Gayle and Ed Novak, possibly the kindest couple in the restaurant business, hosted a hearty party Saturday night at The Summit Steakhouse, the Havana and Yale spot that they’ve owned for a year.

The back story is that Ed and Gayle met there years ago when Gayle was a hostess and server and Ed was a constant customer.

Mr. On the Town, On the Town Junior (in Denver from Cincinnati for a brief visit) and I ambled back to our ‘hood (On the Town Junior grew up nearby in the Dam West neighborhood) to show support for the big restaurant boosters.

“The reason you’re all invited is because you supported us, new jordan and you know how ugly this place was,” Gayle said. “You know the first year is the hardest.

Then it was Ed’s turn: “We only invited people who are able to stay out till 1 in the morning,” he joked. “Go out and have a dance with your sweetheart, or somebody else you like in the room, and come back and have more food and drink.”

Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

Lunch bunch

Oakwood Homes and Saunders Construction will host a fundraiser and luncheon to benefit Z Place at the Evie Garrett Dennis Campus from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday.

Z Place is a new community located in the Children’s Corridor – a 14-mile stretch from Northeast Denver to Green Valley Ranch – where a revitalization effort is taking place to improve the lives and futures of families and children in the area.

Pat Hamill, CEO, president and founder of Oakwood Homes says that Z Place is a linchpin for future revitalization in the area.

“Far Northeast Denver continues to grow into a strong vibrant neighborhood filled with residents and companies dedicated to creating a bright future for the community,” Hamill said. “We are proud to support an organization that will have such a profoundly positive impact on the residents we serve.”

For reservations to the luncheon, RSVP to Mary Dollins at 816-225-3934 or mdollins@buildinggreatcommunities.com.

Palm prime time

From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, The Palm is putting its Prime Bites menu at the bar on sale for $5.50 per item.

The Palm, inside the Tabor Center downtown, is putting its current bar menu on sale in anticipation of introducing a new menu on Aug 1. The discounted bar menu includes prime steakburger sliders, charcuterie plate, ultimate chicken strips, mini broiled crab cakes, chicken parmigiano sliders, crispy blue-corn fried oysters, Nova Scotia lobster BLT sliders, oysters on the half shell ($1.90 each) and jumbo shrimp cocktail at ($3.90 each).

Restaurant rumble

Jesse Morreale, the owner of El Diabl0 and Sketch restaurants at First and Broadway, was set to appear at an appeal hearing this morning at the City of Denver Board of Appeals in the Wellington Webb Building, 201 W. Colfax to consider arguments by Morreale, his counsel and supporters to lift the order that forced the closing of the restaurants three weeks ago.

At issue is whether the 1906 building is safe for the public after Morreale was issued a temporary certificate of occupancy but allegedly failed to do the repairs required by the city in order to receive a permanent certificate of occupancy for this historic hotel.

Meanwhile, many of the estimated 150 employees who nike cortez worked in both restaurants have lost their jobs. Morreale and his chef/partner Sean Yontz have been trying to employ some of the displaced workers at RockBar, the retro spot at 3015 E. Colfax.

Eavesdropping on On the Town Junior’s Facebook page: “My mom’s ringtone is Call Me Maybe. I am now older than my mother.”

Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

No one in Denver has led a more illustrious, glamorous nor decorated life than Donald Seawell. Nor has anyone done so for 100 years.

And although Seawell insisted that friends keep his century mark celebration on the down low, Judi Wolf, Seawell’s confidante and best buddy, coaxed her close friend into hosting an intimate cocktail party and dinner inside the ballroom that bears his name on Aug. 1, and to include select members of the press. I’m one of them.

But how do you sum up the life of such an iconic figure whose credits include founder, chairman and CEO of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Broadway and London theatrical producer, nike cortez femmes chairman and publisher of The Denver Post and mastermind of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Complex? Not bad for a lawyer from North Carolina.

So I crafted some questions for Seawell, and with the help of Wolf, conducted a Q&A session via e-mail.

How does it feel to have reached triple digits?

By the time one has reached 100, too many parts of the body have deteriorated…including the brain.  What was the question?  I forgot what you asked.

