Lola Bistro is near Kosta's in the Tremont neighborhood, so we knew just where we were going and how long it would take (five minutes). Like every other place we drove to in Cleveland, there was ample parking. What a strange thing to have in a city--extra parking spaces.
When you step into Lola, you are struck by metal and color; this is a view from the front door:
Missing from this shot is the wild mix of stylish people--customers and employees. You immediately know that you are in for a unique experience.
The hostess noted that we were "from Wisconsin", as it was written in the reservations book. When I first made the reservation, the person I spoke with (later, we shall meet her: the Duchess) was quite interested in our trip to eat there, wanting to know how we heard about Lola, and giving us the recommendation to stay at the Clifford House.
We sat in the corner booth in the back of the upper section, which is in the upper left-hand corner of the picture above. Our waiter was Tony, and he was very cool (we later learned his real title, "Culinary Choreographer"). When we ordered drinks, he told us about a Tremont (Cleveland?) law that allows the serving of wine and beer only (no liquor) on Sunday. So, we started with excellent champagne cocktails that were the color of amber in sunlight--really!
Tony recommended the gazpacho, so we ordered a bowl to share. The bright orange bowl was bigger than a Frisbee and the gazpacho was rippling with flavors: cilantro, red onion, fresh tomato, carrot. Great recommendation.
The menu was stylish, a single silver laminated sheet. Someone had penned in a comma between "Canadian Bacon" and "Smoked Gouda", and I know this is my kind of place--even punctuation is not overlooked! The wine list is extensive and is contained in a heavy metal folder that has "Wine" melted into the front cover. Very unique.
After the gazpacho, I ordered the spinach salad with sweetbreads (Tony advises it is really mostly sweetbreads--to which I say, bring it on!) and Nance ordered the potato and black truffle pierogies. Both wonderful, but the sweetbreads are just amazing: huge and crispy and, well, sweet. Just perfect. Nance and I agree that Lola is indeed "L'Etoile quality" (our favorite restaurant in Madison, to which we compare all others).
Next the main course. I ordered the roast duck with figs and Nance went with the slash and burn grouper. Again, both are otherworldly, but the duck and somehow especially the figs are just off the chart--so wonderfully sweet and contrasting the seared duck breast. Nance enjoyed hers, but agreed that I made the perfect selection. We were just so impressed with the food.
All of the portions are a nice size, so you don't get so full that you cannot eat dessert. Nancy got the melted chocolate cake with a cappuccino and I, a double espresso (no crema--the only disappointment) and banana pierogies with toasted pine nuts and homemade caramel ice cream. Again, both are great, but mine just made us melt--the pierogies and the ice cream are perfect complements.
Our compliments to the chefs who prepared all of this amazing food without Symon anywhere present (Sundays are a day off for him, we learned). Plus, they do all of their work in an open environment, at the end of the bar (back right of the picture above). Also, Tony was a class act. Once he knew we were from out of town and were serious foodies, he brought every dish that he served in our area by for us to see. How cool is that?
Tony then went even further and brought the manager over to meet us. We had seen her throughout the evening, an attractive woman with a shock of blonde hair, cool glasses, and a wild white and black outfit. She introduced herself, and sat down to chat. She had taken our initial reservations, and she was one of those people you just immediately click with. She was friendly and cool. In fact, she sat at our table for at least half an hour and talked about Michael, his co-owner wife (Liz?), the history of several of them working together. She also asked about our trip: where we stayed, where we had eaten, what we had done, and then wrote down all kinds of stuff we have to do next time we are in Cleveland. (First and foremost, when we return, eat at Lola and get together with Jackie to see that Elvis meets Nixon pen.)
Before we departed, we got Tony and Jackie's business cards, and as you can see, they have cool titles to go along with their cool personalities:
(click to enlarge)
Many thanks to Tony, Jackie, and the chefs for making our visit to Lola's even better than we expected. We shall return!