Cleveland - November 2007 - Lola
Starting today, the food blog comments are being written by my wife, Judy, and myself!!! She adds an extra dimension to my technical style of writing.
Judy and I ate at Lola on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 and then again on Thursday, November 8th. We went back a second night just for the appetizers and cheese plate because there were so many interesting appetizers on the menu that we really wanted to try.
Lola is located downtown Cleveland at 2058 East 4th Street.
When we arrived Wednesday, Chef Michael Symon was being photographed for another news article. He is in high demand since he is one of the finalist on "The Next Iron Chef". It is easy to tell when the Chef is in... you can hear his unique laugh across the restaurant.
The decor of the place is modern with low lighting. There is an alabaster bar at the front of the restaurant, which can be seen from the street. At the back right, you can see the open kitchen.
Now about the food:
We were presented with a small amuse bouche of house cured pancetta on a small brioche roll. It had a very nice, slightly smokey and salty flavor. Perfect for the start of a great meal.
We then had the beef cheek pierogies with wild mushrooms, a touch of horseradish and creme fraiche. The price was a bit high, $12, for only two pierogie, but the flavor and textures were fabulous. The pierogies were served al dente with a touch of sauce and fresh herbs. The filling had a deep, rich flavor. (Judy's comment: They taste like very good pot stickers, but $12 for 2?????)
We also had the charcuterie of the day, which consisted of 4 different house prepared sausages or cured meats, pickled vegetables, small slices of brioche and a coarse grain mustard for $12. While all meats were excellent, the most memorable was the 5 thin slices of lamb sausage with juniper and citrus. (Judy: Fascinating, first you test the slight gamey taste of lamb, then at the end, it finishes with orange. Wow!!) There was a cured ham was very similar to serrano ham from Spain. It was served as 4 or 5 paper thin slices. It reminded me of the serrano that we had in Malaga last year.
For entrees we had the smoked Berkshire pork chops and the sturgeon.
The pork chops were thick sliced, boneless and served medium. They were cut into pieces about 2 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick. There were served over a creamy, cheesey polenta (Judy: The polenta by itself is so creamy and dreamy. Eat it with the pork and the sauce, it just make the pork chop taste heavenly.) and topped with barbecued pickled onions and a few thin slices of hot peppers. They were the best pork chops that I've ever eaten. Very tender and moist with a bit of heat and sweetness from the peppers and onions. The creamy polenta made an excellent sauce for the dish.
The sturgeon consisted of 2 pieces of sturgeon, probably 3 to 4 ounces each, about 1 1/4 inches thick. It was served with clams, chorizo, and braised swiss chard. The flavors worked very well together. Overall, the dish was very good. The fish was just the slightest bit overcooked, almost as if it was left on the burner for 10 seconds too long (Judy: It's hard to pass my taste buds, when you are 10 second beyond perfection). Sturgeons are bottom feeders so they have a hint of a muddy taste, similar to catfish. Even so, this flavor element worked well with the braised greens. (Judy: I usually eat each element by itself than all together. For this dish you need to eat all elements together.)
Our waiter recommended two desserts, the "6 a.m. special" and the mocha parfait. Both desserts cost $9 each.
The "6 a.m. special" was very interesting and very good. It consisted of french toast made from brioche, an maple flavored ice cream with bits of smokey bacon incorporated into it. (Judy: When I tasted the bits of bacon, my reaction is "Oh my goodness!") , and caramalized apples. The tiny bits of bacon added an extra twist to the dessert that made it really special (in a good way).
The mocha parfait consisted of a rich chocolate creme topped with a coffee granite and bits of walnuts. Again, it was excellent. (Judy: Yum!!Yummy dark chocolate cream)
We ordered a bottle of Joseph Drouhin Vero Pinot Noir for the meal since a lighter red wine would work well with the various dishes we ordered. It was a nice wine for the meal. Cost of the bottle was $40. This wine normally retails for about $25 so the restaurant's markup wasn't bad. (Judy: I was nicely surprised at the different tastes and the complicity of the wine as I tasted the different dishes)
The service in the restaurant was excellent.
I'm glad that we don't live in Cleveland. I would probably go broke from eating a Lola on a regular basis.
Judy mentioned to the waiter that I had graduated from the same culinary school as Chef Symon. At the end of the meal Chef Symon sat at our table for a brief chat. He seems very likable in person. Unfortunately for us, we left our camera at the hotel so we didn't get a picture of the 3 of us. (Judy: Nice guy. His wife is the sommelier for their two restaurants)
We'll write about our followup visit in our next entry. We remembered the camera on the followup visit.
