Restauration

I was excited when I read in the Journal and Courier that the owners of La Scala would be opening a new restaurant. The restaurant, called Restauration, has taken over the space previously occupied by Pre Lounge and then by Serendipity. The concept is farm to fork – with foods sourced locally and menu items that change seasonally. The menu all is also very conscious of food allergies, with lots of options for those who are gluten sensitive or have other food allergens.

The concept is one that I believe is overdue in our area. We have a proliferation of restaurants with typical items such as burgers and wings, but we seem to lack menus with interesting or different concepts. Our farmer’s markets are filled to the brim with wonderful vendors and delicious fruits, vegetables, and meats but few our our local restaurants source from these places.

Knowing that the owners of La Scala know a thing or two about food, and know how to make a restaurant successful, gave me hope that this is a restaurant that can stick around for a while. With the loss of many local restaurants, we need some new blood in our local foodscape.

So Friday I made it a point to visit Restauration for the first time. The interior is lovely, bright and cheery with lots of natural light, clean floors, and a very nice atmosphere. We were seated immediately, and offered drinks and then our server went over the menu with us, to be sure we understood it. There’s a regular menu, then for those who want a more detailed version, the Foodie menu, that includes information about where the ingredients are sourced.

The menu is great. I get bored of the same old same old at so many local restaurants. Finally, new and interesting choices! You can review the whole menu here on your own, so I don’t need to  detail everything, but you aren’t going to find boring burgers and wings. Instead you can feast on items such as a Chorizo Burger with Shrimp, or a DPP Burger (read the menu for that description!)

I was there for lunch, so the dinner menu wasn’t available. I started with some bacon-wrapped dates with chorizo. I love bacon wrapped dates from Black Sparrow. It’s something I always get when I go, so I was really excited to try them with chorizo. Bacon? Sausage? with dates? What could go wrong? Nothing. They were delicious.

For lunch I ordered an ABB Grilled Cheese, which is a grilled cheese with fresh apple, bacon jam, and brie. Along with that I had a side of yuca fries. The sandwich was enormous, way more than I could eat in one sitting, but was fantastic. The yuca fries were good too (although I would say I prefer fries of the potato variety.)

My friend had the Mac and cheese and the deviled egg appetizers. I tried the deviled eggs and they were quite different from your standard mayo/mustard/pickle American style. One thing I like is an interesting take on standard American fare.

Overall, the service was great, the food was fantastic, and the atmosphere was lovely. Two thumbs up, I highly recommend. My only complaint is that you can’t text or email anyone the name of the restaurant without it being auto-corrected every time.

Kid Friendly: Yes.
Price: Mid-range – $12 for a sandwich, dinners $12-20.
Location: 731 Main Street, Lafayette, Indiana (map it)
Phone: (765) 250-3970
Cuisine: American