Meliora

It’s a Tuesday night in Sarasota and the ubiquitous summer rain is bucketing down relentlessly but the guests streaming into the restaurant at 1920 Hillview Street are undeterred. There’s an undeniable kinetic energy in this space and we’re all feeling it. At one point the power goes out and there’s barely a whisper of dissatisfaction before the generator kicks in—service doesn’t skip a beat, neither does consumption.

Welcome to Meliora, the genre-defying newcomer that’s taken Sarasota’s dining scene by storm (pun kinda intended). Thanks to a combustible combination of talent, precision, and flair, this place is a word-of-mouth wildfire. I could point to the Alice in Wonderland inventiveness of the cocktail program; the Secret Garden mystery of the Chef’s Table tucked in the back; or the Wizard of Oz rainbow of graffiti paint that adorns the bathroom hallway. I could wax poetic (and I will) about the Japanese Milk Bread, the Raw Scallop, or the Sungold Tomato Sorbet. To my mind, about a million details make Meliora the kind of restaurant that one could happily visit three or four times a week. I should know; I’ve done it.

In this case there’s one salient detail that eclipses the others: the team. The subtle alchemy that results in the transformative magic of a successful restaurant, much like that of a successful TV show, movie, or band, boils down to casting.

The General Manager/Owner – Bruce Pike

“General” manager scarcely seems an apt job description when the person performing the job is the wildly charismatic Bruce Pike. Bruce radiates warmth and his enthusiasm is catchier than a ’90s pop song. I met Bruce multiple times before Meliora opened because both Bruce and Chef/Owner Drew Adams believe in community. They didn’t open a restaurant in Sarasota and move their families here from DC so that they could hide in their houses and merely collect their paychecks. The restaurant community back in DC is as tight-knit as it is competitive. Bruce and Drew hope to foster that same sense of collaboration and friendly competition in their new home. “Rising tides raise all ships.” They’re both passionate about local art, local restaurants and bars, and local talent. When Meliora was being renovated for opening Bruce made it a point to visit the other bars and restaurants in Southside Village to introduce himself and forge connections. In any conversation with Bruce, you’re bound to hear a recommendation about something or someone local that he’s discovered. When you visit Meliora you get the sense that Bruce genuinely appreciates you—and that’s because he does. “I especially like it when people come in from other restaurants or bars. They’ve chosen to spend their day off with us, and that’s special.”

The Chef/Owner – Drew Adams

Chef Drew Adams has an intensity that can be intimidating until you recognize it for what is: passion, focus, and depth. These three qualities are expressed in every dish that leaves the kitchen at Meliora. If you have yet to visit Meliora I have one important tip: Take the tour. If you have been to Meliora and you’ve only had a drink at the bar or eaten at one of the tables in the main dining room, then hurry back and take the tour. The back room at Meliora houses some truly enchanting surprises such as the open kitchen, the Chef’s Table, and the the dry-aged fish fridge. The latter is something that I’ve never seen before but it’s a sight to behold and it’s also the wave of the future (albeit a centuries-old Japanese technique). Dry-aging fish keeps it fresher longer and it also concentrates the flavor. Book a seat at the Chef’s Table and you’re in for a treat. The kitchen team functions so compatibly that it’s a joy to behold, as are the dishes coming out of the kitchen—each one more photogenic than the last. The showstopper, on a menu of standouts, has to be the Raw Scallop. Chef Drew is constantly refining this dish but that’s a case of improving on perfection. The dish is presented in a kind of fishbowl with delicate raw scallops nestled in the bottom with fresh herbs and edible flowers. The dish is finished tableside with a warm scallop cream and basil oil and often it’s Chef Drew himself that does the pouring. I’ve never tasted anything quite like this, but it has ruined me for other scallop dishes. Chef Drew doesn’t pull any punches, with flavor profiles or with people. He’s not trying to impress anyone—he’s worked at more Michelin-starred restaurants than most people have been to—but he’s more interested in being a mentor than a celebrity, and he’s more interested in treating his restaurant as a dinner party at his house than a VIP club.

The Beverage Director – Topher Nalefski

Topher Nalefski, formerly of State Street and Crescent Club, didn’t know what to expect when a friend offered to introduce him to some “cool people from DC.” What he discovered when he met Bruce and Drew was the path to his next adventure. “We were talking about the industry and about the importance of pairing the bar program with the food menu,” he says. Not necessarily matching the cocktails or the wine directly to the dishes but rather “marrying all the elements together to present a cohesive story.” Bruce and Drew offered Topher the job as beverage director at their new restaurant with only one directive: Whenever possible, make sure that any bottle of wine can be sold by the glass (enter the Coravin, a system that taps wine bottles without removing the cork). As a sommelier, Topher relishes composing the wine list. “I want it to be unique but not too esoteric. Let’s call it ‘accessible adjacent.’” Topher and Drew meet regularly to discuss ingredients, styles, and what’s coming up on the menu. Topher has designed the cocktail menu to feature fun ingredients, to be food-friendly, and to be Insta-worthy. He also loves to sneak references to Washington, DC, and Maryland into the drinks with the intention of delighting Bruce and Drew. The Merriweather is a perfect example of Topher’s approach to the whole bar program. Marjorie Merriweather Post was a famous businesswoman, philanthropist, and DC socialite and Merriweather Post Pavilion is an outdoor concert venue in Maryland. “This is our take on a Cosmopolitan. It’s gin-based and we use Green Hat Gin, which is a gin out of DC. Then it’s French grapefruit liqueur, rosewater, lemon juice, and Thai basil. Shaken, strained, and then a dash of sparkling rosé. The drink is topped with an aromatic bubble which bursts at the table, adding drama to the presentation and a scent to the cocktail. At the moment it’s Rosemary and Smoke.” If you haven’t seen a picture of this cocktail in your social media feed, chances are you’re not living in Sarasota. Carrie Bradshaw would have major FOMO.

The hiring process at Meliora is a simple 60/40 equation: 60% personality and 40% resume. I’ve always been better with words than with numbers, but I can recognize a winning equation when I see one. According to their website, the word meliora is “a Latin adjective meaning ‘better’… Or, more fully, ‘for the pursuit of the better.’” The team at Meliora is fully in pursuit of the better and I can’t help but feel that Sarasota is all the better for it.

> Meliora Restaurant: 1920 Hillview St, Sarasota; 941-444-7692; MelioraRestaurant.com