EAST SYRACUSE — With its swanky, elaborately designed interior and modernized take on traditional Italian cuisine, Lala Lu Ristorante has “exploded since day one” in the words of owner Danielle Mercuri, but having entered the food industry at age 14, an influx of patrons is nothing new on her plate.
Around the Syracuse area, Mercuri’s other current ventures include the burger and shake joint LODED right nearby on Thompson Road as well as the brunch-oriented Rise N Shine Diner and the seafood takeout restaurant Lobster Babe, both located on Westcott Street.
Before it all, though, she spent almost a decade as a server at the chophouse for Grimaldi’s, the restaurant that stood at 6430 Yorktown Circle in East Syracuse until June 2021. That same building was eventually remodeled floor to ceiling and turned into Lala Lu in time for a soft opening just before this most recent Christmas—an opening that had more of a buzz than anticipated, said Mercuri, who co-owns the evening dining spot alongside her fiancée Alan Diamond with entrepreneur Adam Weitsman as its main investor.
Featuring champagne toasts and live music, Lala Lu later ramped up with a New Year’s Eve celebration that went past the midnight ball drop.
“I just hadn’t been in the night life in so long and I was like, ‘Let’s do it again,’” said Mercuri, a DeWitt resident. “So here we are.”
Mercuri said she likes the location of her newest restaurant because of its proximity to Carrier Circle and an array of hotels where visitors from around the country can stay overnight.
She said Lala Lu incorporates European culture and the liveliness of New York City and Las Vegas to create its own unique atmosphere.
“When you walk in here you’re somewhere else entirely,” Mercuri said. “It’s like a place to escape from what you see every day.” She said that her restaurant’s name came to her one night in a dream. When she woke up, she found out that the words “la la lu” were used in a lullaby in the 1955 animated Disney movie “Lady and the Tramp.”
Whereas Grimaldi’s was more centered around American Italian fare, Lala Lu distances itself from dishes like chicken riggies and chicken parmesan in favor of a fresh spin on straight-from-Italy cooking.
Mercuri said that largely has to do with the spices used and the presentation of the meals, from the colorful striping of the caramelle pasta to the orecchiette alla vodka shaken and served in a martini glass.
“You’re almost engaged with your food here,” she said. “We like to express ourselves not only with the flavors but also visually.”
The concept further showcases tableside service that sees the chef stretch mozzarella by hand and prepare cacio e pepe inside a Pecorino Romano cheese wheel in front of the customers.
In the vicinity a projection screen exhibits black-and-white home movies on a loop, while another shows a moving digital frame of the Mona Lisa being painted. Above the restaurant’s bar is a fireplace, and on the walls of the sectioned-off pink booths hang selections of other Renaissance-style artwork.
Mercuri is always heavily involved with the designing for each of her eateries. In contrast, LODED takes on a “1990s kickback” theme with neon lights and a boombox on display, while Lobster Babe maintains a fast casual feel.
The menu for Lala Lu also includes clothesline antipasto, pasta flights, roasted vegetable ravioli and T-bone Fiorentina for two.
Now that she has the morning to the night covered with her businesses, Mercuri said balancing all of them with the help of her managers and other staff is akin to having multiple children.
“I can wake up knowing that we’re continuing to feed Central New York through the day with all these different concepts,” she said. “It keeps you on your toes and we run around in circles, but it’s part of the game and we love it.”
Lala Lu can seat about 200 people at a time according to Mercuri, but she has plans for a patio with 30-plus seats to be built in the near future.
The restaurant’s hours at the moment are 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. On Sundays the space opens exclusively for catering purposes.
