December 1, 2015 – Author Herman Melville said, “If you get nothing better out of the world, get a good dinner out of it, at least.” Colin Ling agreed with this, but before he could focus on food, he was determined to see what else the world had to offer. Although born to restaurateurs and bred in the world of fine food, Colin had no intention of opening a restaurant of his own.
Yet, just last week, he did, with a soft opening of Melville Tavern, a place which pairs craft beers with creatively crafted cuisine. And, according to its patrons, the Monterey gastro-pub is already becoming a “neighborhood hub.”
The restaurant menu—which includes a fresh-ground burger, a duck sandwich with cherry compote and herb-onion jam; a peach pizza with stone fruit, bacon, balsamic reduction and basil; a mushroom quesadilla with goat cheese and spinach—is as intriguing as the story behind the restaurateur and his tavern.
Born at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Ling, 29, went to Carmel schools while his parents owned and operated Crème Carmel in the ’80s, a 13-top French restaurant, followed by Mission Ranch restaurant in the ’90s. Ling appreciated his parents’ passion for the restaurant business, but he also saw, firsthand, the hours and efforts they put in every day of the week. He was determined to discover something equally inspired but far less demanding.
While his parents ran their restaurant, Ling, who had gotten into ice hockey, was spending a lot of time on the ice in San Jose or across the country for tournaments.
Ice hockey is the ticket that took Ling out of town after graduating from Carmel High, first to New Hampshire to play junior hockey, followed by British Columbia, and then Michigan, before he moved to Marquette University in Milwaukee, where he began considering what he might do once he got off the ice. Maybe law school.
While at Marquette , Ling’s friends invited him over for “Taco Tuesday,” and the evening changed his life. After eating midwestern hard-shell tacos with ground beef and lettuce, the following Tuesday, Ling offered to host Taco Tuesday at his place. He served shrimp, pulled chicken and pork shoulder, two types of tortillas, cabbage slaw, and four different kinds of Mexican beer.
Ling’s astonished friends continued to come to his home on Tuesdays, and he continued to amaze them with his cooking, often varying the theme. On Italian night, this college kid served stuffed shells, bruschetta and homemade tiramisu.
“Because I would go all out,” says Ling, “it became very expensive. I learned to assign a list of ingredients my friends could drop off on Mondays, so I could prepare everything for Tuesday’s dinner.”
Ling also learned he was having a lot of fun, it was not as hard as he had imagined, and it was time to stop fighting his urge to follow the path of his parents, and open a restaurant of his own.
“As I got through school,” says Ling, “I realized if I was going to be successful at anything, I was going to have to put in the work, just as my parents did. The restaurant life is the only thing, besides hockey, I’ve been really passionate about.”
Ling also began to understand that, if it were his own restaurant, the hours and the effort would feel more like a lifestyle than work. Besides, he knew how to solve problems, be creative, and cook really creative food.
“I knew I wanted to return to the Monterey Peninsula,” says Ling. “So I thought, why not establish a new restaurant here? My friend, Chef Tim Wood, invited me to work in his kitchen at Carmel Valley Ranch for a summer, and then my dad suggested I work at his Sandbar Grill in Monterey to see what it was like. In the meantime, I looked for a suitable location in which to open my restaurant.”
Ling found it in the brick building vacated by Santa Lucia Café next to East Village Coffee Lounge on Washington Street. He liked the weathered brick, the exposed beams and the location, all of which said “tavern” to him. He also saw the opportunity to serve lunch, dinner, and brunch on the patio, will happen, soon. For now, the tavern opens at 4pm. for dinner.
“Milwaukee has a lot of places like Melville Tavern,” says Ling. “After I came home, every time I went out with friends, I went looking for a place with a great meatball sub, salmon burger, bahn mi sandwich. I hope other people are looking for something similar. So far, it seems they are.”
Currently open nightly for dinner, Melville Tavern is scheduled to open for lunch in about three weeks, and add a weekend brunch to the schedule this spring.
About the author
A fifth-generation Northern Californian, Lisa Crawford Watson has enjoyed a diverse career in business, education and writing. She lives with her family on the Monterey Peninsula, where her grandmother once lived and wrote. An adjunct writing instructor for CSU Monterey Bay and Monterey Peninsula College, Lisa is also a free-lance writer, who specializes in the genres of art & architecture, health & lifestyle, food & wine. She has published various books and thousands of feature articles and columns in local and national newspapers and magazines.
