RESTAURANT REVIEW

Lola Restaurant & Ultra Lounge

Lola Restaurant: Dining Room

In the spot of the old Gotham on Jog Road right across from the Morikami is one of our area’s honestly awesome eateries. With a distinctly South Beach vibe, the food is exceptional, the atmosphere eclectic HAPPY and with the diner’s option of ordering wonderful entrees or simply sharing lots of fabulous “small plates” offering that “tapas” kind of dining experience everyone loves, especially on vacation, it’s a place people are coming back to over and over again. Especially when well regarded restaurateur Wendy Rosano, changes it up every so often to keep it exciting. LOLA (an acronym for Love Often, Laugh a Lot), when asked how she came up with the name Rosano said in simple Wendy style, “Nothing seemed right until I was sitting in my own restaurant one day and there on the wall is an Italian proverb I’ve always loved. Vive bene, spessa l’amore di risate molto. Live well, Love often, Laugh a lot. So LOLA was born.”

LOLA is the place you gravitate to especially when you’re on vacation. It’s that spot that just satisfies whatever mood you’re in. It’s 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. With eye-popping décor that’s 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 and pine for here. The firepit dining area outside is awesome with its own bar and trendy décor, it’s 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 Italian influenced eclectic 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. Well be prepared to experience off-the-charts good. Case in point: the Ahi Tuna Tartar ($13.95). A gorgeous terrine of multi-level colors and flavors served with Taro Chips, Wasabi cream and sweet 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 (11.95), 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 MEATBALL Sliders ($10.95) on fresh brioche arrived, the FOUR of us looked panicked. We dove at them and were not disappointed. They were perfection! Their GREEK Salad ($9.95) harkened me back