The Galley with Lynn & Glenn |
Denver’s Chillfire Bar & Grill takes a cue from Epic Chophouse
by Lynn Roberson photography by Glenn Roberson
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From left, Jim Morasso, Jon Spencer and Larry Sponaugle are some of the partners involved with Chillfire Bar & Grill in Denver.
there’s a
Chill
in the air Lake Norman Currents | August 2013
Chillfire’s cuisine is contemporary and current, yet it intentionally stops short of trendy.
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visit to Chillfire Bar & Grill is a sensory sensation — with its flavorful food, its multi-textured décor and its welcoming staff. “Value is what we base everything on,” says restaurateur Larry Sponaugle, who opened the restaurant this summer in The Shoppes at Waterside Crossing in Denver with longtime partner Jim Morasso. The two also co-own Epic Chophouse in Mooresville with a third partner. “Quality of food is a big, big item, and so is our relationship with our guests,” Sponaugle explains. “We are out here shaking hands and getting to know people who are guests in our restaurants.” Other partners in Chillfire are Executive Chef Jon Spencer and Lake Norman notables Larry and Sheree Griffin.
A new identity Chillfire’s cuisine is contemporary and current, yet it intentionally stops short of trendy. Diners will find steaks, chops, prime rib, seafood, salads, duck and other varied offerings. Fried green tomatoes and the Chatham shellfish succotash are just two of the dishes that taste as if the vegetables came straight from the garden. The popular Angry Lobster appetizer draws comparisons to a dish at Epic Chophouse, but it brings a bit more bite with its spicy baby lobster tails and horseradish-jalapeno honey mustard dip. “We wanted to carry a few items over,” says Chef Spencer. “We also wanted this restaurant to have its own identity.” Spencer is a Certified Executive Chef and past president of the American Culinary Federation — Charlotte. He has worked in restaurants for more than 30 years, starting in his uncle’s seafood restaurant in the Southport area on North Carolina’s coast. In Charlotte he has been a chef and a chef-owner with www.LNCurrents.com