Trendy, modern, colorful and tasteful: how Chef Attila Bicsár describes his new restaurant, The Coolinary. “We’re absolutely not fine dining,” he says. The Hungarian chef will be the mentor for Executive Chef William Goldenberg, a native New Yorker who spent the last 13 years cooking in Budapest—the two culinary masterminds crafting a menu that fuses European and American flavors. Weaving through clean eating options, many gluten-free and all GMO-, hormone-, steroid- and antibiotic-free, the dishes range from ceviche tasters to black mussels, lamb merguez sausage to farm-grilled half chicken, chilled gazpacho to Florida red snapper. “We’re writing the menu based on what we can source locally, which is a big deal for us,” says Chef Goldenberg.

The Coolinary finds its home in a space locals know well—1359 Main St., a venue that has housed everything from a seedy Irish pub to a Belgian restaurant over the years. Look above Bookstore1 and take the nondescript elevator up to the second floor where you will see none of the remnants of yesteryear. Completely gutted and remodeled, The Coolinary’s walls are paneled in reclaimed wood planks, exposed brick (both natural rust and painted white) and flowered murals, a long woodgrain bar spanning the back of the restaurant while different dining nooks separated by hip-height partitions provide atmospheres all their own. “We’re not stuffy,” says Chef Goldenberg. “We don’t want this to be so reserved and formal. It’s a place to enjoy yourself and have fun.”

With large bay windows looking over the west end of Main Street, farm-picked fruit and vegetable juice-based cocktails and a commitment to artfully plated meals that reflect the flavors held within, The Coolinary may have the power to enliven the space’s flyby history. And why “The Coolinary,” you ask? “We’re cool!” says Chef Goldenberg. “Culinary but cool.”

The Coolinary Restaurant and Bar, 1359 Main St., Sarasota, 941-312-4773.