ella

Ella has been one of the most talked-about new restaurants in central Ohio since it opened early this year. The kitchen focuses on local, sustainable ingredients, and the restaurant brings a high-end, modern dining option that was previously missing in New Albany.

While the menu is somewhat ambitious, service and execution didn't match the lofty expectations. Local sourcing is admirable, but it couldn't save most vegetarian dishes sampled. 

The kitchen does make excellent effort in cooking for dietary restrictions. Wine pairings are fun. The bar has specials on happy-hour drinks including tasty cocktails made with local spirits. 

The menu changes with the season. These courses were sampled in the past two months.

The fried green tomatoes were piled with roasted corn, red peppers and remoulade. The batter was made with corn meal, the texture was mealy and the flavor of corn was more prominent than tomato. The remoulade was bland and brought nothing to the dish. This Southern staple disappointed.

The carrot ginger soup had delightful layers of root vegetable flavor with a spicy punch. The major flaw was that the soup had a bit of a baby food texture.

The risotto, however, had a perfect texture. Unfortunately, its balance was thrown off by an overly reduced balsamic vinegar. The butternut squash ravioli looks much better.

Desserts are sometimes a little off-the-wall. Charlotte and Olivia's ice cream, made in New Albany, is available.

Service was unevenly paced. The staff answered vegetarian dining concerns capably, but then dallied taking orders. 

In an effort to bring in parents, ella offers a kid's menu for $6.