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| - Happily, I can finally give a personal 5 star rating to a restaurant in Cleveland. You never know whether your palate will agree with the hype, but for me, this one did live up to the expectations.
I had a very taxing day in the clinic, final procedure finishing at roughly 9:45 pm. I rang up the manager who told me not to worry about arriving late for my 9:45 booking for one. I drove aimlessly around the address looking for parking, somewhat distressed by the presence of numerous working crews and police, obviously working on very important street upgrades and safety issues.
So, finally arriving at 10:30, I finally got to step inside this dimly lit, swanky Lola. I grabbed a seat at the bar while the table was being readied. A Macallan 12 neat to whet the appetite and the table was set.
I set at the Chef's counter, which is interesting due to its placement looking over the kitchen. The counter itself is internally lit, creating an interesting effect of warm, yellowish, streaked stone.
I started with an order of a Barberesco Montaribaldi (2003) and quaffed expectantly as I got the Querciabella sweet bread and a complimentary order of roast pork belly in a dashi sauce.
Of the two, I found the pork belly more delectable. The Dashi sauce was puncuated with several rather perky peppers which contrasted well. The roasted pork belly had flavouring tones that are distinctly asian. Great dish.
The sweetbreads were also good. Roast on the outside and succulent on the inside, I sopped up every bit of the slightly tangy sauce, very well nearly clearing the plate. Very nuanced flavour, with satisfying complexity.
I then had the hanger steak and fries. The rosemary seasoned fries are quite good. Although at first the seasoning may seem a bit unconventional, it lightens the experience of the thin-cut frittes. The steak wasn't as impressive as the other two items, but I was still quite happy with the overall meal.
The bacon ice cream and french toast was very good... It's amazing that such seemingly contrasting elements can work so well together. Go for it.
Servers were very friendly. The manager/sommelier and I had a 10 minute talk about italian reds and philosphies in stocking cellars. Great dinner conversation. My server merrily spoke about nearby good eats which was a welcome after dinner treat.
Right now, I prefer Lola over just about everything else I've had here. Still exploring!
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