Dinner at this Dunedin restaurant is still a thrill, and surprisingly affordable

DUNEDIN — Too often, I stay away from a restaurant for way too long.

This is somewhat of an occupational hazard, an inescapable part of Life as a Restaurant Critic (along with the occasional bout of food poisoning and a social calendar that makes my head spin). With the mind-boggling volume of restaurants in the Tampa Bay area right now, and more to come, getting back to the spots that caught my attention years ago can take a while.

The most recent example of this feels particularly egregious, if only because the restaurant in question has always held a special place in my heart. As soon as I sat down for a meal, I wondered what could have possibly kept me away for so long.

The Restorative is a small, charming eatery tucked into a tiny strip mall space off Patricia Avenue in Dunedin. Chefs and owners Jason and Erin “Cricket” Borajkiewicz opened the spot in 2017 and, though it has undergone some cosmetic renovations over the years (including a full interior revamp in 2021), the attention to detail and creative New American fare hasn’t wavered much.

Since its inception, the kitchen has maintained a short, impressive menu that’s ever-evolving, sometimes changing several times a week. That means diners could find themselves staring down a plate of duck confit with white bean ragu one week, or bucatini with a bacon bolognese the next, but not necessarily the same dish more than twice.

On the evening I dined here, we started dinner in familiar territory: warm, puffy rounds of the restaurant’s hallmark naan bread ($6), served with a creamy herbed butter. This I remembered well. The bread was complimented by a selection of small shared plates: We opted for a velvety salmon tartare topped with punchy salsa verde ($8) and a creamy round of burrata paired with blistered shishito peppers ($7).

Then, it was off to a new and exciting lineup of dishes: black cod rillettes ($15) tucked next to a jammy egg in a buttermilk and dill sauce, which came paired with toast. The warm Scallop Imperial ($19) featured thick slices of creamy, baked scallops tucked beneath a garnish of caviar, crunchy cucumber and green apple.

The soft, pillowy ricotta gnudi ($16) was a showstopper, served with a Calabrian chile pesto, which packed a subtle heat. It was topped with a tiny mountain of fried basil, chives and garlic breadcrumbs. We couldn’t get enough.

Our party of three could have left satisfied at that point, but we went one step further and split a generous wagyu sirloin ($49), which arrived sidling a buttery corn and mushroom tart (my favorite part of the dish) and a pool of dark, rich garlic jus.

For dessert, though there was hardly any room left at that point, the goat cheese panna cotta ($10) was a surprisingly light and delightful cap to the evening, topped with a subtly sweet beet and berry compote and a shower of pistachios — the kind of ever-so-savory dessert that’s right up my alley.

What stood out most on this recent trip wasn’t the caliber or quality of our food, though that certainly made an impression. It was the prices, which felt incredibly competitive given today’s over-the-top expensive market, and that was a welcome surprise. We dined there on a Wednesday, when bottles of wine were half-off, so that didn’t hurt either.

I left the restaurant feeling the familiar warmth of revisiting an old favorite and finding that, while some things have changed, so much has remained the same. Sometimes, that’s a very good thing.

The Restorative is at 420 Patricia Ave., Dunedin. Reservations can be made at restorativerestaurant.com.