Lola & Lolita (Cleveland) Reviews & Discussion

[RagallachMC]

I did a quick search but didn't see anybody discussing this yet.

Michael Symon is moving his localy (and nationaly) famous retaurant, Lola, from its current location in Tremont to a new location on E. 4th. Lola will close in April and will reopen a month later as a new restaurant: Lolita. Lolita will feature Symon's take on Greek/Mediterranean cuisine and is rumored to be more affordable than Lola's current menu and will place a large emphasis on meze style small plates. Lola will then reopen in October in the new E. 4th street digs with a bigger kitchen, larger dining room, and expanded wine storage. In addition, the Symons (Michael and his wife Liz) have formed a partnership with Theory's owner, Doug Petkovic. The three are now partners in Lola, Lolita, and Theory with Michael Symon running the kitchens, Liz decorating and setting the style, and Petkovic running the business side.

That's a lot to take in, eh? :)

I think it's a bold move for Symon to move from his Tremont digs to downtown. Many restaurants downtown are not doing well, and it will be interesting to see if the addition of Lola to the downtown scene can turn it around (like he did with Tremont when he opened there). Partnering with Petkovic is a great move that will hopefully allow Symon more time to concentrate on his kitchens, his staff, and his food. I'm also excited to see what Symon will do with the menu at Theory, which I think is good but isn't great.

Whatever happens, I now have three 'new' restaurants to try. :)

[edsel]

From the press release:

Lola’s new home will feature a state-of-the-art open kitchen, Chef's Table, expanded wine cellar, private dining room, and in house pastry chef.

Sounds pretty ambitious. I hope they can thrive downtown, and maybe inject some excitement into the area.

[Michael Ruhlman]

I think it's a big money laundering scheme. I've never trusted that symon character.

[Matthew Sievert]

I think it's a big money laundering scheme. I've never trusted that symon character.

←

Gee, I guess you shouldn't of dedicated a third of your AWESOME, THOUGHT INSPIRING, OVER-THE-TOP, culinary Tour-de-Force. "Soul of a Chef" to him.

Did I mention the book was titled "Soul of a Chef"?

Some guy who thinks he can make a decent brown sauce, named Ruhlman wrote it.

[tetsujustin]

I think it's a big money laundering scheme. I've never trusted that symon character.

←

Gee, I guess you shouldn't of dedicated a third of your AWESOME, THOUGHT INSPIRING, OVER-THE-TOP, culinary Tour-de-Force. "Soul of a Chef" to him.

Did I mention the book was titled "Soul of a Chef"?

Some guy who thinks he can make a decent brown sauce, named Ruhlman wrote it.

←

Or even a sauce Robert.

I might have to bring some extra cash if I go up and visit my friend at Case Western now... meh.

[Michael Ruhlman]

I actually think it's a smart move for michael to expand, and in just this way. It's a risky location but so was tremont and now look at it. if anyone can enliven the area, it's michael. i'm heading down to parallax and maybe stop in to see michael and will find out more details.

[edsel]

*bump*

The Lolabistro web site now lists April 30 as the closing date for their current location. I'm going to make an effort to make it to the Tremont location at least once before they close for the renovation / move. Any other eGulleters have any experience there (Yeah, Michael, we know you've dined there.)

[ronnie_suburban]

It's Ruhlman's fault I keep dreaming of Cleveland . . . that cursed book.

Thanks for the updated info, edsel

=R=

[Verjuice]

I bought the book while I was in Alaska in August of '04, and read it in two sittings on a very long ferry ride from AK to WA.

One week later, en route from NM to MA, I drove fourteen hours out of the way in order to eat at Lola.

It was a fantastic night. Michael Symon wasn't there, but Doug was thoroughly entertaining.

I'll drive to Cleveland for a night or two if Michael Symon is opening a new place. In a heartbeat. I had a great time. It was the best solo dining experience I've ever had.

Edited March 14, 2005 by Verjuice (log)

[edsel]

I decided to pop in to Lolita last night. I'd been wanting to check it out after the transformation from Lola Bistro to Lolita.

Lolita has a Mediterranean theme. There's a wood-fired oven blazing away behind the bar and a cool-looking red enamel slicer set to paper thin for the prosciutto (cured in house!). I asked the server about the in-house salumeria, and he said that everything but the pancetta was made on the premises. I'm not sure how they have prosciutto already. It was my impression that they didn't start curing their own meats until after Lola shut down for the move/renovation. Doesn't prosciutto take months to cure?

