Big Game Grand Opening
Last night I attended the grand opening party for Big Game Restaurant & Lounge in LoDo which is located in the former Il Fornaio space at 1631 Wazee Street. It was a really fun and well attended event. The bones of the space were preserved during the remodel including the main bar and open kitchen. The refurbished tin ceiling, sports themed murals and a new video projection wall really update the look & feel. There are other interesting features like the arch clad in antlers and a series of Wii consoles on the back wall. Passed appetizers included wild boar BBQ sliders, mini chicken parmesan sandwiches and spicy tuna sushi rolls.
Antler Archway
Big Game's Main Dining Room
JFK Football Mural
Video Wall
Open Kitchen
Exterior on Wazee
One of the bars featured cocktails made with Epic Vodka - I sampled their Hawaiian Cosmo and the EPICtini (vodka, sake & cucumber). Epic chose Denver in February as the test market for their “rock & roll” vodka brand. You can check out their blog until their website is finished.
“Denver has proven itself to be an emerging city with it’s professional sports teams taking center stage along with its ever growing nightlife and culinary scenes. Combined with the perfect demographic of young professionals, we are looking to Denver to set the tone for EPIC Vodka in the coming months.”
A number of noteable people attended the party including co-owner Zach Chodorow and his father Jeffery Chodorow who owns China Grill Management. Big Game is open for lunch and Dinner. They have two happy hours; 3pm – 6pm and 10pm – close. Their menu features a wide variety of choices including sushi, salads, shepard’s pie, lamb, elk and venison chops with separate sections for 5 kinds of PEI Mussels and 8 selections of fresh cut fries. The dessert menu features red velvet cupcakes – my personal favorite.
