Dinner at La Grolla and a Bakewell Tart

On Friday night I met my friends Ari and Kileen for dinner at La Grolla, an Italian restaurant on Selby Avenue in St. Paul. It’s a cozy place, but maybe a bit too cozy. For one, I got whipped in the face by the ponytail of one of the waitstaff as she passed. And for two, I sat a foot away from a couple who were quietly arguing over their pasta in a mix of English and Spanish (Woman: “No ver. No ver.” Man: “Yes, it is true.”), about ten percent of which I understood.

Though the space was tight and the water-refiller maybe a bit too attentive, my shrimp ravioli in lobster cream sauce was delicious, and the leftovers I ate the next day were just as good.

For dessert, I had made a bakewell tart. (It will soon become apparent that Smitten Kitchen is my go-to cooking resource.) It’s a little bit of a process  with lots of chilling involved before the tart itself can be baked, but when the steps are broken up a little—and when you have a husband at home while you’re at work who can assemble and bake the whole thing—it’s really not all that time-consuming of a dessert.

 

 

And let me just say that it is well worth the effort, because the thing is indescribably delicious. I’m already envisioning it with a rhubarb layer come spring. (Which is coming this month! Happy March.)