Eat local. Love art. Located on route 62 in New Albany, Ella combines a spotlight-focus on local ingredients and gourmet food with a love of art, beneath the roof of an upscale bar and restaurant. If you’re silently contemplating the fact that you’re not a huge art fan, or even a fan of “upscale,” that’s ok. Neither am I. But I am a fan of championing the local, and an even bigger fan of delicious food.
The menu is fresh, local and seasonally updated. In truth, it’s a moderately small selection of food. You won’t find a Cheesecake Factory-style book of a menu here. Just a handful of categories, each featuring a smattering of dishes with starters along the lines of Ella’s house potato chips, Ohio Beef Tartare from the Small Plate section, or the Seared Salmon under the Main Dishes.
I went during the lunch hour, when the menu featured the Crispy Chicken Wrap with house potato chips. The wrap included fig jam, Gorgonzola cheese, spinach and a honey mustard vinaigrette.; basically, a gourmet take on the simple chicken wrap (it was magnificently delicious, by the way). Most of Ella’s dishes can be described as gourmet takes on traditional bar fare: You’re not just eating a steak, you’re eating a steak from a local Ohio cow, next to buttermilk onion rings and roasted broccoli. That mac n’ cheese isn’t from any old blue box – it’s rocking sun-dried tomatoes, caramelized onions and bacon. Familiar food in evening wear. Delicious evening wear.
A large, dark-wood bar spans over half of the restaurant. There is something wonderfully classy about a beautiful bar set amongst artwork-lined walls and hardwood floors. The bar also comes with an expansive drink list, which features fresh cocktails using local spirits, wines, and a decent selection of local Ohio craft beer on tap. The only downside about the bar (and the food for that matter) is the price. Everything’s a bit on the steep side, especially the drinks. But, if that doesn’t phase you, the bar will definitely feel like the main attraction of the room, and you’ll find yourself (and some friends) pulled up against its smooth finish.
Of course, there’s more decor than just the bar. With tables, booths and bench seating behind the bar area, there’s enough seating to ensure you’re not sitting too close to another patron, but not far enough away to feel adrift in a sea of loneliness. Large windows and a high ceiling create an atmosphere of openness, while half walls break up the room just enough to allow for your own personal bubble of gastronomic enjoyment.
There are also the paintings lining the walls and maintaining that feeling of class set up by the rest of the restaurant. I can’t say much as to the quality or origin or popularity of these pieces, but I didn’t see anything super crazy, like a mannequin head glued to a canvas, or anything that jarred with the restaurant’s overall feng shui. And, if you are one who appreciates a nice work of art, the Hayley Art Gallery is just next door for all of your perusing needs.
Ella is a melting pot of interesting ideas, all housed within a restaurant and bar. Gourmet versions of widely familiar food, using fresh and local ingredients, are situated alongside the various paintings that line the walls, creating that upscale feel that exudes class without making you feel out of place for wearing jeans. The prices may turn some away, but if you find yourself near New Albany looking for a classy joint with delicious food and literal works of art as decor, be sure to check out Ella.
