‘John’s Room’ ode to co-owner at remodeled Elway’s at the Ritz

Before the onslaught of adoring fans, John Elway and his restaurant business partner Tim Schmidt strolled through the new digs at Elway’s at The Ritz-Carlton Denver Tuesday during a party to reveal the changes.

While the popular dining room remains basically the same, save for the giant lit onyx wall that separates the bar from the main dining area, the bar and former lounge area have gone through a dramatic makeover.

Bar seating that used to feature high-top tables, now include cushy banquettes with lowered seats. The banquette addition extends to the lounge to the right of the hostess stand, where there’s a large custom-made “community table,” which dominates the room.

The lounge carpet has been replaced with wide-planked dark hardwood, and seating capacity has been extended.

But the football Hall of Famer’s destination was his space — aptly named “John’s Room” — the newly carved out private space with a chef’s table and window looking into the busy-bee kitchen.

Elway admitted to me that he had his hand in every aspect of his name sake room’s design. He was kidding. Nonetheless, he said he was pleased with the results.

Pictures of the new spaces will be available at www.ritzcarlton.com/denver after May 21.