Del Frisco's Grille Coming to Cherry Creek

Yesterday, Eater reported that Del Frisco's may be opening a Cherry Creek location at 2930 E. 2nd Avenue. That information and address came from a credible source, but it appears the address published was not accurate and other sources had the real meaty scoop a couple of weeks before.

Thanks to an anonymous commenter, Eater was directed to a column that Penny Parker wrote on Black Tie Colorado Parker revealed that Del Frisco's, the chain steakhouse with a Greenwood Village location, will open a more casual version of the concept called Del Frisco's Grille in a 150,000-square-foot office building at the northeast corner of First Avenue and St. Paul Street.

Parker wrote:

I told you recently about Del Frisco's Grille, an 8,000-plus restaurant and 9,000-square-foot rooftop patio that is part of a 150,000-square-foot office building at the northeast corner of First Avenue and St. Paul Street, which is breaking ground this fall.

More details have emerged since the former announcement of the project recently. The building will feature upscale amenities including more than 450 parking spaces in three levels of underground parking with direct high-speed elevator access; 9-foot-6-inch ceiling height on all office floors; a 30-foot-high, natural-stone lobby and mountain and downtown views.

Del Frisco's Grille has executed a lease for 8,700 square feet on the ground floor and rooftop patio. The Grille, the younger sibling to the venerable Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House with a location in the Tech Center, is the newest offering from Del Frisco's Restaurant Group.

The menu takes twists on the traditional bar and grill menu by using bold flavors, regional ingredients and local flair in many dishes.

"We have already enjoyed great success in Denver with Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House and Sullivan's Steakhouse," said Mark S. Mednansky, CEO of Del Frisco's Restaurant Group. "We welcome our friends in Denver to come to Del Frisco's Grille in Cherry Creek for a local beer and ahi tacos or a nice bottle of wine and a great steak."

Del Frisco's Grille also is located in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, New York, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. If Del Frisco's Grille cuisine is as good as its senior sibling (at a lower price point), the new eatery should give Cherry Creek Grill – less than three blocks away at 184 Steele St. – a much-deserved run for its money.

Unlike CC Grill, Del's will not introduce annoying rules that dominate the ambience at Cherry Creek Grill: no sitting at a booth unless you're ordering entrees, no baseball caps, even though they give you a beeper when you're on a wait you have to check back with them to verify you are in fact still standing in line, and on and on and on.

At least those were just a fraction of the bossy rules when I used to go there – a billion years ago – but I still receive reports from time to time about the iron-fisted policies that are strictly enforced at CC Grill. (They even famously cut off former Broncos great John Elway at the bar, but he got the last word by opening his own wildly successful steak house.)

I'll raise a glass to Del's while wearing a baseball cap and sitting in a booth with my drink and appetizers.

· Del Frisco Rumored to Bring Steakhouse to Cherry Creek [EDen]
· Del Frisco's Grille May Leave Grill Marks on Cherry Creek's Other Grill [EDen]