I'm going to have to channel Penny from Happy Endings here. Lolita was AH-MUH-zing!! I never knew who Michael Symon was and I frankly didn't give two hoots that he was an iron chef, or top chef, or whatever. But my sweetie had been to Lolita before and he thought it would be a great place for a romantic dinner for two. So, off we went!
Here is how it breaks down:
STARTERS: Seems to be the best part of the menu! So many fantastic choices, was hard to choose! We finally settled on the bone marrow and the mussels and we were NOT disappointed. The marrow was a tad salty, but the mussels were just...heavenly.
ENTREES: I had the sirloin with the polenta on the side. The sirloin was outstanding...and I'm not even a meat person. And the polenta was just rich!
DESSERT: We had the gelato and it was amazing, it was chocolate and some other flavor (the name escapes me) mixed together and I loved it!
Some other things I like: service was gracious, quick and attentive. I also love the ambience. When we arrived it was a bit on the noisier sound (the layout of the room allows noise to reverberate but by the time we had settled into our meal, the noise level was just about it. Adding to the ambience were the two people seated next to us who were on their first date. I had fun eavesdropping on their conversation. My verdict: He's NOT that into you. ;)
Things I didn't like (hence the missing star);
-- got the Washington Syrah and it tasted awful. It was rather acidic and it tasted like the wine hadn't (or wouldn't) settle. But I also claim responsibility for this, what they heck was I doing drinking wine from Washington when there were Bordeauxs and Malbecs on the wine list??
-- The arctic temperature! It was a little chilly when we stepped in but I had my scarf so no worries. But the temperature kept decreasing until even my husband had to say he was cold. You know that's cold.
Conclusion: Go to Lolita you won't regret, but make sure you bring a sweater.