Erin and I have had the pleasure of reviewing many fine establishments over the past year. We have walked away impressed with our dining experiences, comparing what we enjoyed and subsequently telling thousands of our closest friends to get a taste for themselves. This time, we left Meli Patisserie and Bistro and were awestruck at the fine experience we savored for several hours.

We entered Meli, walked through the hip bar and across the upstairs dining room to our table overlooking Historic Fells Point and the entire restaurant. To us, Meli had a Manhattan-style feel, but we weren’t quite sure how to put it all together. So, we asked for some help.

Kenneth Petty, General Manager at Meli, helped us grasp the look and the feel of the restaurant, which he called “formal, yet approachable.” Meli means “honey” in Greek, which explained the honeycomb pattern on the railing, the soothing colors, and the “sky scene” on the ceiling.  And, if you haven’t already guessed, the items on the menu have a touch of gourmet honey.

Meli takes a cue from European restaurants, by opening at 7am for coffee and pastries, as well as a full breakfast menu, and continues through lunch and dinner until 11pm.  At that point, they shift into dessert and drinks mode in The Minoan Room, which is a fresh alternative to the bar scene.  Judging by the ultra-cool downstairs, it’s definitely something we’d like to check out at a later date, but on this night – what we came for was dinner!

Meli’s drink menu features six martinis, two dozen wines by the glass, and an international beer selection. I went with two lagers: the Estrella Dom (Spain), and Barrons (Australia). I was pleased with both and wished I had the time, and tolerance, to try the others.

Meli has a half dozen cold and hot appetizers on the menu, and we were lucky enough to have had a varied sampling of almost half of the selections. We tried the Mixed Green Salad ($9) and the Grilled Tomato Salad ($9) from the cold side, and the Seared Diver Scallops ($12), Maryland Style Crabcakes ($13) and the Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli ($10) from the hot side.  They were all great choices, but the Grilled Tomato Salad, and the Crabcakes were stellar, and Erin and I agreed the Diver Scallops may have been the best we’ve ever had.

There was a wonderful selection of entrees from which to choose. Erin opted for the Duo of Duck ($19), and was delighted with her choice. I went for the Lavender Honey Glazed Salmon ($20), and savored every bite. Order both dishes, seriously! We have a dilemma when we make our return trip to Meli: Do we choose the same entrees because they were that good, or do we try the others because they must be as good?  I think that’s a good Catch-22 to have, right?

We were stuffed by this point, but we had to try dessert at a place that prides itself in their sweets selections.  Oh, and how sweet it was! The Meli dessert menu features a wide assortment of almost twenty selections, including Amaretto Cheesecake, White Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake, and Attiki Parfait, to name a few. The after dinner menu also features Ports, Cognacs, and Brandy, Cordials, and Café selections.

We decided on the Greek trio: Kataifi, Baklava, and Citrus Honey Cake.  Simply put: Outstanding.

Once we got home, we concurred we had enjoyed a fine dining experience, in every sense. Our waitress, Danielle, was friendly and quite knowledgeable about the menu.   The atmosphere was downright “cool,” and the food was out of this world! We even talked about our next visit, which will no doubt entail after dinner cordials and desserts in the trendy lower level. Meli is an excellent restaurant, and you would be foolish not to experience it for yourself.