La Palma Ristorante

Lakeland, Florida
Part 1

by Martha Hollis and Anthony Scaggs

Welcome to the contemporary La Palma in Lake Wales, FL flavored with luxurious sophistication. The interior is reminiscent of the soft hues and elegance of a Tuscan villa with high ceilings and faux wooden beams, tile floors, arched entryway, columns, tapestries and paintings. A large iron candelabra centers the main dinning room. Crisp white linens and comfortably upholstered chairs or banquettes create a chic atmosphere perfectly filled with weekend notes from Walter Billingsey, the pianist and composer. Libations and celebrations of upscale gentry characterize the mood of the lounge.

La Palma moved to a contemporary Italian cuisine when Dane Scott, Executive Chef, took over the helm. Scott, part of the Millennium opening team, was the popular choice for promotion with the retirement of the original chef. Along with traditional Italian style his favorites have filtered into the menu with strong indication of his command of fundamentals enhanced with delicate Oriental and Floridian fusions. As he stated, "If you don't love it, you don't belong in the business."

The exclusive sourcing policy is using only fresh ingredients, nothing is pre-made. Every sauce--from the fresh, herbed marinara to the lemon brandy cream sauce napping the jumbo shrimps sautéed with pistachios-- is started in this kitchen with only the most excellent components. Dane commented, "Our freezer, is even smaller than this table," as he pointed to our square four-top. This "made in-house" policy extends to even the desserts and the dense Italian bread that can stand up to sopping the extra virgin olive poured onto freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Soups often reveal the skill of the chefs' training. The nightly special, a Manhattan clam chowder, revealed this talent with a rich fumet lightly herbed with tender chunks of clam and white potatoes. Its simplicity was a celebration in itself. Always on the menu, because of client demand, is the lobster corn chowder. While the sweet lobster is a show-stopper, fresh kernels of corn managed to hold a marvelous flavor and texture in the substantial cream base.

This same culinary proficiency is salient in other starters: carpaccio--raw paper thin beef slices served with extra virgin olive oil, fresh parmesan cheese and lemon and capers--and jumbo scallops and artichokes in a wine finished vine ripe tomato sauce.

Click on selected photos for expanded view.

Images copryrighted CGA