What single story or incident stands out? 

There were many.   In college I was picked to represent American colleges and universities in a series of debates in England, Scotland, Ireland and France.  That led to a scholarship at Oxford where I debated Winston Churchill.  After law school I was appointed to the newly formed Securities and Exchange Commission. Later I became general counsel of the S.E.C. and speechwriter for both President Roosevelt and Truman.

In World War II, I was a counterintelligence officer during the invasion planning of D-Day.  Later I was parachuted behind enemy lines to work with the French underground.

After the war, I became a New York lawyer with offices in London and Tel Aviv as well as a Broadway producer.  I produced more than 100 plays and musicals in New York and London.  Helen Bonfils was a part of the New York theater scene and that led to my representing The Denver Post against Newhouses’ takeover attempt of the newspaper.  This led to me becoming chairman, president and publisher of The Denver Post.  When I sold it, I used the money to create the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Most of these positions required real battles.  They each were memorable.  Pick one.

How has Denver changed over the years?

When I created the Denver Center, the tallest building in the downtown area was the D&F Tower.  No one stayed downtown after work except the hoboes who lived under the bridges and in box cars.  Mayor (Bill) McNichols warned me that he had a reliable company investigate and found only 3,000 people in Denver and the surrounding cities who had ever seen a professional performing arts production.  Over the years millions of people have come to enjoy a myriad events at our Denver Center for the Performing Arts.  And just look at all the great buildings we now have in downtown Denver!

What do you want your legacy to be for the city?  How do you want to be remembered?

I hope I have contributed to Denver’s ceasing to be a cow town and becoming a thriving  nike kobe 9 metropolis. I enjoyed the responsibility of bringing culture and entertainment to as broad an audience as possible.

What has been your greatest achievement?

I sincerely hope it is yet to happen.

Ruth’s Chris returning

Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which famously ditched Denver in 2009, has selected a site in downtown Denver at 700 15th St. to make a comeback.

The high-end restaurant is to occupy a 9,000 square-foot space that formerly housed Wolf Camera on the corner of 15th and California in the Denver Dry Goods building.

Alecia Pulman, spokeswoman for the Winter Park, Fla.-based Ruth’s Hospitality Group Inc., would not confirm that a company-owned Ruth’s Chris was returning to the Denver market.

Denver’s first Ruth’s Chris, at 1445 Market St., was a franchise operation that failed. The same franchisee also closed the Aspen branch of the brand.

Kelly Greene, a colleague of the broker who leased the space, wasn’t surprised that Ruth’s Chris was returning.

“This is a pretty major market for them not to be in,” said Greene, a seasoned restaurant broker at David Hicks & Lampert. His colleague Ken Himel, who represented the restaurant, did not return my phone call. “I think they have a loyal following and they’re a nationally recognized brand.”

Greene said Ruth’s Chris picked that location – which by some estimates is a bit off the downtown restaurant beaten path – because of the proximity to the Colorado Convention Center and hotels.

“Their food is respected and their brand is really ,” he said. Speculation is that the restaurant will open next summer.

Eavesdropping on a woman talking about her new dog to another woman: “She won’t let me out of her sight and when we go out, I can hear her barking so I am pretty sure she has separation anxiety.”

“That’s OK. Every time my husband goes out I bark at him – mostly when he comes back!”

Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

Can’t make it over to the summer Olympic games? Let The Curtis – a Doubletree by Hilton give you the royal treatment with the over-the-top Gold Medal Getaway – the Package of Champions.

Priced at $5,000 per night for two people, the Curtis’ gold medal experience will include:

* A  one-night stay in the company of Mick, Ringo and James Bond in the hotel’s British Invasion Suite;.

* MINI Cooper rental to cruise Denver in Austin Powers-style.

• Breakfast and lunch for two either in The Corner Office or room service.
• Brand new Nintendo Wii console with Olympic-style sport games to take home.
• 2 day-passes to Denver’s Elitch Gardens Theme Park to perform your own death-defying stunts.
• 2 one-year memberships to 24 Hour Fitness.
• In-room Olympic amenity of Twinings English Tea, Harrods biscuits, chocolate medals and a box of Wheaties, the “Breakfast of Champions”.
• Valet parking.

