opening date planned for Dec. 15.
More foodie fodder.
The Counter, a burger franchise that has had exposure on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” as well as on GQ’s list of “20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die,” has closed its only Colorado location at the outdoor Vistas shopping area attached to Park Meadows mall.
“It was just too difficult to make it at that end of Park Meadows, among other things,” franchisee Andy Licht said. “We are going to sell the rights to Colorado and move on.”
• ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro, 1555 Blake St., opened to much fanfare during an invite-only cocktail party Monday. The lunch and dinner spot is from chef Lon Symensma, whose background includes a four-year stint heading the kitchen at Buddakan, a much-lauded New York eatery. Reservations: 303-353-5223.
Trotter’s triumph.
Jim Trotter, former assistant managing editor and projects editor at the Rocky Mountain News (and one-time editor of mine), was recently awarded the 2010 Mimi Award by The Dart Society, an international organization whose mission “is to connect and support journalists worldwide who advance the compassionate and ethical coverage of trauma, conflict and social injustice,” according to the website.
Trotter won the $1,000 prize for his work editing the series Final Salute, which won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize.
Pinkin’ thinkin’.
First Yellow Cab painted three cabs pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Now Metro Taxi is taking a turn.
Metro cabs are showing off their pink pride with pink-ribbon decals plastered on the fleet. During the month of October, Metro will donate $1 for each fare generated by the vehicles participating in the Pink Ride program.
The cab company at the end of this month will announce the selected organization that will receive the funds raised.
EAVESDROPPING | A female to a male colleague while leaving the office:
“You’re so quiet over there. I haven’t heard you say a word in a couple of hours.”
“I have a wife for that.”
Penny Parker’s column appears Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Listen to her on “Caplis & Silverman” between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-630 AM. Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail pparker@denverpost.com.
