| rev:text
| - Lola Coffee is like a modern tango in cafe form, a sultry symphony between the classic and the contemporary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riuF_Ur3unc . And to me, a welcome addition to Central Avenue.
LOCATION
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Situated in a small shopping center at Central & Highland, two doors down from Haus and equidistant between the Central/Camelback and Central/Campbell light rail stops.
SETTING
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* Outdoors: A tall Pete Deise piece greets you in the parking lot, while a couple of small tables and a wooden bench cluster near the entrance and in the shade.
* Indoors: A big open space with a collection of modern couch areas, wooden tables, and window bar seating. Some large pieces of mixed-media art adorn the walls and a rich maroon color accents the back where you order (ok, maybe it's not maroon - but I've always been a dunce at Crayola colors). Great iron-wrought chandelier up above. Congratulatory flowers everywhere, compliments of friends and other local business owners. Much of the eastern wall is all window - brightening the room and providing a full view of the Central Ave traffic/light rail and the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Brophy Chapel looming just beyond. An old school soundsystem complete with turntable plays some modern Latin tracks (I nodded to the remix of "Nutridinha" by Cesaria Evora) and I think a great match for the space.
* Customer Scene: Well, it was Day 1. Not much of a "scene" yet, although I can see neighborhood folks who enjoy Postino /Maize's /Pane Bianco liking this place a lot. Maybe skew a tad older than the Lux crowd? I could be completely off-base on that. The owners and owners' parents were there, plus a handful few others enjoying the space. Really comfortable & relaxed.
ON THE MENU
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The coffee bar includes a counter full of Sweat Pea cookies, pastries, and other goods. I wasn't expecting to be tempted, but man, everything looked excellent. The coffee menu included all the standards, plus teas, French presses and the Matador (I think a cinnamon mocha) and Borgia (sounded to me like that chocolate orange in liquid form). I didn't see any indication that they'll serve anything to eat beyond pastries and bagels, but I may be wrong.
SO MR. K GOT...?
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A soy latte (surprise!). And a chocolate cupcake (whaaa?).
AND...?
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* Soy Latte: Excellent. I'm so used to places making mediocre soy lattes that when someone actually know how to handle soy milk without burning or curdling it, I become doubly impressed. Couple that with perfectly done espresso. Served in a handle-less cup, this tasted silky smooth and rich from start to finish. Plus there was the whole latte arty leaf business on top, and who doesn't like a latte arty leaf?
* Chocolate cupcake: Some of you know of my utter disdain for the current cupcake phenomenon, but this tasted awesome. Also? Awesome. The cake was perfectly moist, the chocolate was just the right amount of richness, there wasn't 4 inches of frosting on top, and IT WASN'T FIVE DOLLARS. Repeat. NOT FIVE DOLLARS. So yeah, I'm impressed by a cupcake. Take that.
ANY CRITICISMS?
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* HOURS - Having closing hours be at 7 (M-Th), 10 (Fri-Sat) and 3 (Su) is going to confuse the general public. I'd recommend keeping consistent closing hours every day (hopefully closing at 10 pm or later). The location is perfect. People will come through the day and after work. And I can see evening business do just fine, for this place is already hearkening Europe. Please?
* PAYMENT - Currently cash only. Hope they get a card machine soon, because folks thinking they're going to walk out with an armload of Sweet Pea goods and Lola's own roasted beans with their debit card are in for a rude awakening.
CONCLUSION
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More like a preface, because I'm definitely coming back.
Lola Coffee is going to be a great neighborhood institution (I can see it doing perfectly fine business-wise, even with Lux and the soon-coming Dutch Bros) and if I want to meet up with a friend or date for coffee, I could see Lola among the top of the list. Especially as there's no pretense coming from the counter or anyone else. There's free Wi-Fi, which is always a bonus, but I'm hoping this place doesn't turn into another laptop convention center (I know, mighty hypocritical of me of all people to say, but whatever). Looks like a great location to read or study.
So 4.49 stars for now. I'll hold off on 5 stars because, well, it's only Day 1 and they'll probably only get better.
So mucho gusto, Lola. Y hasta pronto.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zD9W9SZj9w
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