The Package of Champions also includes an Olympic nike kobe 9 elite gs viewing party in a private event space for up to 20 friends, including:

* Bite-size British faves like fish & chips and shepherd’s pie.

* Brit-beverages like cask-ale, grog and spiked tea.

• Projection of the Olympic games to watch all of your favorite events.
• Private performance by Beatles impersonators.
• A chance to hob-knob with British celebs (impersonators).

The Package of Champions will be offered from July 27 to Aug. 12, 2012 and is priced at $5,000 per night for two people, based on availability.  To book, please visit www.thecurtis.com  or call 800-525-6651.

It was local celebrity sighting day at Posh the Salon, at Louisiana and Clayton, with former Avalanche captain Super Joe Sakic getting a haircut, wife, Debbie, in the shampoo bowl, CBS4 anchor Karen Leigh getting her locks loved and Pat “Gabby Gourmet” Miller awaiting her turn for a blow-dry.

Denver lost a major player in the theater community when Robert “Bob” Garner died after a short illness Thursday in his home. He was 80.

Garner, whose name graces the Garner Galleria Theatre, the cabaret-style showroom inside the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, was a pioneer in bringing Broadway touring shows to town as the head of Denver Center Attractions.

He was a fixture on opening night nike lebron 11 performances for all the major productions that brought their shows here. In addition to theater, Garner was passionate about cruising, which he did frequently with his theater pals.

He was that guy that you wanted to hang out with during a pre-performance cocktail party, dinner or a post-party because he always had the best stories, and wasn’t allergic to a little harmless gossip.

I’ll miss his enthusiasm, energy and that twinkle in his eye when he had something juicy to share. Opening night performances will be missing a big fan.

My eyes adored it

Walk Like a Man (or Woman), and get yourself to the Broadway hit Jersey Boys, the Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, now playing through Aug. 11 at the Buell Theatre.

If you are of a certain age (like me), you will be able to sing along to all 35 songs the fab four perform during the musical about the group’s rise and fall from fame.

It’s the story of four Italian-American youths from New Jersey growing up in the 1960s who easily could have chosen prison over music. But instead, they pushed out hit after hit but not without personal sacrifice.

One of the show’s highlights is back to back presentations of Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Walk Like a Man. The crowd goes wild.

“At that moment the audience has forgotten they’re watching four actors, and they root for these four guys as though they really are the Four Seasons in their youth,” Rick Elice one of the show’s Tony-nominated book writers told Applause magazine.

Restaurants round-up for charity

Salt on the Rim, a food-and-margarita fundraiser to benefit The Kempe Foundation and Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, starts at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Featured restaurants and caterers include Brio Tuscan Grille, Chinook Tavern, EDGE at the Four Seasons Denver, The Food Guy, Hard Rock Cafe, Japoix, Lifestyles Catering, Lime, Mezcal, The Palm, Piatti, Sam’s No. 3, 16 Mix Cocktail Lounge at The Sheraton Downtown, Twisted Pine Brewing Co. and Zink.

Tickets are $100 at: https://www.blacktie-colorado.com/online_sales/rsvp_ticket_purchase.cfm?rsvpid=6556 .

Pop goes the dinner

The Ritz-Carlton Denver is featuring dishes inspired by executive chef Justin Fields recent travels abroad with a Pop-Up Dinner and Film at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Guests will be served a multi-course French-inspired dinner paired with a showing of the classic film La Femme Nikita and served on the outdoor plaza.

The cost is $75 per person plus tax and tip, or $125 with wine pairings. Reservations and more information: 303-312-3826 or e-mail allyson.fredeen@ritzcarlton.com.

Sur la Table opens Friday

When the Seattle-based kitchen store opted to nike zoom hyperrev leave the Cherry Creek Shopping Center last April, the store announced it would move to new bigger digs across the street at 121 Clayton Lane.

A sign on the door says it’s opening Friday. This new location will have room to offer cooking classes in addition to kitchen gadgets and goodies.