Anyways, I decided to do the "three course tasting menu", which is basically just a bundling of two small plates, one app, and one entree from the menu. I chose:

Small Plate no. 1 - Yellowtail Crudo. This has a playful pseudo-Japanese presentation. What looks like a maki roll is actually a rolled grape leaf. The yellowtail tasted stronger than I expected, perhaps because of the olive oil and sesame dressing.

Small Plate no. 2 - Country Ham. This was the "Today's Salumi" item from the menu. Very similar to prosciutto in flavor and texture. It was accompanied by a mostarda (relish) of pears and garnished with a pickled ramp.

Appetizer - Grilled flat bread with prosciutto, manouri, and mint. The flat bread was wonderfully crisp and smoking hot, right out of the wood-fired oven. The prosciutto was delicate and very flavorful. The manouri was milder than expected, and the mint was quite subtle. Very nice!

Entree - Bucatini "Carbonara". They put "Carbonara" in quotes because this is really a departure from a traditional carbonara. It has peas, pancetta, veal tongue, and is topped by a poached egg. It was yummy, but I would have preferred a sauce texture closer to a traditional carbonara.

I ordered a cheese from the small plate menu for dessert. A Graviera, semi-soft Greek sheep's milk cheese, labeled "good action" on the menu. Apparently that was the comment of one of the cooks after tasting it. No one knows what "good action" means exactly, but it's on the menu.

I think in the future I'd assemble the entire meal out of the small plates. There are twenty-odd items, with the "Today's Salumi" rotating frequently, so there's a big variety to chose from.

p.s. to Kristin: Sorry I didn't PM you that I was going. I was already on the road when I decided to make a detour to Tremont.

[ronnie_suburban]

Moderator Note: The above post was split off from the Cleveland, summer 2005 thread to begin this new one.

Thanks, edsel, for the report. I'd love to hear more about this place

=R=

[edsel]

There's also some previous discussion of Lola / Lolita in a previous thread.

Lolita is not Lola Bistro, but that's mostly a good thing. The new Lola Bistro will open on E. 4th St. in a couple of months, but Lolita will retain that funky Tremont neighborhood charm. I'm optimistic that we'll be getting the best of both worlds. Lolita will be a fun, relaxed Mediterranean restaurant, and Lola (downtown) will be chef Symon's showcase. Several eG members will be reporting on Lolita shortly.

[RagallachMC]

My wife and I went there last month. I got out of work early, and since our son was staying with my mother for the night, we decided to have an impromptu date.

We got to Lolita about 9:30 pm, since it was a weeknight the place was pretty quiet but there were a few tables finishing up and a few people at the bar. We sat at the bar and were promptly handed menus and a wine list. I'll be honest and say that I don't know a whole lot about Spanish or Greek wines, so I asked a few questions aboutsome of the selections on the wine list. The bartender (whose name embarresingly escapes me right now) was knowledgeable about the list and answered all my questions. We ordered a bottle of Cava and turned our attention to the menu.

The menu offered 20 (I think) small plates, some appetizers, a couple of salads, and maybe 10 entrees. My wife and I were drawn to the small plates so we ordered 16 different items, 8 to start with and then 8 more when we killed the first batch. I don't remember them all, but here's the ones I do:

Crispy risotto, chicken livers, and spring peas. So good! The risotto was crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside, The livers tasted almost like foie gras they were so rich, and the peas and the perfect snap to them.

Stuffed calamari. Stuffed with a mediterranean rice pilaf. Very simple but well executed and very tasty. My wife's favorite.

Tellagio cheese. I love Tellagio, so this was a no brainer for me. Perfect temperature (I hate cold tellagio).

Cured pork loin. I forget the fancy name for this. It was shaved very thin and served with pickled ramps, some bread, and a fig jam. It melted in my mouth.

Meatballs. Little meatballs served in a tomato sauce. Again, a simple dish well executed.

Roasted peppers. A small bowl of julienned roasted peppers, and small olives. Unimpressed.

Spanakopita. Good, but not great. The pastry was a touch undercooked, and it just lacked a full flavor.

Fried smelts with lemon aioli. Really good! I could have eaten a huge bowl of these. The aioli was great too.

Salumi du jour. This was an actual salami. Very good, with the same setup as the cured pork.

Roquefort cheese. I forget where this cheese came from, but it was very good. Very earthy.

That's all I can remember right now, but there were at least 6 others. After we finished our cava and let the food settle a bit, we ordered and split a florless chocolate cake with ouzo whipped cream and 2 cappucinos. The cappucinos were great and the flourless cake was very good. The ouzo cream was also well done. Just enough to leave a flavor impression, but not so much that the anis overpowered the chocolate.

