Jeff Osaka, former chef/owner of Twelve restaurant, is opening a second Osaka Ramen in the former Ay Caramba Cherry Creek space at 2817 E. Third Ave. in mid-April following the opening of the first Osaka Ramen in RiNo mid-March.

The Cherry Creek space covers 1,880 square feet with 30 seats downstairs and 25 seats upstairs including the bar plus 25 seats on the covered and enclosed sidewalk-facing patio.

The Five mainstay ramen bowls are shoyu, shio, tonkotsu (the star ramen, all pork broth), tantanmen and a vegetarian ramen of Thai green curry with coconut milk, but with noodles. Ramen bowls will be priced at $14. In addition, Osaka will offer seasonal ramen selections (an Olathe corn ramen, for example). All of his noodles will be sourced from Sun Noodle (www.unnoodle.com/).

Small plates, of which there will be 20 to 25, will range in price from four to $12. Examples: pan-fried oysters, grilled shishito peppers, bacon-fried rice, gyoza, chicken karaage and a signature Osaka Ramen salad that’s cabbage-based and dressed with sesame.

Osaka Ramen will also feature bento boxes as an alternative to ramen. Bento boxes will include rice, salad, house-made pickles (tsukemono) and a protein (miso cod, spicy tofu or chicken/beef teriyaki).

Beverages will focus on sake and soju. In addition, there will be wines and 16 taps. A selection of Japanese beers will be offered by the bottle.

The primary difference between the RiNo and Cherry Creek locations is that Cherry Creek will offer everything to go, whereas RiNo won’t have a takeout option, although Osaka is considering adding a to-go option for the RiNo store later on.

Cherry Creek hours: Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.

“While Cherry Creek went through a period of low density, there’s a huge resurgence going on in the neighborhood, which is super-exciting,” Osaka said. “A lot of new developers are coming in, and there are several new residential living spaces that are on the horizon, plus the restaurant itself is well-positioned on the block with great street visibility. The two-tiered space is broken up really nicely into smaller areas, which makes it feel quaint and intimate.”

In addition to unveiling two Osaka Ramen locations this spring, the chef is also opening Sushi-Rama. The sushi bar concept, which will boast a revolving conveyor belt called a kaiten, a carousel brimming with displays of impeccable sushi that diners can grab and eat, is slated to open this summer at 2621 Larimer Street.

For more on Osaka Ramen, go to www.osakaramendenver.com.

TLC’s national program “Say Yes to the Prom” is coming to Denver, and The Cable Center has been chosen as one of five partners by TLC’s parent company Discovery Communications to host one of its 2015 events.

Now in its fourth year, “Say Yes to the Prom” will give a select group of deserving girls from Abraham Lincoln High School the opportunity to develop mentoring relationships with industry professionals, build their self-confidence, self-image and of course, “say yes to the prom dress.”

To make this a special event for the girls involved, The Cable Center will host a Prom Dress Drive from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 31 at The Cable Center, 2000 Buchtel Blvd. More than 500 new and gently used dresses, with dry-cleaning tags, are needed in order for the girls to have the best shopping experience.

The girls will then have the opportunity to meet with Monte Durham, star of Discovery Communications’ “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta”, makeup and style experts and mentors during a pre-prom mixer and networking event on March 19 at The Cable Center. During this event, they will select prom dresses, receive professional makeovers, and take part in a runway reveal that gives the girls the opportunity to show off their personalized prom day looks.

“Abraham Lincoln High School is honored to be selected as a beneficiary of the ‘Say Yes to the Dress Prom program’,” said Larry Irvin, Abraham Lincoln High School principal. “The girls who have been chosen are shining stars in the class of 2015, and we are excited to not only make their prom day memorable, but also to provide them professional mentoring opportunities from within our community.”

“The ‘Say Yes to the Prom’ program empowers deserving, high-achieving young girls across the country, and we are thrilled to host this event, in partnership with Discovery Communications,” said Diane Christman, steering committee chair and senior vice president, The Cable Center. “We are confident that our community will help to make this an extraordinary day for these girls from Lincoln High School by donating during our dress drive on Jan. 31.”

For more information, go to www.cablecenter.org.

Eavesdropping on Facebook: “I just finished a 40-mile bike ride, came in the house and sat next to (my wife) on the couch and reached over for a big handful of popcorn. She turned and looked at me and said, ‘You know you’re smelly.’ Well, good to see you, too!”

Mark Miller, my friend and a huge fan and friend of Denver’s restaurant community, died Sunday after a lengthy illness. He was 82.

Mark, husband of author, TV and radio personality Pat “Gabby Gourmet” Miller, was the power behind the throne. As Gabby’s chief of staff, Mark ran the business of being The Gabby Gourmet.

There was no better friend to the local restaurant community. Mark was both revered for his gentle gentleman persona and feared for his fierce advertising sales prowess.

Until his long-time battle with Parkinson’s disease slowed him down, Mark was Pat’s willing and charming companion at her side for every appearance, radio show and out-of-town event.

My husband and I will forever remember our dinner dates with Mark and Pat primarily at Shells and Sauce, a favorite of the four of us. The staff was intimately aware of Mark’s declining mobility, and carved a path to a table with room for his walker.

Pat and Mark were a fixture in Denver’s restaurant scene. Matt Selby, former chef at Vesta Dipping Grill who now runs the kitchen at Central Bistro + Bar, posted his remembrance of Mark on Facebook:

“Mark Miller…tough, humble, genuine. Thank you for being you, and for in many ways, teaching me to be those things through my cooking adolescence. You were a silent roll model, and I never thanked you for that.”

