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| - I visited Fonda Lola just a week or two after it opened. It was kind of weird: the space is nice, as small Dundas West restaurants go. But the food was a bit underwhelming and a bit overpriced, while the drinks blew away my expectations and were an absolute steal. I went in looking for a great Mexican dining experience and came away with a new watering hole. Not what I was aiming for, but I'll take it!
Guacamole - $5 - A very solid guac with house-made tortilla chips, my party enjoyed this, though it was nothing special. If we return we'll likely order it again as it's good drinking food.
Hand Held Caesar - $8 - An interesting take on the traditional salad, this was two tender leaves of butter lettuce filled with a Caesar avocado mousse, candied jalapeno bacon, and a bit of parmigianno reggiano. Good? Yes. The textures work together pretty well here, with everything but the bacon amalgamating smoothly which only serves to make the sweet heat and the chew of the bacon stand out more. That said, two bites of salad for eight bucks is a bit of a tough sell. Tasty and worth a try, but probably not a repeat.
Trout Aguachile - $8 - A fairly simple trout ceviche, the flavors here were citrusy and light, with some good textures. But the actual method of serving was flawed. The trout's diced up into tiny bits, and it's then served on equally tiny tortilla rounds each about the size of a quarter. It was really difficult to scoop up the ceviche with those tiny little chips, and I had to chase individual pieces of trout around an oversized bowl through the citrus dressing. The value here wasn't bad, but it was just a b*tch to try to eat. The bowl needs to be smaller or the chips bigger; preferably both.
Tacos Al Pastor - $10 - Jesus am I ever tired of al pastor. The go-to taco for nearly every Mexican place in the city, al pastor's wildly over done in Toronto. We had it here, done with pork, and served in a little bowl with four small tortillas, some tomatillo salsa, and a bit of pineapple. It's fine, it's just not great. And it's not worth recommending or ordering again.
We had a few other dishes, including the perfectly passable but unexciting beans, and some mini-quesadillas flavored with huitlacoche, which our server explained as "the truffle of Mexican cuisine," and that Wikipedia defined as "corn smut - mold that grows on corn." I think the truth of the thing was somewhere between the two extremes, but the flavors were so mild and unnoticeable that I don't think it mattered.
Drinks. That's where this place shined! I started with their Classic Margarita, which was one of the best I've ever had. Loaded with tequila and a lovely blend of citruses, it's a refreshing and full-bodied take that stands out amongst the crowd. The garnish was a very nice touch: rimmed with a lemon salt, and bolstered with a finger lime, the garnish added dimension to the flavors on offer. At $10.50 it was well worth the price. But the Basil Mojito was perhaps even better, and only cost seven bucks. Minty, green with the aroma of basil and full of flavor, the mojito probably makes the strongest argument for a return trip. I want to come back and try everything else on their drink menu, especially the kombucha cocktails.
But all food and drink aside, the staff at this place makes a return trip tough to justify. Let me be specific: the server? Awesome. The bartender? Even better! A great guy who was happy to help us with the menu and share his insights, without making us feel like we were being "sold" to. They were outstanding.
The problem was the female front of house (who at least one other Yelper's posted about). When we first arrived, our server immediately pitched us on the "Mexican Fiesta" tasting menu; a $100 fifteen course exercise in ridiculousness that I'd be shocked if anyone ever ordered. I mean, come on guys; there's a difference between a "tasting menu" and "we are blatantly trying to sell you everything all at once." But there's no harm in trying, right? And the server handled it appropriately.
However, a discussion between the server and the aforementioned front of house, who must have a considerable stake in the restaurant's success, was conducted right behind us as we ate. In said discussion, she berated our server right in front of us at full volume, for "not selling the Mexican Fiesta" to a party of four at the other end of the restaurant. "Did you offer them the Mexican Fiesta?!" The server admitted he had not. "IT'S YOUR *JOB* TO SELL THEM THE MEXICAN FIESTA!" Shouted. At our poor server. Right in front of everyone.
Not cool, lady. You don't treat your staff that way, especially in front of customers.
So yeah, if I can brave knowing my money's probably going to that unpleasant individual, and want some admittedly killer drinks backed by some middle-of-the-road food, I'll be back.
But I think I just talked myself out of it.
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