Melville Tavern to give downtown Monterey new gastropub next month(ish).

Colin Ling knew one thing for sure. He was not going into the restaurant business.

Seems he'd gotten his fill early and often, and though he loved it, he knew the hours, the stresses, the holidays spent away from home.

When he was born in 1986 his parents owned Creme Carmel. Some of his earliest memories include dangling his feet from the counter while watching pops prep for the night's dinner.

By the 1990s his parents worked at landmark Mission Ranch. Ling would walk over after school at Carmel River and hang around the restaurant observing the swirl of prep.

Today his dad owns popular Sandbar and Grill under Wharf Two.

"Coming from a restaurant family I figured I should see what else is out there," Ling says. 

He definitely succeeded in doing something rare for Monterey Peninsula natives, making a go at playing ice hockey in New Hampshire, British Columbia and Michigan. He ultimately went to college at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and stayed in Milwaukee for a few years after graduation.

Restaurants remained a distant possibility down the road—"I saw my parents run theirs and knew what it takes," he says—but he slowly realized two things: 1) "If I were to be successful in anything I would have to work hard and put the time in" and 2) "Restaurants are the only thing I can do for 15 hours a day."

After trying other food-service gigs as a grocery manager and salesman for Del Monte Meats, he gave up trying to resist.

"Restaurants seemed like the other opportunity that didn't feel like work," he says.

He returned to Monterey County and set about learning more about the industry, first in the kitchen at Carmel Valley Ranch with Chef Tim Wood then Sandbar as a manager.

After some time managing at Turn 12 in Monterey, he discovered the former Santa Lucia Cafe next to East Village Coffee Lounge on Washington Street and the size and aesthetics of the kind of place he sought.

The name came from a less concrete, but still practical, place.

He had just started considering concepts for a restaurant and couldn't sleep one night. He decided to look up historic quotes.

"I came across one I instantly could resonate with," he says.  

That quote, "If you get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least."

Its author: Herman Melville.

The name of the new joint, set to open in mid-to-late October, if everything goes right (and that's a rarity): Melville Tavern.

The sign is already up and the kitchen's new tile is in place, as is the liquor license.

Ling's aiming for a casual tavern atmosphere with a focus on seasonal items including creative sandwiches and things that work in the brick oven he inherited from the former Santa Lucia Cafe.

"We've got lots of nice places where you can spend $110-$120 and lots of taquerias, but I wanted to do something burger-and-a-beer-like, elevated, with good food and great value."

He cites a duck sandwich with pickled plums and an herb onion jam and a peach pizza with fresh stone fruit, bacon, balsamic reduction and basil.

The plan is to grind burgers in house with a blend of brisket, short rib, and ground chuck. 

Beers and wines will lean heavily Californian with a small representation of the European offerings. Weekly happy hour and value across the board, according to Ling "will be staples."

He plans on keeping beverage prices low by being diligent on seeking out affordable California alternatives to spendier Belgian or German beers and pegging prices $4-$6.

Intended hours: 11am-10pm, with brunch on weekends 9am-2pm, but to start limited hours (4pm-close) and menu.

Ling is audibly excited about the space and getting everything cleaned up and reborn, including a L-shaped wood bar and the formidable oven.

And excited about being back where he belongs, even if it took him a minute to come back to it.

"I realized I love every aspect of restaurants," he says. "I always wanted to come back to Monterey and figured this was a perfect time."