All in all a very nice experience. Great food, great service, and not a bad price either. We ate all that food, a bottle of cava, 2 cappucinos, tax and tip, and got out for under 100 dollars. Defiantely worth a visit.

Edited August 13, 2005 by RagallachMC (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

Wow, RagallachMC! I've eaten a lot of food today and that run-down is still making me hungry. My mouth is literally watering at the mention of the crispy risotto with chicken livers and spring peas. That sounds so good!

=R=

[torakris]

In case anyone missed my post in the ISO thread, before I return to Japan I have decided I must get to Lolita's. A couple of us are planning dinner for Tuesday August 16th, anyone who is interested in joining us should send me a pm or e-mail me.

I can't believe you guys remembered that much of the meal! did you take notes?

[edsel]

Thanks to Kristin's ISO post, six of us met up at Lolita on Tuesday. NancyH and husband Bob, RagallachMC , Palladion, torakris, and I had a nice view of the open kitchen. When someone expressed astonishment that that little area behind the bar was really the kitchen, RagallachMC volunteered that his kitchen is half that size. (If you want to learn more about working out of a tiny kitchen, see Ruhlman's Soul of a Chef).

Barely one week after my initial post, the menu has already changed significantly. Quite a few of the dishes have been changed out, but the layout and pricing structure have also been subtly altered.

Rather than pricing the "small plates" individually, they charge a flat price of $4.50 each, or three for $12. The previous menu priced the "small plates" $3 to $5 and separated them into "Veggies", "Cheeses", "Seafood", and "Meats". I think that the previous price breakouts were a distraction - the new menu encourages a "let's try some new stuff" sort of attitude. Some of the cheese and meat items have been moved to the "Meats and Cheeses" (Appetizer) column and are priced individually.

The "Antipasta for Two" item has been replaced by the similar "Big Board for Two". NancyH and hubby had this, and it resembled a greatly augmented version of the "salumi of the day" I had last week. It was served on a plank of wood, and included prosciutto, lomo, and something striated with fat (guanciale?), plus the mostarda I was served last week (yay pickled ramp!), plus some other yummy-looking stuff. Hopefully NancyH can fill in the gaps. When asked about what the "Big Board for Two" contains, our server informed us that it's pretty much whatever the cooks think looks interesting. This led to a brief discussion of avoiding the "chef's special" in most restaurants, but I think the consensus was that Chef Symon & co. actually want to serve you cool stuff.

OK. Quick summary of what I had.

Three "Small Plates":

Molten Croquettes - Pretty much as good as that sounds.

Fried Smelts - The orange aoli is what tartar sauce wants to be.

Lobster Grape Leaves - The lobster was subtle, the dolmade effect was awesome.

Two "Meats & Cheeses" apps:

Guanciale Crostini - This was salty but also sweet - I don't know what was on the crostini other than the cured pork jowl, but this had a strikingly sweet note - good, but I would back off on the sweet component. Maybe they were trying to compensate for the inate saliness of the Guanciale. Get over it dudes! We know that cured hawg jowl is gonna be salty. Don't try to hide it.

Robiola - Gorgeous triple-cream cheese. Can't recall what was served with this, but I think there were sweet notes there as well. Very nice.

Finally, dessert:

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta - A great finish to a wonderful meal. Complex and not overly sweet. Also had coffee. I usually don't risk ordering coffee in restaurants, but this was a nice accompaniment to the Panna Cotta.

=====

One last note to all of you who have a rather romantic notion of Lola/Lotita courtesy of Ruhlman's book. The place was packed on a weekday night in Cleveland. Most restaurants in North East Ohio? *crickets*.

Chef Symon was workin' the line through the thick of it. Smoke was pouring out of that wood-fired oven. The Ferrari-red slicer on the counter was set to paper-thin, and the house-cured leg of prosciutto on that slicer was absolutely gorgeous. He was clearly in his element. Partner Doug P. was handling the FOH, including what passes for "the passe" (walk into the restaurant and you're there). This is, when all is said and done, a small neighborhood restaurant. All the more extraordinary, considering the publicity (notoriety?).

After things wound down a bit, chef MS came around to chat with the clientele. When we told him we were the eGullet gang, he seemed genuinely pleased. Hopefully he knows he's got fans here.

We didn't quite close down the place - they're open until 11:00 on weeknights, and we left a bit before that. We ended the evening on the street in front of the restaurant chatting with chef Symon and wife Liz - she's actively involved in the business, especially in the wine service (which is outstanding).

