Vela

Place was recommended by a friend for great drinks, we decided to have dinner as well and glad we did, best old fashions in town and the food is just as great, from the brick oven pizza to the pastas everything was spectacular!

Beautifully designed space - the bar is lively and has an expert mixologist with creative and tasty cocktails! Dinner was delicious -we shared two pastas and a salad as apps and had the halibut , salmon and veal chop entrees. Everyone loved their meal ! Can’t wait to return to VELA!

The atmosphere was great, the service was phenomenal, and the food ...absolutely delicious!! everything was cooked perfect. great casual dining or dating

We went 6:30 on a Friday night. The parking was convenient, the ambience of the restaurant was comfortable, modern, nicely lit. I love the one large room with the bar open to the restaurant which is a good distance from the main dining room, but also tables by the bar if you prefer. Our waiter was professional , friendly, and provided good feedback to our questions about specific dishes. The ceilings are very high so there is a lot of noise that bounces around so it was a little difficult to hear at times. The service was good.
The food was bland, we all found our dishes lacking flavor. My husband ordered the special which was red snapper with a lentil base and fresh steamed vegetables. I ordered the veal and papardelle. The sauce and meat lacked a richness in flavor and just fell flat. I tried the fish, it was fresh and properly cooked but so bland. The lentils that it sat on should have balanced the blandness of the fish but did nothing to enhance the flavor. The color on the plate was brown and grey/white of the fish. It didn't look appetizing either. We ordered 3 appetizers, pizza, mussels, meatballs. The mussels were fresh but flavorless, the pizza was good, the meatballs were the stars. They were delicious! Tender, full of flavor, and the accompanying tomato sauce was also delicious.
I would not return. For the price we paid, we should have eaten much tastier food. New chef needed! If the food was great, this would be a really pleasant place to go. The quality of the food was terrific but the preparation was disappointing.

We have been there a couple of times. Right after they opened, we tried them with a small group (4) on a weekend night. Let's just say the kitchen was in the weeds. While all the food was good, it a took forever to come out and when it did some of the temperatures were clearly off. Since that time, we've been there during the week and sat at the bar for simpler food. Food service is still slow but good. The arugula salad with orange and fig is well balanced and executed, all the better for avoiding the temptation of adding goat cheese. Pizza are a nice size and take full advantage of the wood burning oven. Cocktails have been excellent. I particularly like Smoke On the Water. Sean's bar tending and mixology skills are a local treasure.