Paloma’s Brings Baja-style Dishes to Hotel Lela

The recently opened Hotel Lela, located at 5001 Market St., is home to Palomas at Lela, a Latin-inspired restaurant nestled within the hotel’s lobby.

Chef Jimmie McDowell has created what he calls a “Baja-style menu” influenced by his Texas childhood.

“Originally, I’m from El Paso,” McDowell said. “My grandmother cooked a lot of Tex-Mex, and meat and potatoes as well. She was a tortilla maker, an enchilada maker. Made everything from scratch. You know, all that good stuff.”

She was also the family matriarch, he said, hosting family several nights a week for dinner. These formative experiences are what catapulted him into his kitchen career.

After completing culinary school in Las Vegas and working there for several years, McDowell and his wife, a pastry chef, moved to Utah to run the kitchen of a large ski resort.

“We were together every minute for 12 years,” he said. “I tried to fire her once, and she told me, ‘Fine, do it yourself.’ I was like, ‘No, wait, come back!”

And it’s a good thing she did, as she would eventually be his ticket to the Port City.

“Her sister lives in Raleigh, so we drove out here from Utah once and then we did it again, and the third time we stayed,” McDowell said. “We love the beach, plus my wife’s favorite show is One Tree Hill.”

The kitchen at Palomas is bright and filled with shiny, new appliances. Staff hustle back and forth. Breakfast items include burritos, huevos rancheros and avocado toast, just to name a few. The dinner menu consists of small plates like crispy smoked wings tossed with Tajin, shrimp ceviche and chicharron sliders, along with fresh salads, tacos and tortas, open-faced tortillas, or crisps, topped with chicken steak or veggies and melted cheddar jack cheese. Entrees include New York Strip with chimichurri and striped bass with Carolina Gold rice, heirloom tomato salad, garlic broccolini and a chili lime vinaigrette.

The bar menu consists of course of a signature Paloma, made with Añejo tequila, grapefruit and fresh lime juice. There are several other tequila-based cocktails and spins on traditional cocktails, as well as wine, beer, and zero-proof cocktails.

“Freshness and authenticity go a long way,” McDowell said. “The pollo crisp is made here in-house from scratch, the carne for the shredded steak is made in-house from scratch, the crispy chicken torta is marinated and rubbed here in-house. All of our sauces are made here, with the exception of the Caesar.”

McDowell said he and his staff are trying to cook each dish “as authentically as possible.”

“We take service very, very seriously,” McDowell said. “The customer has to have a great experience from beginning to end. The way you present the silverware, the way you present your glass of water, the way you present the plate, it’s all part of the experience.”

Total occupancy for the restaurant is about 84, which includes an outdoor seating area.

“We have a glass door that accordions all the way open about 30 feet,” he said. “It’s a great place to relax and have a drink or meal.”

Palomas is open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. for breakfast and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for dinner.