The Palm Restaurant came to Denver in 1996, and it's not difficult to imagine that some regular customers have enjoyed weekly, maybe even daily, power lunches there over martinis and filet mignon for the past twenty years. So when the storied steakhouse, which got its start in New York City in 1926, closed its doors for a two-month makeover, there was a certain amount of consternation among the well-fed and well-heeled. Thank heavens, then, that the Palm reopens today at 11 a.m. with a new, more spacious dining room, an expanded bar, updated decor, and a few fresh menu items to tempt guests.

The refresh gives additional space to hold 220 guests inside, plus forty more on a patio replete with a fire pit and heaters. The bar area is bigger and grander, too, with fifty seats, including six cushy booths. There are also three private dining rooms that can hold up to 120 guests for special events. A new cityscape mural by Zach Bird joins the smattering of wall caricatures, which have been refreshed by artist Paul Vismara; more will be added.

New menu items include ahi tuna tataki, maple-glazed slab bacon, a new bison burger and a New York Strip rubbed with ancho chile and espresso. Of course, there's more to the Palm than just lunch, where you can sip cocktails over business dealings from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; dinner hours run from 3 to 11 p.m. weekdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturdays and  5 to 10 p.m. Sundays. And the bar offers its "Prime Time" happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. every day but Saturday.

Keep reading for a look at the new, improved Palm.