DENVER Centerplate Inc. recently debuted the upscale casual Limelight Supper Club and Lounge at the Denver Performing Arts Complex here, the second restaurant it has opened as part of its partnership with local celebrity chef Kevin Taylor. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Just like Taylor’s eponymous Kevin Taylor’s at the Opera House in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, also located on the grounds of the arts complex, the Limelight is open for dinner on evenings when performances are scheduled at the cultural-events venue. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Janet Steinmayer, Centerplate’s chief executive, said opening the second restaurant was a no-brainer given the success of Taylor’s first restaurant at the arts complex. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
“We so much liked what has happened at the opera house that it was a natural choice to partner with Kevin again when we took over this restaurant space,” Steinmayer said. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Through the partnership, Taylor, who is known primarily for his commercial restaurant entities, will develop and operate concepts for Stamford, Conn.-based Centerplate. The partnership is a fairly new venture for the on-site company, which provides catering, concession, management and merchandizing services for approximately 130 sports, entertainment and convention venues in North America. The agreement also allows Taylor to broaden his customer base through catering and by drawing in customers from the crowds of patrons waiting to attend performances at the complex. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
“We wanted to grow in the events business,” said Taylor, whose award-winning fine-dining establishment Restaurant Kevin Taylor is in the Teatro Hotel across the street from the DPAC. “We had a great location with the ballet and opera, but we did not want just to do another restaurant. The money is in the catering, not necessarily in the à la carte business.” —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Two years ago Centerplate asked Taylor to create a menu and provide food-service in Ellie Caulkins Opera House, one of 11 performance venues at the city-owned DPAC. The city is the landlord of the four-square-block complex in downtown Denver, and Centerplate manages the property. The company splits the revenues from Limelight and the opera house with Taylor. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Dubbed “Denver’s reigning restaurant king” by 5280 magazine for his creative approach to American and French cuisine, Taylor has been nationally recognized for his restaurants over the years. The seven-year-old Restaurant Kevin Taylor was inducted into Nation’s Restaurant News’ Fine Dining Hall of Fame. Taylor also manages the more casual Prima Ristorante, also located in the Teatro hotel. Other endeavors include Palettes at the Denver Art Museum and Rouge at the Teller House in Central City, Colo. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
The Limelight, which opened last October, is located in the complex’s atrium, giving it greater exposure to the general public. The space originally had been home to the Theater Café, an independent operation that eventually went out of business. The location had been shuttered for the past several years. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
“[Limelight] was always meant to be a freestanding restaurant,” Steinmeyer said. “Because it is visible from the walk-way, it will draw people in.” —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
The space’s interior, once dark and dated, underwent a major renovation. Limelight’s new minimalist design is sleek and modern, featuring celery-green walls, white molded-plastic chairs and floor-to-ceiling glass walls that look out on the atrium. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
The open dining room seats 60, as does the private dining room. The long granite-topped bar and lounge area as well as the outdoor patio offer lighter fare and cocktails for customers wanting a quick bite or drink before a show. Theatergoers can even take their glass of Champagne with them when they depart. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Although it is open only on show nights, the restaurant offers dinner service from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays so the general public can also dine there. In addition, the restaurant is open for Sunday brunch. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Taylor’s Limelight menu features a hearty menu of steak, fish and seafood items. Among the choices are crab Louis with horseradish and Thousand Island dressing on iceberg lettuce; lobster with vanilla and smoked-corn chowder; salmon with golden mashed potatoes, asparagus and eggless Béarnaise sauce; bison sirloin with house mac and cheese and tobacco onion rings; and braised short ribs with red wine ketchup and grits. Dinner entrées range in price from $19 to $28. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
The restaurant’s employees work for Centerplate, but are supervised by Taylor’s management team. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
“It’s been very seamless,” Taylor said of the arrangement. “They are managed by our philosophy and point of view.” —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
Both Limelight and Taylor’s opera house venue offer catering for special events, too. —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist
“The costs are better, there is no waste,” Taylor said. “It takes a lower amount of staff to do a higher number of people. It’s just one way to grow a business if you have a small restaurant and not [enough] space available to do catering.” —Raising the curtain on a new act, entertainment and sports foodservice specialist