It's abundantly clear that chef MS loves this place. He's nominally handed off the kitchen to his highly competent chefs, but he just can't stay out of there for now. That's going to change soon. The new Lola Bistro will be opening in October (if they're on schedule), and chef Symon will be wrapped up in all that excitement. For the next few weeks you can get a taste of what the old Lola Bistro was like. As I said before, Lolita is not Lola, but the "vibe" is definitely there. For those of you who want to get a taste of what Ruhlman described in Soul of a Chef , get thee to Tremont post haste.

p.s. to japan forum: rest assured that your procrastination trophy remains unchallenged. We managed to decide on our first round of dishes in less than 1 hour.

[ronnie_suburban]

I am SO jealous!!! Sounds like it was a great meal and a great time. I hope we get to hear more about it soon.

=R=

[torakris]

I am glad someone has finally posted about it! Between the Zoo yesterday and Geauga Lake today I haven't even made it to the computer.

This meal was incredible, definitely tied for the hilight meal of my trip. Tied of course, with the eGullet Heartland Gathering!

I chose the 3 course meal, in which I could choose two of the small plates, one of the meats/cheeses or salads and then one entree. At $32 I found this a great value for what I was able to eat. I chose the risotto cakes with calves liver (fabulous) and the smelts with orange aoli (this was a popular dish at our table and was incredible). For the salad I went with the beet salad with ricotta (maybe?), apples and pecans, I am still dreaming about this dish...

For the entree I chose the wild striped bass with a fennel ragout and an olive vinaigrette (I maybe off with the name as I didn't keep a menu), This piece of fish was a good 2 inches thick and cooked perfectly, I loved this dish.

[edsel]

The beet salad is roasted beets, pecans, apple, ricotta, and truffle honey. (I saved a menu ) It's fun to see a beet salad inspire so much conversation.

You got the description of the striped bass exactly as it was on the menu, except that it also mentions tomato. That bass looked absolutely gorgeous.

[torakris]

I had wanted to say more in my post last night but a hysterical 4 year old forced me to cut my computer time short...

That beet salad was so incredible! I had completely forgotten about the truffle honey.

I will definitely be checking out the new Lola's on my trip home next year, this meal was worth me getting lost both on the way there and on the way home!!

[ronnie_suburban]

Truffle honey sounds intriguing. Did it contain pieces of truffle or truffle oil?

=R=

[Schneier]

Truffle honey is honey infused with truffle oil. I've never seen it with truffle pieces. It's available in many specialty food stores, and typing "truffle honey" into Google yields several different brands.

Bruce

[sara]

Hi

I'm making the trip from Madison to Cleveland Friday and just snagged a Lolita reservation. First, could someone confirm for an out-of-towner where this place IS now, and more importantly, any insights into the wine list?

[edsel]

Lolita is in the old location of Lola Bistro (which is moving downtown). It's in a funky old neighborhood called Tremont. If you're coming in from the west you can take I90 to just before the I490 split, (what Google Maps recommends), or continue on I490 E to the West 7th exit, which is the way I would go. There's on-street parking in the area, but weekends it may be tough to find a spot. Lolita also has valet parking.

It's on the corner of Literary and Professor. Look for the black canvas awning.

Liz Symon is in charge of the wine list. The restaurant has a Mediterranean theme, and all of the wines come from that region. When the eG gang met up there we had a Greek wine that was quite nice (maybe NancyH remembers the name).

It's a really fun place, and it should be hopping on a Friday!

[edsel]

…

In addition, the Symons (Michael and his wife Liz) have formed a partnership with Theory's owner, Doug Petkovic.  The three are now partners in Lola, Lolita, and Theory with Michael Symon running the kitchens, Liz decorating and setting the style, and Petkovic running the business side.

That's a lot to take in, eh?

I think it's a bold move for Symon to move from his Tremont digs to downtown.  Many restaurants downtown are not doing well, and it will be interesting to see if the addition of Lola to the downtown scene can turn it around (like he did with Tremont when he opened there).  Partnering with Petkovic is a great move that will hopefully allow Symon more time to concentrate on his kitchens, his staff, and his food.  I'm also excited to see what Symon will do with the menu at Theory, which I think is good but isn't great.

Whatever happens, I now have three 'new' restaurants to try. ←

Sad news about Theory this week. Saturday will be their last night (Plain Dealer story here). Symon obviously had some influence on the menu - slash & burn grouper sure sounds familiar...

I wonder if Matt Harlan will be cooking at the new Lola Bistro when it opens.