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| - After my initial visit I thought they were A-OK with a few minor quibbles.
Reflecting on my second visit. This Queen St boite drops with a discernible thud and are hanging on to a "meh" by the skin of their teeth. The food is not really the issue. Service, attitude and value for money (or lack thereof) definitely are.
What remains outstanding are their unique, if pricey - $12, Kombucha Margaritas and superb churros.
My ongoing frustration continues with the nachos... Great nacho chips, but the guacamole which should be a paste-like consistency is closer in texture to a thin smoothie, and a rather sparse portion at that.
The Trout Aguachile, Mexican cousin to the South American ceviche, wonderfully presented, is once again miserly in terms of portions size. I still find it far too tart despite the chef explaining, on our initial visit, that this is an authentic rendition of the Mexican version. My co-diner, on the other hand, can't get enough of it!
Discussion and more specifically insistence of culinary authenticity is a topic often fraught with factual letdowns. Case in point was the server looking after a party of ten at the table next to us. As soon as they were comfortably ensconced in their seats he proceeded to announce: Guys this is an authentic Mexican Restaurant so no burritos or fish tacos. Had he spent any time in or bothered to explore information about Mexico's Baja area, he would know that not only are burritos and tacos authentic to that region, but are culinary staples.
On the subject of authenticity, I am compelled to mention their flank steak $15, with raw mole. The steak itself presented in a diminutive cast iron skillet and sided with warmed soft tortillas is beautifully cooked and quite flavourful. Their version of "so called" mole was a spectacular let down, admittedly only for me, as none of the other diners mentioned it. It was thin and lacked any discerning texture and flavour of what authentic mole should be.
Let me put my assessment in perspective: I first ate chicken mole home cooked, in Los Angeles, by an extended family member who hailed from Mexico. It was then that I first fell in love with it (and another reason why I so wanted to come back to Fonda Lola, as it wasn't on the menu on my first visit--I think you can delete this part of the sentence). I have also ordered and enjoyed it at Rick Bayless' flagship resto Topolobampo in Chicago. Mr. Bayless is one of America's best known purveyor of authentic Mexican cuisine, having lived in Mexico for six years and was a student of Spanish and Latin American culture. Finally, two years ago at top rated Salpicon in Chicago, whose chef is Mexican born Priscilla Satkoff. She was anointed "One of the Top Chefs of Mexico" by Larousse Gastronomique. All three aforementioned renditions of mole were similar in satisfying flavour and texture. Sadly Fonda Lola's version had no relationship or failed to spark even a faint reminiscence to them.
Another bit of frustration is their cavalier attitude with payment. When I made my reservation, via text, there was no mention that they are now or likely to be "cash only". It was only when we arrived that we saw paper signs by the window. When we inquired with our server we were informed that this is an ongoing issue due to haphazard internet service in the restaurant. We would have appreciated prior notice, saving me a walk in the rain to a convenience store based ATM, plus service charge. Some notice, at very least on their website, would have been appreciated, but unfortunately their homepage has had a promissory "coming soon" announcement since late last summer.
Time between courses seemed to drag on and on.
Finally consider that at almost $50/person for dinner the adults in our group left hungry!
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