Pictured: Who needs flowers when you can get a bouquet of sandwiches from Little A, the lunchtime concept from the team at Adeline. Photo courtesy of Adeline.

When chef Drew Adams relocated from Washington DC to Sarasota, he brought a unique perspective to our thriving restaurant scene. He and a partner opened a restaurant called Meliora in July of 2022, serving an inventive menu that was elevated yet approachable. Earlier this year, Adams’ original partner stepped away and Adams brought new partners on board. In October, the restaurant formerly known as Meliora was rebranded as Adeline.

“We decided it was only fitting to change the name because while it was the same chef, we had new ownership, new people, new faces,” Adams explains. “We decided to call it Adeline, named after my daughter.”

At the end of September, Meliora shut down for two weeks. During that time, the restaurant space underwent some minor renovations and cosmetic improvements. When it reopened at the beginning of October, it was Adeline. Despite the new name and the new look, it still had all of the things diners loved about the old space. The menu is divided into two categories, Cold and Hot. No matter which side you order from, you’ll find creative and flavorful dishes with inspired flavors. On the cold side, you might enjoy the marinated tomatoes with creamy tzatziki, tangy feta and floral honeysuckle vinegar. On the hot side, you can’t go wrong with airy gnocchi in a sumptuous parmesan cream sauce. For a fully transcendent experience, take a friend and book seats at the chef’s counter. The food is shockingly affordable for how good it is - while Adamas has worked in Michelin star kitchens, he’s most interested in feeding people and does his best to keep prices accessible.

There is a new addition to the menu--lunch. While the dining room at Adeline is only open for dinner, Adams is now offering a lunch concept called Little A operating out of the same space, where sandwiches are available for takeout from 11am-2pm Tuesday through Saturday. Try a mortadella sandwich with tomato, mozzarella and walnut pesto or a lamb sandwich packed with flavorful additions including hummus, sofrito and pickled watermelon radish. You can even order your sandwiches online for pickup if you have a tight timeline for lunch.

“We love eating sandwiches,” Adams confesses. “I could eat a sandwich every day for the rest of my life.”

Adeline, 1920 Hillview Street, Sarasota, 941-444-7692.

Pictured: Who needs flowers when you can get a bouquet of sandwiches from Little A, the lunchtime concept from the team at Adeline. Photo courtesy of Adeline.