méLange

Interesting combinations. I had the lamb shank with and artichoke heart spanakopita, the quail stuffed with mushrooms, rabbit tacos and duck crepes. They were all tasty. Fresh. I will say that the waitress didn’t write down our order and had to come back and ask three times which things we wanted. That’s the minus one star. Drinks were good. I would go back

This was another «couple apps and go home» place. Our server was very very friendly. You could tell everyone there was very «team work» oriented too. The rabbit curry tacos were our favorite. The ginger blue crab soup was great too!

Decent food, excellent Sazarac, fairly nice ambiance. But wow — we ordered drinks immediately after arriving (on a Sunday evening), and the first of three drinks arrived after 25 minutes, the second of three came after 35 minutes, and the third appeared *45* minutes after we ordered. 45 minutes is a really long time to wait for a drink at a small establishment like this! And we couldn’t even toast together, since the first drink arrived 20 minutes before the third. We’re not the sort that makes a big deal of frustrating service, but this was something beyond what we’ve ever experienced before. Had they been more apologetic, or comped something, or explained what was going (at least, before we showed signs of frustration), the experience wouldn’t have been so sour. We were disappointed in the oblivious attitude of the multitude of servers, especially since it wasn’t terribly crowded in the first place. Sadly, the situation took the fun out of the dining experience. Also, the odor in the front of the restaurant (very slightly) and at the back by the bathrooms (very strongly) was sulfuric/​sewer-​ish. :-/

Items Selected:
Breakfast Foie Gras — Seared Foie Gras, French Toast, Coffee Syrup, Orange Jam
Crispy Duck Spring Rolls — Chinese 5 Spice, Apricot Sauce
Dessert Foie Gras — Foie Gras Crème Brulee, Rose Wine Sorbet, Chocolate Crisps
Duck Brie Crepes — Shredded Duck, Brie, Currants, Almonds, Brandy Cream Sauce
Bread Pudding — Milk Chocolate, Toasted Walnuts, Butterscotch Crème Anglaise
Owned by Lan Bradeen and likely the most avant-​garde kitchen in the city of Sarasota, it was for Tuesday dinner that a table for two was booked at MeLange on Main Street, the reservation proving mostly unnecessary as this was the only table inhabited from opening until nearly eight o’clock in the evening, that fact alone potentially a commentary on how the «exploration of food, art & drink» is doing.
Described as «eclectic» and «casually elegant» by locals, the food certainly not the sort found amidst the septuagenarian Early-​Bird sprawl, a look at reviews dating to 2009 will show that Chef Bradeen’s concept has undoubtedly evolved from previous eponymous environs and although the menu implements modernist techniques and several interesting ingredients the execution still seems to be a work in progress, the music at times downright annoying while bored servers lack any semblance of «fine dining» education — the younger African American lady audibly heard discussing her drunken weekend escapades while her taller, presumable «boss» could not even do diners the service of describing the constituents of each plate.
The sort of place that politely «declines substitutions,» but immediately goes back on its word when two middle-​aged folk walk in at 7:45 requesting a «regular» grilled cheese and salad with dressing on the side, MeLange’s Spring menu nonetheless aspires to achieve bigger things by listing local farmers and opting to comprise an order with three «petite explorations» plus a «snack» and dessert the items served actually speak to Chefs operating with good product and an ample skill set.
Not seeing Chef Lan on site, a Sous intermittently witnessed at work in the open kitchen, the water at MeLange is much like that throughout East Florida in that lemon is necessary to make the hardness palatable and beginning with a duo of «Breakfast» Foie Gras plus Crispy Duck Spring Rolls the kitchen’s predilection for sweetness was notable as both heavy meats sang with citrus, the seared liver well cleaned and rendered to caramelization while the shredded duck was complimented instead of overwhelmed by 5-​Spice.
Passing on Sweetbreads and large plates in order to explore a wider range of items, course two again served fowl in double, the «Dessert» Foie Gras actually far less sugary than the one before it as a chilled pudding in an oversized soup spoon while the «Duck Brie Crepes» were a picture-​perfect pairing of heavy flavors with just enough levity lent by nuts and dried currants.
Admittedly a bit full, a long day with four prior stops already past, desserts at MeLange follow the Asian-​fusion idea not particularly congruent with the bizarre modern artwork, $ 9 Bread Pudding served as a slightly-​dry cylinder with too much bitterness from the toasted walnuts and not enough Butterscotch.

Best food in Sarasota ! Nice atmosphere, low key music, friendly staff ! Awesome drinks !
Will definitely recommend to a friend !
Had to come back the next day and try other dishes. Impossible to choose, really wanted to order everything on a menu !!!
Amazing food, amazing drinks!!!
God bless the chef and the bartender !!!
Loved it, loved it, loved it !!!

you dont know me I dont know you… just go here and if you dont like it so what worst case your out a little bit of $ and time… That will not happen though.

