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Dated: October 12, 2007

Restaurants are like children. You give birth to them, dress them up, nurture them, parade them in front of your friends praying they won’t embarrass you, and you watch them grow. Sometimes you end up wishing they belonged to someone else, but at others, you burst with pride for them, and they become as human as any flesh-and-blood child. And if something ill-fated happens to them you grieve.

It’s been several months since Mel’s in Cherry Creek closed down due to a dispute over a lease, and it’s been obvious in conversations with Mel and Janie Master, both in real life and in their newsletters, that they went through a grieving process. They never refer simply to “Mel’s,” but to “our beloved Mel’s.” So, I guess it was really no surprise that this week, they shut down Montecito South, which had been in operation only a few months, and reopened it two days later as Mel’s of Greenwood Village.

Physically it’s not the old Mel’s, but it’s amazing how much of the feel of the original is present in the new restaurant, and how quickly it all came together. Just to refresh your memory, the new Mel’s is located at the corner of South Holly and Orchard, in the below-ground space that once was Catalano’s, then became Ventura Grill before the Master’s remade it into Montecito South, and now Mel’s. It’s spacious and comfortable with a choice of table or booth seating. Sprays of tiny incandescent bulbs glow like stars over the heads of diners, and framed copies of old Mel’s menus decorate the walls. The lighting is soft, but no so much that you need a flashlight to read the menu, and it’s quiet enough for conversation. And, of course, Mel, and Janie and their son Charles are there to provide the final link that says, “Yes, this truly is Mel’s.”

The menu is intriguing, a compilation of favorites from years gone by at Mel’s. Prices range from the low teens into the mid twenties with nice selections top to bottom. At the lower end of the price range are dishes like roast chicken with tarragon butter, Millionaire’s Lasagna made with lobster, and Mel’s version of spaghetti and meatballs—a superb concoction of ribbon pasta in a lamb-based sauce, served with spicy lamb meatballs. At $13 it’s a steal.

Higher end dishes include pan-fried trout, a ribeye steak and a duck confit with spiced apples and vegetables. For $23, we enjoyed a tender and meaty lamb shank accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes accented with the tang of goat cheese.

So often it’s easy to say no to the traditional lineup of restaurant desserts, but there was no way to pass on pumpkin bread pudding with a bourbon sauce. Part of my weakness for this dessert is that it was often served to me as a child, but I guarantee Mom never made anything this sinful. If there was bourbon in the house, I can assure you it didn’t go into the bread pudding.

Though there is much of the old Mel’s in the new Mel’s, there are some distinct differences between being in Cherry Creek and being in Greenwood Village. There were more families at Mel’s than I ever saw at the Cherry Creek store. And, on a super-positive note, there is a nearly limitless amount of free parking, something you could never say about the old Mel’s.

Mel’s of Greenwood Village, 5970 S. Holly Street (SE corner of Holly and Orchard), 303-777-8223
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