I may complain about the weather and underperforming professional sports teams, but I still love Cleveland. I’ve been known to get a bit defensive when I hear anyone make fun of my hometown (only we’re allowed to do that!).
Unfortunately, Cleveland is a pretty frequent target. Our river caught on fire a few times 30 years ago and people never let us forget it. As a result, if you’re from a city that gets ragged on as much as mine you need to prepare yourself to defend its honor by being knowledgeable about all of its good traits.
With that in mind, when I learned that Cleveland’s own Michael Symon had won Food Network’s “The Next Iron Chef,” I made it a goal to dine in one of his critically acclaimed Northeast Ohio restaurants. That way, I could reference my meal in any future arguments. It took me a while–700 miles and a tight budget didn’t help–but my mother and I finally had the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful dinner at Lola this past weekend.
Lola is located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, just a few blocks from Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field (the homes of my beloved Cavaliers and Indians). The interior of the restaurant has a very trendy, modern feel. The walls are dark, decor is minimalist, and even the faucets in the mens’ room look like they cost some serious coin. The bustling kitchen is open to the dining room and is even surrounded by a bar where guests can dine with a front row view of the action.
The menu reflects the atmosphere. There aren’t a huge amount of options to choose from, but each item is intriguing and unsurprisingly aimed at diners with deep pockets. Appetizers range from $10-$18 and entrees will run you $27-$32. The cuisine can only be described as modern American. I know that’s pretty vague, but I didn’t notice any other trends running through the menu to classify it more accurately.
To start, we opted for the Braised Berkshire “Bacon” over an apple-ginger slaw and parsnip puree. The “bacon” is actually slow cooked, melt-in-your-mouth chunks of pork belly. The meat, which was simply bursting with flavor, was complemented very nicely by the acidity of the slaw. The tangy ginger adds a unique hint of Asian flavor to an otherwise predominately American dish. I also enjoyed the pleasant, subtle sweetness of the parsnip puree.
For my entree, I (as I frequently do) went with the item I had never tried before. In this case, it was the Squab. For those of you who are unsure of exactly what squab is, it’s the meat of a young, farm raised pigeon. This may not sound inherently appealing, but you’ll have to trust me and just give it a chance. The dark meat of the bird was served along with rich, creamy foie gras and a fantastic sweet potato puree. Expertly cooked, the meat was tender and juicy. The foie gras, while not the best I’ve had, was a nice addition from both a flavor and textural standpoint.
As for dessert, we chose the Chocolate-Peppermint Parfait. The parfait combines dark chocolate cake, a light, whipped ganache, a thin hard chocolate layer, sea salt to maximize the flavors, and fresh berries. It would be damn near impossible to mess those ingredients up, so it’s not surprising to say that this dish was a tremendous success as well. It essentially tasted like the world’s greatest hotel pillow mint. I had to muster up some serious will power not to lick the plate clean.
Overall, I was very impressed with Lola. Prices were high, but the quality of the product and the level of service matched the cost every step of the way. If you happen to be visiting Cleveland (which EVERYONE should do, if for no other reason than to watch our homegrown hero LeBron James work his magic at “The Q”), be sure to treat yourself to one fantastic meal at the flagship restaurant of the Midwest’s only Iron Chef.
(DH’s note: I’ve got to stop trying to proofread things at 4:30 in the morning. I used “nice” three times in one paragraph here initially, yuck.)
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so jealous you got to eat there