Parella - September 28, 2015

Most of my infrequent trips to Calhoun Square are to enjoy Laab Isaan at Chang Mai Thai, or to enjoy a beer at the soon closing Republic Uptown. Last night I found myself there to dine at Parella which resides in the space that was once Figlio, then Il Gato, and then another that escapes me.

I normally listen for buzz and try to ignore reviews when considering a restaurant, if I hear a general consensus, or somebody I trust says they liked it, I’ll check it out. This time I was ultimately swayed by a review from one of my favorite local food writers, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. She said what she liked, what needed work, but that it was good overall. This corroborated what some of my Twitter friends had been saying so I decided to go on the last open evening I had in September. (I’m not dining out much in October minus a couple of exceptions. I’ll have a post about that tomorrow hopefully.)

This is my first attempt at a post like this so I’ll jump right into it.

I started with their complimentary sparkling water and a cocktail recommended by a friendly coworker. The Sicilian 75 is an Italian take on the traditional French 75 cocktail, light, effervescent, bitter, good.

They also server complimentary bread, and I wholly agree with Dara’s observation, it needs work. It might be good for fidgeting with during awkward conversation on a date, but as a solo diner, it sat after one slice.

I really, really, really wanted to try the suckling pig that received raves from numerous friends and reviews and though it said “Chef’s Daily Preparation” and “daily” has an agreed upon meaning, it is apparently only available Thursday through Saturday nights, and according to staff for one more week until they switch to their fall menu. They’ve since updated their website to remove references to it. It’s unfortunate Dara’s glowing review was late last week and diners won’t be able to experience it until next year. I hope their memories and desire for the dish last that long.

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