Parker: Jungle jammers heed call of the wild at zoo event

By Penny Parker, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 22, 2007 at midnight

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Restaurants and music and socialites, oh my!

More than 2,000 frisky folks took a walk on the wild side Thursday night during the annual Do At The Zoo at (where else?) The Denver Zoo. Many a wild child came to party where the wild things are. People and pachyderms. Giants of industry and giraffes. Peacocks and pretty people strutting their stuff.

"This is the hot spot for the local primates," said Kirsten Hamling, event chair. This year's theme Jammin' in the Jungle paid homage to Asian Tropics, the planned 10-acre exhibit that will be financed through fundraisers and matching contributions from a zoo improvement bond voted on in 1999.

"All the entertainment is Bollywood-type music," said entertainment co-chair Erik Dyce. "There are pedishaws (rickshaws on bicycles) to take people from stage to stage."

Sets included Sri Lanka Shores with DJ Brian Howe, the Rhino Room with Bela Karoli and Tuatha and the Calcutta Club (where Tarzan meets Jane) with entertainment from Taiko with Toni and Bollywood West.

The Do even attracted former Denver celebs Peggy and Kiki Vandeweghe, who just put their Morgan's Historic Neighborhood home on the market. These days, the former Nuggets GM calls L.A. home.

"It's the biggest thing Denver does," said Peggy, decked out in a leopard halter dress (grrrrrrr). "We came to support our friends, and we came to support the zoo."

Kiki looked sporty and smart in a pair of blue-and-white seersucker pants. "They're the coolest pants I own," he said, pointing out that L.A.'s weather was much cooler than Denver's.

Two-legged animals prowled from food booth to food booth stalking their prey. Kenny Sonoda, owner of Sonoda's, was the only restaurant with two food booths. His five kinds of sushi attracted this year's longest line. Other notable noshes: Del Frisco's with its traditional fist-sized shrimp and steak sandwiches, Morton's signature steak sandwiches, Zengo's ribs with kim chi slaw, Mezcal's soft tacos, Sketch's deep-fried crab cakes, Maggiano's four-cheese ravioli, North's risotto with corn, wild mushrooms and truffle oil, Elway's steak tartare and Sullivan's chocolate fountain with strawberries on a stick.

Wild and wooly signature cocktails included Dolly's martini (named after the elephant), Mimi's Madras (named after the other elephant) and Mshindi's rum (after a rhino).

WARDROBE MALFUNCTION: It was the scandal that rocked the Do when social sceners Holly Kylberg and Patrice Gendelman showed up in the same python-print dress.

"She looks much better in it than I do," Kylberg said. "Not a chance," countered her posse, Angela Brocksmith in a snake bodice with a black skirt and Jana Olsen in a zebra-striped frock. "It shows someone else has good taste," said Kylberg, a columnist for Shine, the new mag run by former Rocky society scribe Dahlia Weinstein.

Another buzz causer was ad man Matt Keeney in his Kelly green "extinct unicorn" pants (vintage Lily Pulitzer circa 1954) with a Louis Vuitton belt. "I've had these for 15 years, he said. "You can't wear them often."

KEEPING THEIR COOL: Seen at the sassy soiree were The Steves (Chotin and Rosdal), employee trainer Gin Butler, DCPA's David Zupancic, former zoo spokeswoman-turned-Cherry Creek mall maven Angela Baier, Pepsi man Bradley Joseph, City Councilman Charlie Brown, Scott Coors, Qwest's Melissa Harder, dandy developer Ferd Belz, Larimer Square boss Joe Vostrejs, Wellshire Inn's Leo and Linda Goto, radio yakker Peter Boyles, parking poohbah Mike Mills, and wife, zoo board member Julie Mills, zoo trustee Mike Landa and past event chair Mary Smith.

EAVESDROPPINGS: "I'm here to pick up the zebra poop."

"We used to worry about rain, now we just worry about getting home."

"This whole thing vaguely reminds me of Costco. You can walk around and sample food, but it's all for a good cause."

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.

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