Liz took me out to the much-hyped Lola last night for my (slightly belated) birthday dinner. While I enjoyed spending the evening with the woman of my dreams, I thought the whole restaurant experience was a bit uneven.
Bad: It's dark. Really, really dark. Can't read the wine menu dark. Champagne looks like beer dark. Can't see your food dark.
Good: I haven't listened to the entirety of Portishead's Dummy in, gosh, forever.
Bad: Anything lamb-related is a bit gristly, and almost overwhelmed with mint.
Good: White bean soup. Mmmm....
Bad: Foie gras bratwurst sounds like a good idea until you eat it. This is the first time that I've ever disliked a foie gras-based item.
Good: Smoked fish are my tasty, tasty friends.
Bad: The outer layer of my bizarre little pheasant roll-ups was cooked way, way too hard, which made it really difficult to cut.
Good: Whatever music followed Portishead was really, really groovy.
Good: Nice wine list...
Bad: But they were out of the bottle that we wanted (a Russian River single vineyard Pinot Noir).
Indifferent: Dessert was okay, but nothing spectacular.
I guess I'm glad to have tried it, because I'd never know what it was unless I did, but I don't think I'll be going back any time soon. For the money, I'd much rather work my way through the menu at Parallax, where I have good odds of being amazed with every bite.
- Mood: vaguely disappointed
- Music: VHS or Beta - "Night on Fire"