Lilac
Tampa, USA
⭐1 Star
The Experience
From Michelin Guide
This concept from John Fraser occupies its own corner of the sleek and stylish Edition hotel. An open kitchen with glossy emerald-green tile overlooks the small dining room and delivers a contemporary prix-fixe with broad Mediterranean influences. Dinner begins with a series of bites like almond croissant with chicken liver mousse or Maine lobster feuillantine. Diver scallops arrive dramatically under a cloche filled with rosemary smoke, while braised rabbit pasta halo comes with an airy parmesan-potato cloud. Entrée highlights include Ora King salmon, Colorado lamb chop, and a particularly sumptuous Dover sole bathed in brown butter and serve with glazed vegetables. A lengthy list of cocktails and rather pricey wines are available as well.-
Unique Things
From Visitor Experiences
3 Unique / Unconventional Things About Lilac, Tampa
1. Mediterranean Cuisine Infused with Greek, Turkish, and French Influences
Lilac’s menu is a distinctive blend inspired by Chef John Fraser’s Greek heritage and his admiration for Turkish and French cuisines. This fusion is explored through fresh Floridian ingredients, creating a vegetable-forward, seasonal, and locally sourced Mediterranean dining experience that stands out in Tampa’s culinary scene.
2. Intimate Dining Space Featuring an Eight-Seat Christian Liaigre Chef’s Counter
The restaurant’s design includes a unique open kitchen concept centered around an eight-seat chef’s counter made of sandblasted walnut by Christian Liaigre. This setup fosters an intimate and convivial atmosphere where diners can engage closely with the chefs and the cooking process, enhancing the overall dining experience.
3. Dramatic Presentation and Sophisticated Prix-Fixe Menu with No À La Carte Options
Lilac offers a refined four-course prix-fixe menu priced at $150 per person, with optional wine pairings. The menu features dramatic presentations such as diver scallops served under a cloche filled with rosemary smoke and luxurious dishes like Maine lobster feuillantine and Dover sole in brown butter. The hors d’oeuvres course is pre-set for all diners, emphasizing a curated and cohesive tasting journey without à la carte choices.
Ingredient Stars
From Visitor Experiences
The most honored or signature ingredients at Lilac, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Tampa, reflect Chef John Fraser's Mediterranean culinary style with a focus on fresh, local, and seasonal Floridian produce. Key ingredients include:
- Locally sourced Grouper: Featured in a signature dish cooked in a cataplana, a traditional Portuguese copper cookware, highlighting fresh seafood with Mediterranean technique.
- Short Rib: Prepared on a rotisserie, showcasing a rich, slow-cooked meat dish that balances robust flavors with Mediterranean influences.
- Herbed Pasta: Served with a soft egg and sherry-braised chanterelle mushrooms, emphasizing seasonal vegetables and fungi with a delicate, umami-rich profile.
- Fresh, seasonal vegetables: Central to the restaurant’s vegetable-forward philosophy, reflecting the Mediterranean diet's emphasis on plant-based ingredients.
- Mediterranean herbs and spices: Used throughout the menu to evoke the flavors of Chef Fraser’s Greek heritage and Turkish culinary admiration, providing aromatic and balanced seasoning.
These ingredients are significant as they embody the restaurant’s ethos of blending Mediterranean culinary traditions with fresh Floridian elements, resulting in dishes that are both vibrant and rooted in regional terroir.