Mark Miller is survived by his wife, Pat Miller; son of the late Jacob and Rose Miller; father of Steven and daughter-in-law Carol Miller and John Miller, PhD; brother to Leiba Alpert; grandfather to Joey and Hannah Miller.

Graveside services will be held at 11:30 a.m. today at  Mt. Nebo Memorial Park. Contributions can be made to Denver Hospice or Parkinson’s Foundation.

I will sorely miss you, my friend.

Mark Miller, right with restaurateur Ed Novak, was a fixture on the dining scene as the ever-present companion with his wife, Pat ‘The Gabby Gourmet’ Miller. Mark Miller died Sunday at age 82. (Gayle Novak photo)

Put on your boxing gloves, Denver. It’s time to hop in the ring and put up one heck of a fight against cancer. The University of Colorado Hospital Foundation’s “Let’s Knock Out Cancer” gala is set for 6 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Hyatt Regency at the Colorado Convention Center, 650 17th St.

The fundraising evening will include cocktails, dinner, a live auction and…an intimate concert by home-grown musical sensation The Fray. All proceeds from the “Let’s Knock Out Cancer” gala will go to the University of Colorado Hospital and the University of Colorado Cancer Center – the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center within an 800-mile radius

Individual tickets are for sale, along with table and event sponsorships. Learn more about the event and buy your tickets today at www.knockoutcancergala.org. See more at: www.blacktie-colorado.com/calendar/event-detail.cfm?id=263928#sthash.Ft0BV0EJ.dpuf.

The Ritz-Carlton Denver is undergoing an interior remodel that will update the 202 guestrooms and suits with a targeted unveiling in March.

The rooms will boast a comfortable ambiance with lush textures and a color palette with infusions of blue hues and neutral creamy tones. In addition to amenities guests have come to appreciate – HD TV’s, feather beds, 24-hour in room dining from Elway’s, five-fixture bathrooms, Asprey bath essentials and much more – they will enjoy additional tech-savvy innovations to suit both the business and leisure traveler.

Following the room and suites renovation, The Club Lounge will experience its makeover, with similar color schemes and design elements woven through the expansive 12th floor space. The award-winning Ritz-Carlton Spa will also see updates in the New Year with a new hair and nail salon and construction of a 24-hour fitness club.

“Our ladies and gentlemen, myself included, are thrilled to experience these improvements to The Ritz-Carlton, Denver,” said general manager Steve Janicek. “It’s absolutely necessary to make these investments during a time when the Mile High City is experiencing this boom with some really fine hotel additions in the marketplace. Our model rooms are already receiving positive feedback and our guests are looking forward to our new and improved product.”

Just some of the updates to the property’s seven-year-old rooms and suites include wall coverings in bedrooms and bathrooms, plush carpeting, headboard and chaise lounge upholstery, fresh wall paint and new artwork to complement fully refurbished corridors.

HBA/ Hirsch Bedner Associates was selected as the project design firm. HBA has offices worldwide with U.S. locations in Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco and Miami.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver, 1485 Delgany, brings back Black Sheep Fridays, a program that merges unadulterated eccentricity with cocktails and world-class art.

Every Friday this winter, museumgoers can experience a wide range of topical events including “Extra-Terrariums,” in which patrons make alien-inspired terrariums with some help from local Ironwood, or “Black Sheep Pi Day (Eve)” where visitors play irrational parlor games with pi and pie.

Black Sheep Fridays create an atmosphere of sophisticated nonsense, a place where patrons can experience something completely out of the ordinary before stepping back into the museum’s galleries.

“This year we were fortunate to have the startling and wonderful mind of Mark Mothersbaugh from which to draw inspiration,” said Carina Buchwald, MCA Denver’s café manager, who also curates the program. “Since museum admission is just five dollars after 5 p.m. on Fridays, Black Sheep Fridays is a great way to experience first the exhibition Mark Mothersbaugh: Myopia and then something completely different.”

Black Sheep Fridays runs weekly from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 23 through March 7 in the MCA Café. For a complete program schedule, go to www.mcadenver.org.

Love is in the air, and this time it’s legally sanctioned by Colorado’s courts. Celebrate Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) with The Queerbots as they present a fully improvised Ode To Amore.  Using only audience suggestions, they’ll explore gay first dates, lesbian honeymoons, and the joys of same sex parenthood.

There might even be a musical tribute to Tinder, or a scene based on your first true love. The Queerbots improve troupe will heighten the laughs with videotaped commentary from ‘N Sync alum Lance Bass, along with a tribute to Cinema’s most iconic romances re-edited with a homosexual twist.

The Queerbots will play at Hamburger Mary’s “Club M” on Valentine’s Day.  Doors open at 7p.m., the show begins at 8.  Tickets are $10 and available for advance purchase at www.queerbots.com.

“We’ve been thrilled with Denver audiences.  Our two prior shows have both sold out, and I think it proves there’s a real place for gay and lesbian comedy,” said Sarah Kirwin, Queerbots artistic director. “Even more exciting, our crowds are mostly straight.  I think one of the best ways to build understanding and breakdown stereotypes is through laughter. It’s hard to judge someone when you’re sharing a great time.”

The Queerbots Comedy Improv Troupe was founded by six performers: Kirwin, Michelle Marlowe, Britt Swenson, Jon Jon Lannen, Ashley Scroggins and Chris Parente.  Together, they bring more than 100 collective years of improvisation experience, and their full biographies can be found at www.queerbots.com.

On her talk show Tuesday, daytime diva Ellen DeGeneres was discussing how low gas prices are these days.

“In Colorado gas is less than two dollars per gallon,” she said. “That’s how they do it there. Gas prices are low and people are high.”

Rrr-rrr-rrr.