Restaurant Review: Lila
If you are (or are friends with) a vegetarian, you probably know the sacrifices made when going out to eat. Even omnivores are trending away from meat, whether due to animal welfare concerns, potential health issues or the environmental impact of factory-farmed meat.
In spite of that, restaurants are slow to buy into the trend. Take a look at the menus at many otherwise capable restaurants and you'll find few options for vegetarians. Sometimes, you can't even find a salad that doesn't include meat.
That's one reason why Lila, a new restaurant on Sarasota's Main Street, is so appealing. Vegetables, pulses and grains are the stars, with two thirds of the menu either vegetarian or vegan. You still want meat? No worries, there is a carefully curated selection of side plates that you can add to your meal to get a flesh fix.
The restaurant is the creation of Ryan Boeve and Arthur Lopes, the chef/proprietors of Pomona Bistro (and formerly, Zoria). They transformed the former Bullet Hole space on Sarasota's Main Street into a chic and modern setting, with a smallish dining area in the front and a long dining bar featuring concrete counters and high-top tables in the back. The counter faces Lila's open kitchen, with a small staging area towards the front manned by Boeve, who garnishes plates with herbs pulled from living plants on the spot, before they are delivered to the tables.
The veggie-centric menu may be a draw, but the exceptional food will keep people coming back.
Simple things like grilled baby bok choy ($7) are a revelation. Perfectly seasoned, the bright green and white leaves are lightly wilted and mottled in parts with char, crisp and tender and dressed with an occasional burst of rich and salty miso butter.
A trio of Mediterranean spreads ($8) could be humdrum, but isn't. A schmear of creamy charred eggplant is fine, but the haydari - essentially tzatziki without the cucumber - is a bright blend of tart yogurt, mint and garlic and the muhammara - a mixture of roasted red peppers and ground walnuts - is a brilliant melange of textures, rich and sharp and slightly spicy.
Red and yellow grape tomatoes ($11) are roasted long enough to turn them tender and heighten their natural sweetness, then tossed with flavorful olive oil and mellow garlic, with a small disc of warm goat cheese to add a decadent note, with some crusty bread on the side if you feel the need.
Even something as bland-sounding as a macro bowl ($13) is executed well, with cubes of tender sweet potato, ripe avocado, chickpeas and nutty brown rice lightly dressed in a tahini vinaigrette seasoned with a dash of turmeric. Lila's bowl of beans ($9) is just that, the black beans cooked just long enough that still have some chew, well seasoned and with a hint of chipotle heat.
Dark buckwheat soba noodles ($14) are nested in a simple dashi broth with cubes of homemade tofu that's more like flavorful farmers' cheese than the dull, watery stuff you find at the supermarket. There's also a side of small pickled peppers that are tart and fiery - flavor the broth with them if you want a kick, but don't bite into one unless you have a capsaicin fetish.
Those soba noodles are the only dish on the small and main plate menu that isn't strictly vegetarian - the dashi broth is made with dried fish flakes - and you can obviously stay meatless at Lila without missing a thing. If you do eat meat, however, Lila does that well, too.
There'a a petit filet ($17) from Three Suns Ranch in Punta Gorda or short ribs ($15) from Sarasota Beef Co., local and luscious. There's also a gorgeous red snapper ($15) with a dark crust as well as decadent pork belly ($12) braised in duck fat.
Yet again, even the simple things are exceptional. The house-made bacon ($7) comes as thick slices of cured and smoked pork belly, a small portion of sweet and smoky meat that allows the pork to shine. A local egg ($4) is lightly smoked and poached in olive oil, the white tender and yolk gooey, with a dainty square of buttery brioche toast on the side.
Lila's chicken broth ($4) makes me wonder why we don't drink savory drinks more often. The clear and clean broth is made from local Grove Ladder chickens, with a hint of star anise and other Asian aromatics. It comes in a small cup so you can drink it down without fuss.
Try lunch at Lila and you'll find many of the items that are on the dinner menu, as well as a daily soup ($8); a sandwich of tomato, red onion, avocado and sprouts on toasted lentil bread ($12); an Ezekiel tortilla wrap ($12); and a few other additions.
Lila also has a variety of kombucha from 221 B.C., fantastic homemade lemonade, a small but capable selection of wines and a list of craft beers drawn from Sarasota, Bradenton, St. Petersburg and Tampa. Desserts by Arthur Lopes range from a lemon tart ($7) to a decadent chocolate coconut mousse with whipped coconut cream ($10) that contains - surprisingly - no dairy.
That's the real beauty of Lila: The food is surprising.
Surprisingly simple. Surprisingly healthy. Surprisingly delicious.
LILA
1576 Main St., Sarasota
941-296-1042; lilasrq.com
Open Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 5-10 p.m.
