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| - I made it! Finally. You know when the anticipation is more than the experience itself? Not in this case, baby! Every time I'm in Cleveland, it's for the day on a weekend and usually I'm out and gone before 5 o'clock....so no Lola before 5 on a weekend.
On my way through Cleveland this time, I met up with the kid and we hit lunch and drinks at the bar on Friday. David was our beverage magician who created their signature Gin-gin Flower for me and a grapefruit-based signature drink for the kid (she's 25 - still a kid to me, so don't get freaked out about letting a "kid" drink, okay?) The Gin-gin Flower was a divine concoction of gin (duh), ginger, violet and other amazing elixirs that was sinfully, decadently delightful. So many levels of flavors going off on my palate both simultaneously and sequentially that it was almost like quiet fireworks. Thanks, David, you were wonderful!
We shared the charcuterie platter (stopped at The Greenhouse Tavern first for drinks and apps there), which was a composed art of cured meat beauties, pickled red onions, pickled ramps, cornichons and stone ground mustard displayed on a wooden board. Baguette discs to spread and pile the delights onto accompanied the board.
First off, the pork rillette was a smooth and creamy explosion of almost sexy flavor. I could swear there was an herbal quality to it, but was assured the only ingredients were pork, salt and pork fat. Wow. Thin slices of garlicky pork salami were perfectly, wonderfully satisfying. The prosciutto was so soft, sweet and tender it nearly melted in the mouth. Our least favorite was the cured pork loin - not that it wasn't good, it just didn't quite hit the same high notes as the others on the board.
BTW, this visit made my trifecta of Michael Symon restaurant visits in Cleveland....first experience was the top notch Lolita, then the B-Spot (actually I've been to both the Woodmere and Strongsville locations....Crocker Park next for the trifecta of B-Spots!) and Lola makes three. Thanks, Michael, for offering nothing but the best to Cleveland!
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