RESTAURANT REVIEW

Lola Restaurant & Ultra Lounge

In the spot of the old Gotham right across from the Morikami is one of the coolest eateries to come to SoFla in ages. With a distinctly South Beach vibe, the food is exceptional, especially the diner’s option of ordering wonderful entrees or sharing lots of fabulous “small plates” offering that special kind of dining experience everyone craves, especially on vacation. A place to hang, listen to awesome music, nurse a drink, share a bottle of wine with friends, sample lots of different dishes and see and be seen by a decidedly nice-looking crowd. The spot just has “it,” and beckons both resident and visitor alike fusing everything effortlessly into an atmosphere that almost defies articulation. LOLA oozes energy. Chic and sophisticated, it’s also remarkably, cozy. The brainchild of well regarded restaurateur Wendy Rosano, the eye-popping décor is all her. Stunningly contemporary, the color changing rock wall, sleek curved bar and lounge area, and rock faced walls featuring plasmas, morphs you to places you’ve seen in Aspen and Vail. The firepit dining area outside is awesome with its own bar and décor and is where plenty of people who savor Florida’s winter weather (and their pets) just seem to gather.

“I always wanted the kind of place that made you feel good from the second you arrive to the second you leave.” And that LOLA does. The food, billed as Mediterranean Eclectic from the regions of Spain, Italy, Greece and France is the clear superstar though. So elegantly presented, it takes your breath away. And you think, if it only tastes half as good as it looks you’d be happy. Well be prepared to experience off-the-charts good. Case in point: the Ahi Tuna Tartar ($14). A gorgeous terrain of multi-level colors and flavors served with Taro Chips, Wasabi cream and sweet

Lola Restaurant: Dining Room

chili paste, it is the best anywhere with its smoky sesame taste. You know how when you’re being polite dining with friends you each say, “you take the last bite,” countered by, “no, you take it?” Well, four hands met over the plate and none of us wanted to give up territory. Before we drew blood, we solved it by ordering another, it’s that good. So is the melt in your mouth Smoked Salmon Tostada (4 for $8/8 for $15), we had to order another one of those too. Crunchy, with thin slices of perfect smoked Scottish Salmon topped with capers, red onion, goat cheese and drizzled with an outstanding ancho-chili aioli that was sans heat. We ate like we never saw food before. When the three American Kobe Sliders ($14) arrived, the FOUR of us looked panicked. We dove at them and were not disappointed. The PERFECT burger downsized. A Mediterranean Salad ($10) harkened me back to Greece. A great salty selection of olives, foiled by cool cucumber slices, vine ripened tomato, awesome oregano and hunks of fabulous Feta. The Tuna “Pop” ($26) is an entrée or can be shared. Extraordinary! Both in taste, presentation and sheer inventiveness. A second trip yielded the Grilled Baby Lamb Chops ($34), huge, meaty, fall-off-the-bone tender chops arrived perched above pistachio-encrusted goat cheese rounds, wilted greens and sweet-sage dusted potato fries served with mint chimichurri. Not one thing on the plate was less than stellar. One of the nicest things about the beautifully crafted menu here is that no matter what you are in the mood for, there’s