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| - Lolita offers well executed if unspectacular dishes. I don't mean this as a criticism -- I mean this more as a caution to those who are expecting a restaurant on the level of Chef Mike Symon's fellow Iron Chefs. Lolita is not quite on the same plane as the restaurants of Batali, Morimoto, or even Flay -- but then again, that's never been what Mike Symon has been about. Symon's specialty is straightforward, blue-collar fare cooked expertly. If you're looking for more of an Iron Chef experience, head to Symon's flagship Lola in downtown Cleveland.
With that caveat out of the way, I was happy with my recent visit, if not blown away. The food is good -- especially for the price -- but most of the dishes that I sampled will never make my top-ten list, with the possible exception of the bucatini, which took pulled pork to a new, unexpected level. Otherwise, most of the dishes were solid but not transcendent -- the arugula salad, the mussels, the crudo, the lamb keftedes, the duck pizza, and the warm chocolate cake were all average to above-average. The mixed drinks were also about average, and the service from the front of house to the waitstaff seemed like the farm league for Lola.
I'll most likely go back to Lola before I come back to Lolita. 3.5 stars, rounded up because of my love for Mike Symon.
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