Husband and wife restaurateurs Ryan and Kelleanne Jones of Free Reign Restaurants have been busy. The two opened Southbound and Honeysuckle Rose two years ago.
On Oct. 1, they are set to open Allora which will have a menu that leans heavily on housemade pastas, simple, clean ingredients and coastal Italian favorites.
When the couple first walked into the Spring Street space, they say they were struck by its European feel.
“The character of its raw space had this rustic kind of European feel to it,” Ryan said. “As soon as we walked in, we were like, ‘all right, this has to be Italian,’ ” Ryan said.
With the Joneses, it always begins with the space, which then spurs the concept. The restaurant occupies a recently rehabilitated building with three distinct areas: a dining room, rooftop and a brick-and-concrete bar.
Kelleanne described the bar area as a “cozy, tavernous” space. Upstairs will be a casual, rooftop piazza and the entrance will serve fresh gelato, espresso and items like cannolis and housemade boozy popsicles.
The decor is a combination of pinks and greens playing off the existing brick and limewash. Portions of the wall are lined with strips of eucalyptus wood, and wood tables sit on terrazzo tiles for a coastal Italian vibe.
A journey through the menu
The menu features coastal Italian fare and includes a section of pastas, all made fresh in the restaurant.
“When you’re in Italy, you start your meal with pasta, and then you keep eating, as opposed to when you’re in the States [where] the pasta is your entree, and you just fill up on it. So it’s kind of different,” Ryan said.
In addition to pastas, the menu also offers crudi (raw), antipasti (appetizers), pesce (fish) and carne (meat) along with daily specials that will lean towards traditional Italian-American dishes. Mondays will have an eggplant lasagne, Wednesdays will offer a chicken piccata and Friday’s special is a veal scaloppine.
On the antipasti side, a veal bone marrow dish hits a decadent note. The marrow is roasted under the broiler until buttery then spread on crusty bread. It’s finished with garlic olive oil, gremolata and pickled vegetables for a contrast against the marrow’s rich and robust flavors. An eggplant caponata is served with tomato, basil, onion, olives and fennel crackers.
Inspiration behind the restaurant
The two found inspiration on a summertime trip to the Italian coast. As a result, the pasta section skews towards simple ingredients that are primarily seafood-and vegetable-driven.
Fried zucchini pasta, a staple in the Italian village of Nerano, is featured. The dish reduces fried zucchini to a sauce and adds pepper and pecorino for a creamy finish.
“Lobster spaghetti made the menu because when we were there back in July, I think that’s what Kelleanne and I ate every night,” Ryan said.
and saline | Photos by Ashley Stanol
Half of a lobster is broiled, and the other half is cooked with tomatoes, basil and garlic. It is then finished with butter and tossed in with spaghetti.
In the carne section, the pork secreto is a thinly cut piece of marbled pork that is tender and rich. Its cooking method is similar to that of steak, prepared quickly on high heat. A swordfish Fagioli is served with white beans, escarole Castelvetrano olives and garlic.
The team also paid close attention to existing beverage trends. The espresso martini is having a comeback and Allora offers a spin on it. The restaurant’s version has the option to make it La Via Del Re style, which tops the cocktail with honey pistachio foam and dark chocolate giving it a hint of sweetness and a toasty finish.
The piccolo ribelle cocktail infuses Astral tequila with Calabrian chilis before mellowing it out with lime and grapefruit cello (think limoncello, but with grapefruit) and raising the stakes once more with amaro nonino.
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