BY CARLA WALDEMAR
Lela
5601 W. 78th St., Bloomington
952-656-5980
lelarestaurant.com
Remember Chez Colette at the Hotel Sofitel? Well, both are ancient history in the hospitality industry archives. And French food is so yesterday (as I weep). The hotel at Hwys. 100 and 494 is now a Sheraton, and Collette—with an extensive and expensive facelift—is now Lela: a made-up name for the Italianate cuisine that seems essential in a modern dining venture. (Are we over-Roma’d yet? Consider the recent openings of Il Foro, replacing the former Forum in downtown Minneapolis; Monello, now in downtown’s posh Ivy Hotel; and soon, Parella in the onetime-Figlio spot in Calhoun Square. Oh, and Pizzeria Uno is migrating from Chicago three blocks south.)
Anyway: The room’s a looker, with clean, modern lines and lots of windows. The menu leads off with nine appetizers ($8-15), including lobster deviled eggs, wherein sweet bits of that primo crustacean rest atop the upright egg, joined by nibbles of pancetta and a tarragon aioli. Yum, I must admit. The fried oysters—tiny representatives of the breed—are overwhelmed with saffron fennel jam and an otherwise-lovely Meyer lemon aioli, overwhelming their briny sex appeal. And the meatball as an app? It’s literally the size of a tennis ball; what’s the point? The veal/pork mix tastes fine, it’s true—just like mom’s meatloaf, sauced with a tomato-garlic confit where she would have poured the ketchup. But is this a wise starter? Think about it …
Next up is a list called crudos (crudi, if they were actually going the Italian route, but hey), hitting the trend-du-moment with raw seafood ($12-17) such as our yellowfin tuna, sweet and satin-textured, with a lot else (too much?) going on: unagi sauce, radish, avocado miso aioli and Maldon sea salt. Next, Peruvian ceviche nicely garnished with lime, cilantro, habanero, radish and plantain. We also enjoyed the raw diver scallops, served well by their embellishments of sweet orange, salty olives, opal basil and spicy chorizo (lose the pine nuts).
Of course there are pastas ($14-18). Hunky, house-made garganelli noodles arrive sauced richly with braised boar and radicchio (and savory hazelnuts, which fade in the competing flavors). The Silverqueen corn ravioli are plump pasta pockets filled with that Minnesota corn. They’re partnered with ricotta salata for oomph and salt, pea shoots for a hint of texture and green vibe, and smoked cream to dress the outfit. Best: the truffle-scented gnocchi—luscious, perfectly executed potato pillows hosting lobster, asparagus, creamy mascarpone cheese and the subtle zing of lobster roe. This is the dish for which I’d return again and again.
Still hungry? The menu continues with steaks of all ilk ($29 for the 8-ounce strip loin to $90 for the 36-ounce cowboy ribeye, which presumably feeds the whole ranch). Add sides ($7 each) like pommes frites (shades of Colette) and various appealing steakhouse (got that trend covered, too) veggies.
We didn’t save room for dessert. All the standard bases are covered, though: lemon tart, kahlua-chocolate torte, cheesecake, ice cream, cheese—and an olive-oil cake with rum-infused pineapple and orange, a potential winner.
