The Hound opens at 575 St. Paul Street in Cherry Creek North today, taking the place of the Irish Hound, a more casual pub. While the ownership remains the same, just about everything else about the space has changed. The Hound is designed as a neighborhood restaurant, a place where people can take the kids, go out for a casual date night or grab drinks with friends. Or a drink on the deck on a warm November day; the remodel includes the addition of floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open up the patio when the weather is nice.

Little Pub Company, which owns two dozen bars and restaurants in metro Denver, is responsible for the turnaround; the Hound is the first of several of its properties that the company plans to turn into neighborhood restaurants. Spearheading the switch is Cecelia Jones, operations director, and Dakota Coburn, culinary director.

Menu offerings range from burgers to salmon to a variety of fresh salads; the roster also includes Korean fried chicken and a grilled-cauliflower dish that pairs the lightly charred vegetable with mint salsa verde and curry honey.
Once the Hound is up and running efficiently, both Jones and Coburn will move on to help with the next Little Pub transformation; in the meantime, Jones has the GM role while Coburn is executive chef.

The Hound is now open from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. The restaurant plans to open for lunch starting January 9.