Flavors of Spain and Italy Blocks by Fox

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Lyla Lila is a self-styled Southern European restaurant located in the heart of Midtown. Seasoned restaurateurs Billy Streck and Craig Richards, who is also the chef, navigate the bumpy road impacted by COVID and see a way to fulfill their mission of a creative menu based on seasonality, homemade pasta, baked goods. wood, fresh seafood, unusual desserts such as affogato corretto rhubarb amaro gelato with whipped cream and well-chosen wine with “old world” flavors.

Think Midtown Peachtree; think of Midtown Manhattan.

The name of the restaurant comes from the fortuitous and alliterative names of the owners’ daughters: Lyla and Lila.

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Chef Craig, on the front patio, displays his homemade mushroom artichoke ravioli.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor with indoor and outdoor dining in a converted apartment building a few blocks north of the Fox Theater. Currently without valet parking, we parked next to a street meter, while there are Fox parking lots around. Certainly, when concerts and events resume normally, Lyla Lila would be a wonderful double night plan. The interior is bohemian and chic with wood textures, imaginative lighting, and well-placed artwork. The bar is in the front and in the center from the entrance. Part of the fun is people watching. This parade did not disappoint on a Saturday evening. Motorcycles, tattoos, magenta hair and more traditional tourists strolled around.

Chief Craig noted, “Things were going great before COVID; we exceeded sales targets; then the pandemic struck. Looking back, I think we managed it well and kept a lot of regular customers. With more people vaccinated and the weather improving, we are certainly busier. The Fox reopens on August 25 and we look forward to it. With 10% takeaway, customers are mostly regulars and neighbors while weekday business travelers pick up. They rent a private room with minimal food and drink.

Lyla Lila employs 19 people with a small kitchen team running the same number of dishes before COVID. Chef Stuart Rogers “normally performs the pass” while on duty, and Richards floats between the dining room and the kitchen, working about 60 hours a week. They are struggling to hire new employees.

Bottom – A nifty red snapper was wrapped in zucchini with pistachio basil pesto. Top – Grilled asparagus side.

Richards reflected, “We don’t get a lot of responses to our ads, but we’re slowly building our team. What surprised me was how difficult it was to hire new employees. I don’t think it’s just unemployment,… much more complicated than that. We have seen diners prefer more comforting dishes, and we offer them that. We don’t plan to reopen for lunch at this time. “

What we went mad about:

Entrances

Wood-grilled tuna, yuzukōsho aioli, watercress, strawberries, radish, sorrel, $ 18. Favorite preparation worth fighting for!

Crispy artichokes, lemon-mint aioli, charred lemon, baby greens, $ 15. Intense and rich, perfect for sharing.

Sector

Ravioli with caramel artichokes, mushrooms, salsa verde ramp. Light but filling, certainly not a dish you could make at home, $ 26.

Squash snapper, basil-pistachio pesto, Meyer lemon butter. An artistic package; think zucchini ribbons, $ 34.

The wood-grilled tuna with watercress and strawberries was a table favorite.

Side

Wood-grilled asparagus, black truffle aioli. We have “86” the dried egg yolk filling.

Desserts

Passion fruit sorbet, $ 8. Not normally a passion fruit fan, he was a mind changer with intense sweet tangy flavors.

French lemon cake: lemon glaze, strawberries, black pepper. Don’t worry, the pepper speaks softly.

On the list to order next time:

Snapper crudo, satsumas, peppers, carrot, aji amarillo, carrot, radish, Thai basil, $ 18.

Small roasted carrots with Calabrian honey, smoked ricotta, $ 10.

Olive oil cake, mandarins, wildflower honey cream, $ 8.

Note that the menu changes with seasonality and the best choices on the market.

Chef Craig shares his culinary tips:

  • Always salt the water in your pasta; do not add oil, just salt.
  • If you are sautéing onions, add salt right away to prevent them from coloring and releasing their water quickly.
  • We grill our tuna over high heat for about a minute on each side for a crispy exterior and rare medium.

Her advice on oils: “We use three different kinds of olive oil. A loose Italian oil for dressings, a Tuscan oil for finishing grills and a Sicilian oil for finishing more delicate dishes, such as raw fish. We cook at high temperature with a mixture of canola and olive oil. Her favorite dessert is tiramisu, and her favorite cocktail is Monk’s Repose.

Lyla Lila is located at 693 Peachtree Street and its hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 5pm to 9pm.

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