Who was that charming and devilishly handsome young man working the room with the greatest of ease Monday night at Luca D'Italia?

Brian Griese? Nah, couldn't be. This guy seemed nothing like the former Broncos quarterback I had met a few times during his 1998-2002 stretch in Denver.

That Brian Griese was an introverted, press-shy loner who looked nervous whenever I approached him (not that I blame him). This Brian Griese exuded confidence and warmth as he firmly pressed flesh and greeted the deep-pocket donors who came to support Judi's House, the house that Brian and his dad, Bob, built to help grieving children. Brian's mom, Judi, died when he was 12.

"There was a lot of pressure when I was here. I guess (not being talkative) was my way of surviving," Brian said. "But I've learned that football is not everything. At the end of the day, I'm a lot more proud of Judi's House than anything I've done on the field."

Brian has no plans to move Judi's House from Colorado. He retains such fond memories of our state that he says he and his wife, Brook, "might" move here permanently when he's through with pro football. Until then, Brian says he'll continue as the back-up QB for the Chicago Bears.

'STACHE SCRATCHED: Was that Denzel Washington or Danny Glover looking at me from across the room? Surely, Glover didn't remember meeting me when I was a fledgling business reporter many years ago. And, if I ever had the good fortune of meeting Washington (swoon), I would remember.

But this hunka-hunka man was walking toward me. Sudden recognition: "Norm Early, I didn't recognize you with that gray in your hair," I said. But it was the missing moustache that was the biggest stand-out.

"I had 45 years with that moustache," said the former Denver DA and mayoral candidate. "It was no longer thick, gray in some spots, black in some spots, and I didn't like the way it looked."

Early, emcee and auctioneer at the Judi's House fundraiser, said he's had an overwhelmingly positive response since he shaved the upper-lip caterpillar last month.

RADIO HAZE: Bravo Ristorante chef Deryk Schnepf proved how fired up he is about Denver Restaurant Week when he nearly seared the roof of the KOSI-FM radio studios along with some scallops.

"The chef was making sauteed scallops in a pan over a portable flame burner when the flame smoke set off the alarm, and lucky for us, the sprinklers did not go off," said "Gov" Landrum, the Murphy and Denise morning show producer.

Firefighters (cute ones, according to co-host Denise Plante) arrived to secure the smoky scene in the Tech Center offices.

TAP DANCE: The Great Divide Brewing Co., a boutique beer biz at 2201 Arapahoe St., on Monday will open The Tap Room, a tasting room attached to the brewery.

The Tap Room will feature eight of the brewery's year-round beers, as well as seasonal and small-batch brews. The tasting room will be open from 2 to 7 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Half-price beers Monday through March 10.

EAVESDROPPING

. . . at Hair Escape salon in Thornton.

"No more potlucks. My bra is full of Doritos."

Penny Parker's column appears Tuesday through Saturday. Listen to her on the Caplis and Silverman radio show between 4 and 5 p.m. Fridays on KHOW-AM (630). Call her at 303-954-5224 or e-mail parkerp@RockyMountainNews.com.