Sean Kelly is now in the Green Russell kitchen

When Laura Shunk recently visited Green Russell, our Best Contemporary Cocktail Bar in the Best of Denver 2011, she discovered that the subterreanean speakeasy not only has a new menu, but someone new in the kitchen, too: legendary local chef Sean Kelly.

Turns out that just-as-legendary restaurateur Frank Bonanno, who’d opened that stylish spot last fall, was frustrated with the early menu and wanted to move in a different direction. And Kelly, the man behind Aubergine, Clair de Lune and Somethin’ Else, who’d most recently joined up with Larimer Associates to open LoHi SteakBar and Ernie’s Bar & Pizza, had some time to take on a new project. So for the last three weeks, he’s been helping redesign Green Russell’s menu and bring consistency to a kitchen where Bonanno himself doesn’t have time to cook every night. If you subscribe to Cafe Bites, our weekly e-mail newsletter devoted to recent developments on the Denver dining scene, you already knew this. If you don’t subscribe, you can sign up here. Follow @CafeWestword on Twitter