One of my best friends is afraid to go to Over the Rhine, so much so that we call her “West Chester”. (For those of you not from the Queen City, West Chester might be akin to Fishers in Indianapolis or New Albany in Columbus).  Tela bar + kitchen, on the corner of Springfield Pike and Chestnut Street in Wyoming solves all of West Chester’s culinary problems. For all intents and purposes, Tela IS Over the Rhine for the consumer who is either afraid or unwilling to go to Over the Rhine. I don’t mean this description in a derogatory manner, quite the opposite in fact. Tela manages to recreate the urban vibe of restaurants such as The Eagle or Senate in the bucloic suburban setting of Wyoming. Do all  of the stars align like they do at the aforementioned hot spots? That is another question entirely.

Lets start out with the best part of Tela, the decor. Concrete floors, Edison bulb lighting, exposed brick walls, exposed heating and cooling ducts, and the obligatory glass garage door substituting for front windows very nearly complete a perfect picture of an urban restaurant in 2016. The French bistro style steel chairs are a comfortable as well as stylish compliment to the rest of the design elements. A generous portion of the square footage is dedicated to the bar area, appointed not only with comfortable stools, but a few mid-century style couches and upholstered chairs as well. It is a great place to have a cocktail on the way home from work or to relax while you are waiting for a table. Although community style tables still seem to be all the rage (much to my disdain), Tela only has one. I will admit that it was very convenient for the large party with which I dined on a recent visit though.

Beyond the decor is when the problems start to creep in. Although the staff is quite hospitable, the food is where things have a tendency to go wrong. I have been to Tela four or five times with the quality of food varying wildly. Sometimes I leave feeling like I have eaten the best meal I have had in ages and other times I feel like I could care less if I ever come back. When the food is great, it really hits the mark. The Multi-Beast, a burger with a beef patty and a thin chorizo patty topped with a bacon jam and whipped goat cheese, is incredible when it is done well. Last week, it was lukewarm and dry. The poutine has an interesting beer mustard component that is definitely polarizing. I loved it the first time I went, but last time it was so overpowering that I couldn’t enjoy the poutine at all, not to mention an almost complete absence of the pork belly listed on the menu. The pretzel nugs are served with the same beer mustard as well as a roasted garlic carmel sauce.

While some of the menu choices are definitely outside of the box, there is absolutely an audience for them. What I am questioning is whether Tela can harness the creativity into a consistent presentation of quality. That will be the determining factor of whether Tela will be successful in the long term.