Good chefs are maniacal about the timing of each dish’s journey to the table. Many menu items have been created with an ideal temperature and texture in mind, which is why some restaurants have created takeout dishes to be finished at home. The chefs can’t control the amount of time between the food’s pickup and the customer’s first bite, so they ask the customer to handle the final touch, for the best experience possible.
Most of the time, the customer is asked just to pop the food, already in a tinfoil container, into the oven. Lyla Lila asks a tiny bit more, but the results are fabulous, and can help build your confidence in the kitchen.
The young Midtown restaurant quickly has become known for its pasta dishes, but that puts chef Craig Richards in a bit of pickle. Pasta often is not a dish that travels well — noodles harden, cheese congeals and sauces can firm up or break down in a to-go container.
To combat this, Richards sends his excellent braised beef and black truffle ravioli out into the world in several different containers, accompanied by simple instructions. The process of cooking and assembling the dish couldn’t be easier — if you can boil water and melt butter, you can pull off this elegant ravioli. Yet, the preparation is fun and empowering; it’s more chefy than the pasta you usually make at home.
In one container, you’ll find butter and thyme, which you melt together in a pan as your water boils. The ravioli goes into the water for a mere 90 seconds before you toss it into your herb and butter pan, with a few tablespoons of pasta water. A quick swirl and, voila, you’re sprinkling shaved Parmesan on your tender, unctuous, freshly made pasta dish — almost definitely the best ravioli you’ve ever eaten at home. The fact that you can give yourself a little credit makes the meal that much more delicious.
Lyla Lila. 693 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta. 404-963-2637, lylalilaatl.com.
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