Brandon’s bails

Brandon’s Pub, the hybrid Mexican food place and sports bar at 3027 E. Second Ave. in Cherry Creek North, has closed its doors.

The phone is disconnected, and there was a notice printed in Westword about an auction for the restaurant’s contents. Brandon’s opened in Cherry Creek in May 2010, after moving there from the Beauvallon on Ninth and Lincoln.

Barrels of Love

Becky McKernan, widow of Tim “BarrelMan” McKernan, the longtime fixture at Broncos games, is hosting a fundraiser from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Wystones Tea, 7323 W. Alaska Drive, Lakewood.

The evening will include a silent auction plus player autographs from Ron Egloff, Dave Studddard, Billy Thompson and Larry Brunson. One-of-a-kind barrel art work from local artists will be available for purchase with 100 percent of proceeds going to the Barrels of Love foundation.

Eavesdropping on a woman: “If you don’t have a butt, you don’t have a butt. You shouldn’t try to make one. Not sure my trainer would agree with that.”

Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.

A coalition of hospices and grief centers are joining together to host a series of open door support groups today through Friday at the Heartlight Center, 11150 E. Dartmouth Ave. in Aurora in the wake of the theater shootings in Aurora.

The group support sessions will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and be led by counselors from The Heartlight Center, The Denver Hospice Grief Center, Colorado Hospice/Saturday Partners, Porter Hospice and Exempla Collier Hospice.

The sessions are free and open to the public. In addition to offering grief support, the drop-in sessions will offer literature and leaders will be available to offer other resources and support groups.

For information, call:  720-748-9908.

Becky McKernan, widow of Tim “BarrelMan” McKernan, the longtime fixture at Broncos games, is hosting a fund-raiser from 5 to 8 p.m. July 26 at Wystones Tea, 7323 W. Alaska Drive, Lakewood.

The evening will include a silent auction plus player autographs from Ron Egloff, Dave Studddard, Billy Thompson and Larry Brunson. One-of-a-kind barrel art work from local artists will be available for purchase with 100 percent of proceeds going to the Barrels of Love foundation.

While El Diablo and Sketch restaurants owner Jesse Morreale goes through a legal smack-down with Denver to get his suddenly shuttered businesses reopened, 150 employees, who haven’t been paid since July 10, need to earn a living.

To help them cover their bills, El Diablo and Sketch chefs Sean Yontz and Brian Laird are setting up shop inside the RockBar kitchen, another Morreale-owned building at 3015 E. Colfax.

RockBar will open tonight, Tuesday, serving menu items from El Diablo and Sketch, and will continue dinner service until the city allows the restaurants’ building at First and Broadway to reopen.

So what’s the beef? The city suddenly deemed the historic 1906 building, that once housed The First Avenue Hotel, unsafe and in danger of putting the public at risk, a decision that Morreale strongly disputes.

“It’s terrifying what they’ve done and what they’re doing,” Morreale said about the city’s building officials. “Instead of acknowledging their mistake and correcting it right away, they’ve dug in their heels. powerlins ii Now, this has turned into a character assassination campaign against me.”

Andrea Burns, spokeswoman for Denver’s office of Community Planning and Development said, “The City and County of Denver has lent its support to El Diablo and Sketch in several ways over the last few years. The building that houses them — a former hotel that’s more than 100 years old — required extensive renovations. In May 2010, building officials in the Development Services division worked closely with the building’s owner to create a phased-work plan that would allow the businesses to open before the work was complete with the understanding that the work plan would be completed within 18 months. This is an unorthodox approach, but the City acted in good faith to help these businesses get off the ground.  In return, the agreed-upon work plan was not completed.

“The work plan included modifications to structural and fire safety aspects of the building. When the work was not completed on schedule, the city extended the building’s temporary occupancy permit several times, providing additional opportunities for the owner to complete the necessary work. As you may know, Denver’s Office of Economic Development even gave a business loan to help rehab the old building.

“Unfortunately, the deadline for the building’s work plan came and went, and critical structural and fire-safety work was not completed. The last official correspondence we have between the city and building owner regarding work plan status was in August 2011; it clearly illustrates that the work is not complete and that the consequence would be a designation as ‘unsafe.’ Additionally, new work was done without permits, exposing the building’s occupants to even greater risk. It was the discovery of this new gas, electrical and construction work that ultimately led to enforcement action this July.