Judy and I ate at Lola on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 and then again on Thursday, November 8th. We went back a second night just for the appetizers and cheese plate because there were so many interesting appetizers on the menu that we really wanted to try.
Lola is located downtown Cleveland at 2058 East 4th Street.
When we arrived Wednesday, Chef Michael Symon was being photographed for another news article. He is in high demand since he is one of the finalist on "The Next Iron Chef". It is easy to tell when the Chef is in... you can hear his unique laugh across the restaurant.
The decor of the place is modern with low lighting. There is an alabaster bar at the front of the restaurant, which can be seen from the street. At the back right, you can see the open kitchen.
Now about the food:
We were presented with a small amuse bouche of house cured pancetta on a small brioche roll. It had a very nice, slightly smokey and salty flavor. Perfect for the start of a great meal.
We then had the beef cheek pierogies with wild mushrooms, a touch of horseradish and creme fraiche. The price was a bit high, $12, for only two pierogie, but the flavor and textures were fabulous. The pierogies were served al dente with a touch of sauce and fresh herbs. The filling had a deep, rich flavor. (Judy's comment: They taste like very good pot stickers, but $12 for 2?????)
We also had the charcuterie of the day, which consisted of 4 different house prepared sausages or cured meats, pickled vegetables, small slices of brioche and a coarse grain mustard for $12. While all meats were excellent, the most memorable was the 5 thin slices of lamb sausage with juniper and citrus. (Judy: Fascinating, first you test the slight gamey taste of lamb, then at the end, it finishes with orange. Wow!!) There was a cured ham was very similar to serrano ham from Spain. It was served as 4 or 5 paper thin slices. It reminded me of the serrano that we had in Malaga last year.
For entrees we had the smoked Berkshire pork chops and the sturgeon.
The pork chops were thick sliced, boneless and served medium. They were cut into pieces about 2 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches thick. There were served over a creamy, cheesey polenta (Judy: The polenta by itself is so creamy and dreamy. Eat it with the pork and the sauce, it just make the pork chop taste heavenly.) and topped with barbecued pickled onions and a few thin slices of hot peppers. They were the best pork chops that I've ever eaten. Very tender and moist with a bit of heat and sweetness from the peppers and onions. The creamy polenta made an excellent sauce for the dish.
The sturgeon consisted of 2 pieces of sturgeon, probably 3 to 4 ounces each, about 1 1/4 inches thick. It was served with clams, chorizo, and braised swiss chard. The flavors worked very well together. Overall, the dish was very good. The fish was just the slightest bit overcooked, almost as if it was left on the burner for 10 seconds too long (Judy: It's hard to pass my taste buds, when you are 10 second beyond perfection). Sturgeons are bottom feeders so they have a hint of a muddy taste, similar to catfish. Even so, this flavor element worked well with the braised greens. (Judy: I usually eat each element by itself than all together. For this dish you need to eat all elements together.)
Our waiter recommended two desserts, the "6 a.m. special" and the mocha parfait. Both desserts cost $9 each.
The "6 a.m. special" was very interesting and very good. It consisted of french toast made from brioche, an maple flavored ice cream with bits of smokey bacon incorporated into it. (Judy: When I tasted the bits of bacon, my reaction is "Oh my goodness!") , and caramalized apples. The tiny bits of bacon added an extra twist to the dessert that made it really special (in a good way).
The mocha parfait consisted of a rich chocolate creme topped with a coffee granite and bits of walnuts. Again, it was excellent. (Judy: Yum!!Yummy dark chocolate cream)
We ordered a bottle of Joseph Drouhin Vero Pinot Noir for the meal since a lighter red wine would work well with the various dishes we ordered. It was a nice wine for the meal. Cost of the bottle was $40. This wine normally retails for about $25 so the restaurant's markup wasn't bad. (Judy: I was nicely surprised at the different tastes and the complicity of the wine as I tasted the different dishes)
The service in the restaurant was excellent.
I'm glad that we don't live in Cleveland. I would probably go broke from eating a Lola on a regular basis.
Judy mentioned to the waiter that I had graduated from the same culinary school as Chef Symon. At the end of the meal Chef Symon sat at our table for a brief chat. He seems very likable in person. Unfortunately for us, we left our camera at the hotel so we didn't get a picture of the 3 of us. (Judy: Nice guy. His wife is the sommelier for their two restaurants)
We'll write about our followup visit in our next entry. We remembered the camera on the followup visit.
Labels: Chef Symon, Cleveland Dining Guide, Lola
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