I’ve eaten here a handful of times and sorry to say, all in all not entirely impressed. The food is, decent, but really nothing I can gush about. My good friend adores this restaurant — so maybe it’s just different tastes… service is fine; I’ve gone for dinner and during late night hours. 3 stars for being opened late! Very hard to find decent food after 10pm. The drinks are innovative & tasty. Next trip I will try the duck crepes, I’m told are their specialty!

Truly not the place for regular eats-​not sure where the raving reviews are coming from but our server did say the place is more for late night & service folk… fabulous, it appears that millenials will be thrilled with this place, but visiting Gen X’ers & their parents… will be left a bit hungry… when mushroom pasta or bone-​ridden trout is your only vegetarian option… that wont work-​crab soup was tasty, and I saw at least 6 of the only 11 patrons in the restaurant order the one normal food… a burger-​was it the worst place? No… but was it the place I would try again in a top 200 restaurant hop of Sarasota… NO, SORRY — service was good & as accomodating as could be-​very, very limited menu, I can’t see pork-​rind nachos makin it mainstream any time soon… good luck.

meLange is a cool place. There food is very good. Service is good. It’s ideally located in beautiful downtown Sarasota. We love sitting outside. We really enjoy the menu, the creative drinks and dishes. Another good meal there.

Wow! Turn in here for fire tapas! We skipped our hour long wait elsewhere and got seated immediately… I must admit I was concerned at the rather empty restaurant… But 4.5 on Unilocal is never wrong! Turns out they have been open 9 years and have perfected their craft! Small plates, big plates massive flavors this is a huge winner in my book! We had duck crepes with insane sherry and Brie sauce ¹⁰⁄₁₀. Tuna tartare with avo… ⁹⁄₁₀. House salads 8.5÷10. Salmon 8.5÷10. Short ribs 9.5÷10. Lamb shank 9.5÷10 burger 9.5÷10. This will become a new tradition. Thanks to the friendly staff!

I have visited mélange quite a few times before they closed for renovation. We came back because many menu items are interesting and unique to this location, and you can see Lan’s culinary prowess at work. However, service at this and their bar next door has always been hit or miss. A manager is often the only person serving the whole restaurant, and it is clear there is consistently disorganization and confusion. I look forward to seeing the updated location and hope that with the reopening, mélange focuses on improving front of house to really showcase the food.
Lan gets two stars for a dynamic, outside the box menu, but loses three in service.

This is our long time favorite restaurant in Sarasota. Always inventive, always delicious. They’ve been doing craft cocktails since before Sarasota knew what a craft cocktail was and they are experts in glorious, beautiful food and fun, exquisite libations. Just go. Also, they are the only classy late night game in town.

I don’t like to go out solely to eat in a different room, I like to use it as an opportunity to explore new foods, new cuisines, and hopefully learn a little about the area by doing so. To that end, méLange convinced me that Sarasota has some pretty interesting things to offer diners. Started with some bourbon concoction that had a giant maple-​infused ice cube, it was far too sweet and didn’t quite deliver the classiness that it hoped. That was the only blunder the restaurant made all night, as every single item we ordered thereafter was absolutely delicious. I’ll do my best to recount what happened, it was kind of a blur.
We had house salads, soup, and a couple different apps. The salads had some nice crunch to the greens, tangy berries, house-​made dressings and great sharp cheese. The crab ginger soup was better than what you usually get with shellfish bisque type soups, this one wasn’t a bowl of thick milk — it was well and heavily seasoned with chunky pieces of real crab (they weren’t shy about the ginger either, a plus for me). Our two apps were both insane, veal sweetbreads with the perfect crust of flour that was crispy but not greasy, subtle seasoning and a fruity sauce, the delicate meat inside was springy and juicy. I had no idea crab rangoons could be done so impressively, large shells of hearty dough with (again) legit pieces of crab, and a guava habañero sauce that I was ready to drink on its own.
My entrée was beef short ribs with parsnip potato mash and some kind of spinach side. The skin and fat of the ribs had a peppery, crackling crust, and the meat separated easily from the bone without falling apart. There wasn’t much seasoning, which was probably intentional since the meat tastes amazing on its own. The parsnip potato purée was buttery and smooth, but again this place wasn’t afraid to be bold with the seasoning. There was some kind of Asian BBQ sauce that had a tangy acidity that was awesome with the potatoes.
I also had my first taste of Kronan, a Swedish liqueur that I’ve been searching for ever since having it here. There may have been a dessert, I think someone had some amazing bone marrow too… I’ve been writing long enough. Everything here is great. We ate outside, nothing sticks out to me about the service or the atmosphere, which I think is because the food was so good that I didn’t care. Definitely going back, multiple times.