“Community Planning and Development strives to support businesses throughout the city. Building officials are disappointed that failure to follow the basic steps outlined in the work plan has forced the temporary closure of 101 Broadway. We continue to work with the building’s owner to outline a path forward, which involves a return to the tasks outlined in the work plan. It is never our wish to see a business temporarily closed; however, life safety is the most important factor in this situation, and all situations involving buildings in Denver.”

Morreale bought the historic building four years ago when it had been abandoned and neglected for years. After a myriad of construction gymnastics as is typical in a 100-plus-year-old building, Morreale received a temporary certificate of occupancy with the agreement to achieve other repairs within 18 months of opening.

Morreale first opened BodyLab, a fitness studio, in February of 2oo9, Sketch restaurant and wine bar in April 2009 and El Diablo in August of 2010.

The building owner said he was frequently in touch with city officials to make sure a permanent certificate of occupancy was in the works.

“I met (with the new team) within the last three or four months,” Morreale said. “We had done everything we needed to do. The building is not unsafe. Is The Brown Palace unsafe? It was built the same year by the same architect. What about the Oxford Hotel? There is no public safety issue with my building.”

Morreale, who is now represented by former city attorney David Fine, has turned his full attention to getting his businesses back open and putting his employees back to work.

RockBar will post donation jars throughout the nightclub to support the displaced employees, and part of sales will also go to the workers. There’s also an on-line petition at www.saveeldiabloandsketch.com.

“I’ve got to figure out how to take care of these people,” Morreale said.

Winery tour time

Tickets are on sale for Colorado’s first series of wine-and-farm tours, beginning at 8 a.m. Sept 8.

Food and wine fans will board a bus outside of Row 14 Bistro & Wine Bar, 891 14th St., for a two-day tour of this new series in Grand Valley, a partnership between Row 14 and the Colorado Association for Viticulture and Enology.

The tour will begin on the bus where guests will taste 12 wines and receive a lesson on wine basics as well as the history and future of Colorado wines.

Upon arrival in the Grand Valley, attendees will embark powerlins ii femmes on winery tours and tastings at Canyon Wind Cellars, Garfield Estates and Colterris Winery. After the tasting trip, diners will be treated to a 12-course family style Disassembly Dinner, a butcher-dinner series put on by Mark DeNittis, owner and butcher of Il Mondo Vecchio.

DeNittis and Row 14 chef Jensen Cummings will break down a Colorado lamb and hog. Other local ingredients used for the feast will be provided by SOURCE Local Foods, and wine pairings will be presented by Colorado winemakers.

The two-day trip is $350 per person (based on double occupancy) and includes transportation to and from the Grand Valley, sack lunches, overnight stay at Wine Country Inn in Palisade, wine tastings and the 12-course dinner.

Call Row 14 for tickets: 303-825-0100.

Commendations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced last week the recipients of the Foreign Minister’s Commendation for fiscal year 2012.

In the jurisdiction of the Consulate-General of Japan in Denver, recipients were Richard Clark, senior partner of Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons; Kerry Hada, Denver County Court judge; and Raymond Uno, president of the Japanese Community Preservation Committee of Salt Lake City.

The recipients were commended for their outstanding contributions to promoting mutual understanding and goodwill between Japan and the United States. The commendations aim to honor outstanding achievement by individuals and groups in furthering greater understanding and support for good relations with the Japanese people.

Eavesdropping on a woman who recently took an aptitude test: “One of the questions was how do you assemble a ceiling fan, and hiring someone to put it together wasn’t one of the answers.”

Did you hear that I have a new column, “Mile High Life,” in Colorado Community Media’s 17 weekly newspapers circling Denver? Be sure to like my Facebook page! Also, here’s where you go to get my column emailed to you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I’m now the social-media liaison for the Mile High Chapter of the Colorado Restaurant Association, so read my latest restaurant news there. My email: penny@blacktie-llc.com.