Шеф-повар знаменитостей Дэнни Янг открыл ресторан Rising Phoenix в Лори

Audio By Carbonatix For the better part of the last two decades, there were few opportunities to sample Daniel “Chef D” Young’s food unless you were rich, famous or both. A private chef for Denver Nuggets players for the last 18 years, Young has also cooked for billionaires like John Malone and Robert Smith. He’s the go-to chef for Broncos part-owner (and former Secretary of State) Condolezza Rice. Prince once called him at 4 a.m. to cook for him and his entourage, rewarding him with VIP tickets to his legendary 2013 run at the Ogden Theater. That wasn’t always the case. At the early turn of the millennium, Young opened a number of accessible (and affordable) restaurants, like Mimosas in Five Points, MBP (Moods. Beats. Potions), and a late-night place called Fat Daddy’s. Today, you’ll find Young in the kitchen of the newly opened Rising Phoenix in Lowry. While the restaurant’s name is a nod to returning the neighborhood watering hole to its former glory — “It had kind of a bad reputation,” Young says, “so I’m trying to erase all that.” — it can also apply to his desire to step out of the private-chef shadows and return to restaurant work. That’s proven harder than you’d think. In February 2020, Young opened Jive Kitchen & Bar in the Golden Triangle, but couldn’t survive the COVID hit. A few years later, he planned to open a high-end steakhouse and seafood spot called Hamba on the ground floor of the Parq on Speer apartment building, but the building’s owners faced unrelated legal issues that interfered with those plans. In 2023, he scored with the opening of the Sunset Loop Bar & Grill at DIA. But Rising Phoenix is where he feels most at the helm of restaurants and his future. “I really wanted to do something publicly to re-engage with my customer base,” he says. “When this came up, it was pretty much wide open. There was nobody here. So I had an open campus to come in and set it up the way I wanted.” The restaurant sits above the newly renovated and reopened Dove Underground. Previously, it was Tavern Lowry, owned by the same group that operated the Soiled Dove Underground venue. New owner Jackie Glenn bought the space from former owner Frank Schultz and is working to bring back both the music and restaurant to the surrounding community. “This project has never been about reopening a venue,” Glenn told Westword earlier, “it has been about restoring a place where people connect, celebrate and belong. As we listened to our neighbors, it became clear they weren’t just missing the music; they were missing the experience. That’s why we expanded our vision to include Rising Phoenix and a broader range of programming.” After a few weeks in soft-opening mode, Rising Phoenix celebrated its grand opening on Aug. 15, and is now firing on all pistons. Highlights from a recent visit include the Phoenix Chips & Dip ($7.50): an addictive basket of homemade potato chips dusted with Cajun seasoning, served with a house-made dip of sour cream, parmesan cheese and diced vegetables. Sounds simple, but it was a real standout winner on the table. (I’ll take a stand here and say that house-made chips, done right, are often better than a standard order of fries.) Another notable item was the Jamaican Beef sliders ($12), with slices of jerk-marinated beef layered between fresh buttermilk biscuits and goat cheese. Of course, it’s not a bar food menu without sandwiches and burgers, and Rising Phoenix has both. The Burger Phoenix ($16) features ground brisket with sautéed mushrooms and aged cheddar, while the non-burger sandwiches are all named after famous artists. An early winner of the popularity prize is the Stevie Nicks, featuring perfectly cooked, still-moist oven-roasted turkey breast with classic club-sandwich accompaniments (lettuce, tomato, avocado and bacon). Also a plus: the sandwiches come with those killer house-made chips. The rest of the very broad menu includes options like a line of pastas (choose your carb and your toppings), cast-iron skillets, salads, cold plates and even pizza. The pizzas, named after aviation themes, take broad liberties with expectations. The B-52 ($14), for instance, uses whole slices of Keilbasa sausage rather than pepperoni. The Howard Hughes ($14) mixes meatballs and roasted peppers with an olive tapenade. “I’m trying to twist the menu creatively, but keep it cost-effective at the same time,” Young says. “I’m trying to do something that’s affordable, for people to actually come and dine, doing everything from scratch, everything made in-house to bring my costs down.” Rising Phoenix is located at 7401 E. 1st Ave. and is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight on Friday, 9 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit risingphoenixrestaurant.com.