Worth the wait

They say good things come to those who wait. And in Chico’s case, the wait—2 1/2 years—seems to have been worth it. I’m referring here to the long-anticipated reopening of LaSalles. I had an opportunity to check the place out during its soft opening last week and the transformation is nothing short of amazing.

Looking back at my late-night escapades during my time in Chico, I can remember spending quite a few evenings as a single twentysomething at LaSalles—drunkenly dancing to DJ music with my girlfriends, rocking out to CAMMIES bands on the indoor stage or trying to hustle a free drink or two on the Jack Daniels-felted pool table.

Oh, the memories. I admittedly wasn’t around for LaSalles’ fern bar days, when the place was apparently quite swanky and cool. For me, it’s always been a party scene, a place with a line around the block just to get inside and fight for drinks—so you get two and then you’re hammered.

The owners of Riley’s, Franky’s and 5th Street Steakhouse, Kevin Riley and Nick Andrew, also own LaSalles. With this remodel, they’re clearly upping their game. The steakhouse has always been a classy spot, but LaSalles is now next-generation classy, á là Parkside Tap House and Taps Bar & Grill. The décor is modern but rustic, which creates an immediate warmth while still feeling big-city chic. The bathrooms are a bit strange—communal hand-washing—but the back patio, with multiple fire pits, is full-on awesome.

And there’s food! The menu offers a nice mix of options between sharable appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches and fancy entrees. My boyfriend, Chuck, and I sampled several items, from the pretzel and beer cheese (too smokey for me, but he liked it), fried portobellos (the sauces made this dish) and ahi tacos (perfect little morsels) on the appetizer menu to the Dungeness crab melts (slider-size, on sourdough). For our main course, Chuck tried the War Pig sandwich (pork on pork on pork deliciousness) and I ordered the miso-glazed ahi (generous portion, seared to perfection, a bit lacking in glaze). No complaints overall. As you perfect your menu, LaSalles, I’ll just suggest upping the sauce ante a bit—they’re all good, there just wasn’t enough of them.

I’m eager to see what LaSalles becomes. It’s certainly a welcome addition to downtown, something that will add sophistication to an already fun restaurant and cocktail scene. Check lasalleschico.com for updates or see for yourself at 229 Broadway—the official opening was Friday (March 16).

Put a fork in it A few weeks ago I wrote about Fork in the Road’s decision to not host its monthly summer events at Manzanita Place after a drastic rent increase. Well, it turns out the popular food truck gathering has found a new home: at DeGarmo Park. Organizer John Geiger (co-owner of Inday’s Filipino Restaurant) tells me it will be held on the third Friday of each month, April-September. The first month will not feature alcohol, but they should have permits in place by May to offer beer for sale. Eat on!