A true gem in Sarasota’s Main Street area. It is rare to find a place that serves late dinning and is cool, yummy and open till 2am. Best to order different dishes to complete portions and variety. Boyfriend and I had the lamb shank, clam chowder, the trout, bone narrow plus deserts: bread pudding & chocolate cake. All delicious and our server Brian, excellent. A+++

We ate here last night. Having arrived on a 11:30 pm flight, we checked into the HyattRegency a minute after midnight, and fortunately for us the kitchen was closed, because we found this restaurant with an amazing menu. The rabbit tacos, crab soup, tuna tatar, fried duck spring rolls, and duck crepes were astonishing.
I always love seared fois gras, but now I can’t say that anymore. It tasted more like chicken liver. It was the one big let down of the dinner. We had them bring the food out as it became ready, and the fois gras was last, which was probably a mistake. It may have tasted better if served first… or it may have ruined the rest of the meal.
Nonetheless, ahough this one letdown might otherwise have dropped my rating to 4 stars, the fact that such a high quality meal is available after 1am in the morning is amazing!

My boyfriend and I were visiting Sarastoa to have a mini reunion with some Ringling friends and I realized I hadn’t been in town so long that some of my old go-​to restaurants had closed. I was asking a local buddy what he suggested and he and his girlfriend both agreed that this spot was the place to go.
So we checked it out and I would have to agree. Our drinks were delicious. I got a chai (vodka I believe?) drink and it was like dessert. We got the rabbit tacos, deviled eggs, and venison and everything was on point. The service was slightly average and a bit slow especially since there was hardly anyone in the restaurant, but I didn’t mind because I thought the food (which is why you come to a restaurant anyway) was so good. I’d for sure come back!

Overpriced food and drinks, and horrible service.
We initially went to Pangaea for drinks, but they couldn’t accommodate a party of 10 so we went over to mélange, which is their sister restaurant.
We really just came for drinks, but ended up ordering a few appetizers.
The service was beyond awful.
We were the only people in the entire restaurant and had 2 servers, both of which were incompetent. Our food and drink orders came out in completely random orders. One of our party got his drink after everyone had finished all their food. Our waiter (I believe his name was BJ) spilled an entire drink on the table and over 2 of our food dishes. We assumed he would replace the food because it was soaked in alcohol, but we actually had to wave him down and ask to have it replaced. Absurd.
He never came to check on the table or refill our drinks, he got our food orders wrong and his general attitude was incredibly abrasive and rude, probably because they automatically add gratuity to parties of 5 or more, so he knew he didn’t have to care at all and he would still get tipped.
The food overall was pretty good really, but at 10 $+ per plate it wasn’t worth the money (or the portions). The service was some of the worst I had ever experienced.
I will never be back.

I copied my review from before below but wanted to add updates since we’ve been back to mélange several times since I wrote the first review. The restaurant continues to impress us each time we go in and each time we order something new. I always bring my friends visiting from out of town down to try a bunch of the small plates and they all agree that the attention to detail, fresh ingredients, and well thought out yet exotic flavors make this place a winner. I want to try their wiskey pairing menu next which is a special event we heard they run sometimes and got great reviews. We will keep going back here as it’s one of the top 2 restaurants (if not the best) in sarasota for sure.
Old review:
Quite possibly the most sophisticated restaurant in all of Southeast florida, mélange serves tapas style dishes that combine fantastic and ambitious ingredients.
The restaurant has a hip flare and the wait staff is always very accomodating. Best part is they are open late, so you can finally have a fantastic dinner in sarasota when everything else closes at 10 the latest. It is certainly geared to the urban sophisticated crowd and I’m thankful this owner brought mélange to sarasota where you would not expect such a foodie experience.
the dishes are small so you are able to try a variety of flavors. Each dish we eat when we visit competes for our favorite, however the pork steam buns, melted brie, pork belly, rabbit tacos, bone marrow, and foie gras are stand out stars.
Definitely suited for a romantic date night, the fantastic cocktails are worth a trip here in itself. Honestly, you won’t find better mixologists from Brooklyn/​NYC, to London, or even california as compared to here, the drinks are truly first rate. It has the most expansive bitter list I have seen. This place is a gem in sarasota.

Small plates and tapas? Of course, I had to check it out!
I on on a fence on this one, however.
On one hand, décor is a bit too mainstream. But the bar is rather nicely set, and very comfortable to hang out at.
Food, same sentiment — on a fence. Some disappointments, but I hit jackpot when I finally got to roasted bone marrow — it was simply delicious!
Drinks are well made — every cocktail on menu is a hit. Their bartenders surely know what they doing. Loved presentation of the drinks — with little torch to char citrus rind in my glass.
Service is on point, and waitstaff is extremely nice.
My verdict — I would most definitely come back for drinks and may be a bite or two, I am not sure about food just yet. I certainly will give them another try, tho.

Ended up here because of some great reviews on Unilocal,but left disappointed. The food was just missing something. My husband and I shared multiple different yikes and I can’t really rave about any of them. The sticky pork buns were definitely my favorite. We were the only people in the restaurant for about 75% of the time. I will say, we got there when it opened, so that may have been one of the reasons. However, when we left at 7:15, there was only one other table with guests.
The service was great — our server was very personable and knew the menu well.
The experience wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great either. I’ll be trying something else next time I’m in Sarasota.