One of the most interesting new fine dining experiences in Sarasota isn’t on Main Street, Siesta Key or St. Armands Circle. Tucked away in a shopping center at Clark and Swift roads, Masō is serving steaks and seafood with some of the best hospitality in town. 

The restaurant is hidden behind Swift Lounge, a cocktail bar. After you check in with the bar’s host, you’ll walk through the lounge to an unmarked door, speakeasy-style, that opens to an intimate dining room with just 11 tables and 32 seats. Drenched in navy from top to bottom, the space is accented by soft lighting, a natural-toned, fluted accent wall and photos of wine and vineyards on the wall.

Those photos are a nod to Masō’s wine program. Broc Smith, who co-owns
the restaurant with Jeremy Rice, hand-selects each bottle and spends a lot of time thinking about how each wine will pair with the items on Masō’s menu. To date, he’s traveled to wine regions in Spain, Portugal, Italy and California, and for the last few years has focused on Bordeaux in France. This year he went to 50 Bordeaux chateaux in four days. But, he says, “my trips are more than just wine. We’re learning all day about culinary tradition and hospitality from the world’s best while gaining amazing inspiration.”

Masō’s by-the-bottle wine list is enormous, with more than a hundred selections that are constantly changing, and a smaller by-the-glass list with varietals from Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Loire Valley and Napa. To set the tone for the evening, each guest is handed a complimentary glass of GH Mumm Brut Rosé Champagne to start the meal, paired with an amuse bouche du jour—on the night I visited, it was a one-bite skewer of salty prosciutto, sweet melon, creamy mozzarella and tangy balsamic reduction.

Mainstay starters include a “kampachi crudo” of local Almaco jack with jalapeño sauce ($20), a caramelized, sweet, spicy and savory chunk of applewood-smoked bacon called the “Calabrian Hot Honey Slab” ($25), a classic beef tartare ($24), French onion soup ($9), a briny Caesar salad topped with grated bottarga (dried fish roe, $11) and a “BLT Wedge Salad” ($15).

Masō positions itself as a steakhouse, but its menu is both steak- and seafood-focused, guided by chef Rich Demarse, who also owns Gulf Coast Crab and Seafood, a fish market in Gulf Gate and the source of Masō’s seafood. On a recent evening, specials included sea scallops with buttery leeks and creamy corn, plus sliced fatty tuna in ponzu; there’s also a rotating selection of fresh oysters. A grouper entree is encrusted with crab and herbs ($45) and paired with a sweet corn coulis (a vegetable purée) and roasted mushrooms.

Meanwhile, the four steak offerings—a 9 oz. or 6 oz. filet ($55, $45), a 14-ounce ribeye ($69), and a New York Strip “au poivre” (crusted in peppercorns, $49)—are served with à la carte side dishes like sherried mushrooms ($15), ginger-soy Brussels sprouts ($12) and a dreamy macaroni and cheese ($18). Order that mac and cheese. It’s spectacular.

The star of the entrées is the “Iberian Pork Secreto” ($59), a generous cut of pork from the same prized Spanish pigs used for jamón Iberico, a dried, cured ham similar to prosciutto. The pigs are fed a diet of acorns, which lends a nutty flavor and fatty marbling for maximum moisture. The pork is paired with an acidic romesco sauce, made from roasted red peppers, which brightens what could be a heavy dish.

As the primary meal concludes and the dessert menu arrives, ignore the “Chocolate Temptation” ($12) and order the bananas Foster bread pudding instead ($11). It’s double the bang for your buck, combining two beloved desserts, giving body and chew to the classic, caramel-forward bananas Foster. It’s divine.

In addition to Masō and Swift Lounge, Smith’s growing local restaurant empire includes Liquor Locker, Dive Wine and Spirits, and Hive. At Masō, he says, the priority is “elevated service with a fine dining feel, but friendlier and more personal. We know we’ll have so many regulars from the other businesses, and we know exactly what they want.” What will he do next? We’ll be watching.

MASŌ | 2881 Clark Road, Unit 22, Sarasota, maso.com