Creative Loafing Sarasota

It took almost a year for MoZaic to open, and honestly, I kind of thought this new Main Street restaurant was dead in the water. Cru had been stuttering along during it's final year in the same space, when owner John Anderson hooked up with chef/owner Dylan Elhajoui to rebrand the space with a new look and new food. The colorful sign went up, but the doors stayed closed. For a long, long time.

It could have been construction issues -- they did have to remove a stairwell. It could have been permitting or zoning troubles -- this is Sarasota, after all. Or maybe it just took Elhajoui and Anderson that long to get everything just right.

After the exceptional meal I had at MoZaic on my first visit, I'm inclined to believe the last explanation.

Elhajoui is from Morocco, which is apparent from my first glance at MoZaic's menu. Cardoons and couscous, preserved lemon and raisins. But he also dips into cuisines on the other side of the Mediterranean, with Provençal flavors, Italian ingredients and techniques that mesh seamlessly with the African foundation. The result? Dishes that break free of Sarasota's cookie-cutter fine-dining scene.

And that starts at the beginning, with MoZaic's soup course. The tomato soup ($5) is a golden yellow laced with specks of deep green chive oil, but in the mouth it's even brighter. Tart and ripe tomato flavor mingle with subtle hints of lemon thyme and chive, with the merest touch of fat to tie it together.

A soup special -- asparagus with mint ($4) -- is even better. Although cut with cream, the soup is brothy, almost airily light. In that simple, pale liquid is the essence of asparagus, with the mint providing a hint of bitter herb to accent the green richness of the veggie.

Appetizers are largely simpler fare, where Elhajoui's tendency for homey fine-dining comfort food first comes to the fore. Quail ($14) is split, flattened and sauteed, with a mélange of mushrooms, grapes and red peppers accented by more thyme. There's a platter ($9) of truffled foie gras mousse, sections of spiced merguez sausage and a big hunk of herbed goat cheese; bowls of tender escargots ($9) in a delicate sauce of champagne and shallots; and a plate of ravioli ($8) stuffed with wild mushrooms.

Sure, maybe it's not the kind of comfort food you serve at your house, but here at MoZaic this refined fare has a decidedly down-to-earth vibe thanks to plentiful vegetables and rustic herbs.

That vibe continues on some of the entrees, like braised veal shank ($28) served in a traditional clay tagine. Think pot roast -- albeit better pot roast than you'll likely ever make -- with exceptionally tender meat, hunks of potato and carrot, and sections of succulent cardoons. The sauce is utterly simple, largely just the natural juices of the braise, and the only surprise seasoning comes from occasional blasts of tart preserved lemon.

Elhajoui's couscous ($18) is also served in a tagine and has a similar feel. Sweet raisins, tender veggies, more cardoons and a sauce redolent of cardamom and sweet spices makes for some hearty winter eating. Homey, but it takes a talented hand to construct comfort food with an almost ideal balance of flavors.

Of course, Elhajoui can ramp up to classic restaurant elegance when it's called for. Sea bass ($30) is absolutely perfect, the two filets heavily salted and served with the crisp, unctuous skin still attached and the flesh absolutely dripping with sea bass's natural, buttery oils. Duck breast ($26) -- the red meat of the poultry world -- is coated in anise, the heady licorice flavor cutting through the rich meat. A crab flan is ethereal and simple, just a bit of egg and cream to accent the sweet shellfish.

My new litmus test for truly exceptional chefs has lately become the dessert course. If they are willing to take risks and stretch beyond the humdrum usual suspects served at most fine-dining spots, and do it well, they deserve immense credit. Elhajoui makes the grade.

Lavender panna cotta ($8) sits in an apricot soup based on sparkling Moscato d'Asti, with a dollop of beautiful green apple sorbet on top. There's crème brulee, but it's flavored with tarragon and amaretto and precariously balanced at the apex of a strawberry and almond pastry tower ($10). Elhajoui makes sabayon with sherry, semifreddo with Gianduja (a chocolate made with hazelnuts) and sorbet with Pernod. Interesting, but also damn tasty.

Great food isn't the only draw at MoZaic. Service here definitely aspires to more rarefied heights than most fancy restaurants, and the staff is trained well. Tables are left empty, then set just before the food arrives, then reset with every course by the attentive servers.

Wine is the real icing on the cake. Maitre d'hotel and sommelier Ken Kuiken comes from the wine business, and it shows in an extensive list of 200 or so well-chosen and nicely priced bottles, and a big by-the-glass selection. If you can't find what you like in the glass pours, or just want to experiment, MoZaic will crack any bottle they have for you as long as you buy at least two glasses, each costing you just a quarter of the bottle price. You won't find that deal listed on the menu, but just ask.

So, the food is fantastic, the wine program is innovative, the service is spot-on and the décor (did I mention that?) is as elegant and comforting as the food. Looks like MoZaic is downtown Sarasota's new must-go spot for fine-dining.