New Upscale Restaurant Opening in Former Fruition Space on May 7

Among the most-anticipated restaurant openings this spring is Madeline, which will fill the former Fruition space at 1313 East Sixth Avenue. Now, just over a year after Fruition closed and four months after plans for Madeline were initially unveiled, we finally have a date for when those doors will reopen. 

On May 7, Denver diners will get their first chance to visit the new, upscale dining concept from chef Quincy Cherrett. With a resume that includes stints at such Asian powerhouses as Sushi Den and Izakaya Den, along with restaurants serving more continental fare like Colt & Gray and Cherrett’s own 22 Provisions, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Madeline menu will blend both cuisines. 

Expect early dishes to include oysters with radish and green apple mignonette, a beet carpaccio paired with Thai red curry peanut sauce and lemon goat cheese, and a crab cake served with red miso shrimp bisque. Madeline will also feature a seasonal rotation of house-made pastas, such as lamb agnolotti with spring peas, mint and morels, as well as such entrées as scallops with white miso celery root purée and jasmine tea–pickled pears. For dessert, we’re particularly intrigued by the black sesame cheesecake. 

“Madeline is really a culmination of everything that’s shaped me,” Cherrett says in the release announcing the opening date. “It comes from a deep love and respect for food, family and hospitality. This restaurant is my way of bringing it all together into something that feels uniquely my own.” 

Influencing these choices is Cherrett’s nod to his family. Not only is the restaurant named after his niece, but his sister is leading project management and marketing. Their father, a veteran hotelier, helped shape the overall vision (including art installations inspired by classic hotels). Bryan Trott of Brasserie Brixton, Alma Fonda Fina, and Cimera fame, will serve as general manager. 

While the restaurant will be new, the space it is taking over is familiar to Denver diners. Chef Alex Seidel first opened Fruition back in 2007; it thrived for eighteen years as one of Denver’s early examples of a chef-driven concept blending refined techniques and fine dining in a more casual, neighborhood setting. That legacy is something any restaurant taking over the space would have to contend with; on paper, Madeline seems like a perfect heir. 

According to the Madeline team, the idea was to retain the comfortable-yet-refined atmosphere in both the space and the menu. 

“Taking on a space as iconic as Fruition was both an honor and a responsibility,” Regular Architecture’s Kevin Nguyen says in the announcement. “We wanted this new chapter to feel unique and fresh while still incorporating elements that were already in great shape.”

Madeline is one of a string of openings we’re excited about. Fonda Maize from the Michelin-starred Alma Fonda Fina team is scheduled to open on Wednesday, May 13. Odd Rabbit, from the Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Glo Noodle House team, is opening April 30 in Boulder. And we’re anxiously awaiting official dates for the opening of Heretík from chef Theo Adley. 

Madeline is located at 1313 East Sixth Avenue and will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday beginning Thursday May 7. For more information, visit restaurantmadeline.com or follow @Madeline_dnvr on Instagram.

For more on the most anticipated openings this spring, read our roundup here.