Ella, Ella, Ella, Eh, Eh, Eh . . . .
I can’t help it. Blame Rhianna. But I can’t even think about Ella, the new K Street restaurant from the brilliant minds that brought us The Kitchen, without humming a bar or two from the song. None of that, however, diminishes from the restaurant a bit. I didn’t take nearly enough photos of the decor (or the food for that matter), but I could have. The interior design can best be described as what happens if a Pottery Barn catalogue and MOMA mated and had a little baby restaurant as a result. Some white, glass, crystal, and gray here; large, staked kitchen tables there. Oh, and don’t forget to look up when you’re at the bar. My friend said those things up there are “Hungarian shutters.” They’re shutters alright - but I haven’t followed up on their origin.
Ella is wide, flowy, and welcoming, with a mix of traditional 2 and 4 top tables (the 2 top being a bit 2 small if you’re trying to share their small plate selections) and longer, solidly built, nicely adorned kitchen tables - closer in style to what you’d find at the Hurley Way location. Also similar to Ella’s big culinary brother - available kitchen-side tables for the epicurious among you (check out the photo on the website, linked above.
A friend and I met there for lunch yesterday. A quick scan of the dining room indicated it is, as you might have guessed, the new “see and be seen” in town (refugees from Spataro looking for finer fare, no doubt). I counted at least 2 electeds and former electeds and several lobbyist types, as well as other legislative staff and regular K and L Street types.
The lunch menu is varied and interesting. You’ll drop more than your average lunch dime, but at least you can be assured of the quality and the service. The menu is comprised mainly of that trendiest trend, small plates. These items, a bit too small to fill up one person, a bit too pricey to order too many of, work well for pairs or groups. You can mix and match from their small plate, salad, and pasta selections to get a taste of everything, or opt for a sandwich if you missed the sharing lesson in grade school. The wait staff is friendly and helpful: they’ll course everything appropriately based on how things should progress, so you don’t blow your taste buds out too early in the meal.
My friend and I shared some truly tasty meatballs and potato gnocchi from the small plate menu, followed by the braised short rip (also a small plate) and the pappardelle pasta, served with poached egg, crispy prosciutto in a lemon butter sauce. My highest praise goes to those meatballs - they practically melted in my mouth and the roasted tomato sauce in which they sat was mild and flavorful, where it could’ve easily overpowered the meat’s texture and flavor and that of the ricotta cheese as well. Let’s hear it for sauces that compliment, rather than obscure, fine dishes!
The gnocchi was light and delicate - perhaps a bit too much so, but the perfectly cooked broccolini and savory flakes of parmesan made up for any deficiencies.
The short rib was also cooked to a melty perfection, but I could’ve done with a few more and a little more variation in the accompanying root vegetables. The pappardelle’s prosciutto was indeed crispy and while I enjoyed the dish, the lemon sauce combined with the poached egg was a bit too breakfast like too match perfectly with the short rib served next to it. Then again, I think I’m really just reaching for criticism here, because I’d still gladly eat it again.
I was tempted by the grilled vegetable sandwich but resisted because I didn’t trust that quality heirloom tomatoes are still available. Given restaurateur Randall Selland’s reputation, however, I should probably trust that questionable food doesn’t make it to the menu.
Ella is a worthy addition to Sacramento’s fine dining list, which, for my money, includes its sibling The Kitchen, Mulvaney’s B&L, and Moxie vying for top honors. My deepest hope is that restaurants like this will finally put truly awful, yet artfully camouflaged places like Lucca out of business and maintain our culinary reputation. I’ll definitely be testing it again in the near future, just to make sure. It will probably require multiple visits . . . .
Ella Dining Room & Bar 1131 K Street, Sacramento; 916-443-3772, For reservations, and more details, check out Open Table.
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