Melange: Mix Master
An illuminated European hand-blown glass flower ceiling à la the Bellagio in Las Vegas, palm fronds and tropical flowers on South Beach-esque wallcoverings, European branzino with beurre blanc — Mélange brings together global flourishes and artful fusion dishes to create a vibrant fine dining destination that shakes up the Canton dining scene.
“It brings livelihood that downtown needs,” says Nick Pamboukis, CEO of Contemporary Culinary that also owns Alexander Pierce Restaurant in Akron.
The sumptuous accents start at the curb with a striking marquee with orange-and-green fluorescent lights that read, “Dine. Drink. Dance” in script and a light-up bar seasonally serving drinks streetside from a retractable glass-enclosed patio. Inside, the extravagance continues with a honeycomb wood wall, locally handcrafted walnut tables and red faux velvet and leather seating. An L-shaped bar lights up in changing hues near green velvet gold-trimmed bar stools and glass ice cube pendant lights. Even the bathrooms are memorable, with whimsical wallcoverings of Benjamin Franklin blowing bubblegum in the men’s room and queen of hearts in the women’s room.
If diners want to keep the party going, Mélange’s patron-only club, Encore Lounge, stuns with a red velvet curtain entrance, a color-changing crystal chandelier, a bar with hexagonal illuminated shelves, a cheeky neon blue script sign that says, “Trust me, you can dance - Tequila” and an LED programmable dance floor, where clientele can boogie to DJ-spun R&B and club records or attend shows.
Like the lavish decor, the food impresses.
“Mélange means to mix in French,” Pamboukis says. “From traditional things at a fine dining establishment to things at a street vendor that people love, it’s a mix of everything … the atmosphere, the menu.”
Executive chef Frank Hill’s high-end mashups include duck confit poutine with demi-glace, pork tenderloin with tableside smoke and aged cheddar grits and soy-glazed charred octopus with crisp pork belly.
To enliven a whole Maine lobster (market price), Hill brushes it with Jamaican jerk-infused butter, charred pineapple and toasted almond couscous. He elevates fair food with the Korean corn dogs ($12). Kobe beef dogs are coated in a crispy corn batter made with flour from Korea and topped with panko breadcrumbs. They sing with a drizzle of honey mustard and gochujang ketchup, which is made in-house with Korean fermented chili paste for showstopping flavor.
“Between the crunch and the sweet yet tangy fermented chili paste,” Hill says, “the combinations make your taste buds dance.”
221 Market Ave. N, Canton, melangerestaurant.com