Lolla Meets Fire: a menu organised around the parrilla

A grill can organise a restaurant without becoming the only thing its menu does. Lolla Meets Fire’s 2024 archive portrait placed the parrilla at the centre of a broader sequence of preparations.

WAYFARER’s April account described meat supplied through a partnership with deBetti, alongside seafood and vegetables. The fire gave those ingredients a common point of departure, but their place at the table depended on how the rest of the meal was assembled.

The source moved from naturally fermented focaccia to tuna crudo and beef carpaccio, then to artichoke tortelli and a seafood risotto. These dishes introduced contrasts of temperature, texture and preparation. They kept the menu from reading as a catalogue of grilled cuts alone.

A parklet extended the restaurant’s setting into an outdoor register. The account also described wine and cocktails as part of the meal, without supplying a basis for an independent pairing assessment. No new tasting or guarantee of current dishes is claimed here. The useful point is structural: the parrilla establishes a recognisable centre, while the surrounding preparations give a diner more than one way to approach it.