Another Night, Another Meal

Our second meal on our Michael Symon vacation took us to Tremont, an artsy suburb of Cleveland, to his second restaurant, Lolita, which stands in the original location of Lola.  Lolita is a more casual restaurant than Lola, but we decided to wear the same clothes that we wore to Lola thinking "who would know?"  We checked in at the hostess stand and were told that our table would be ready shortly.  While we waited our original hostess stepped away and her backup appeared at the station.  She looked at us and asked "Were you at Lola the other night?" to which I could only reply "Yes, last night.  Are we total losers?"  She generously replied that we were not and told us that she would do the exact same thing.  After explaining to us that she primarily works at Lola, but covers shifts at Lolita when needed, she told us that she would only ever work for Michael Symon's restaurants as its simply a great place to work and he treats his staff well. I was not at all surprised to hear this.  That said, our plan for no one to catch us wearing the same outfit was a complete bust.

Once again there were two appetizers that we felt we absolutely must try, and yes both involved pork.  The first was the roasted dates.  Admittedly I expected the dates to be wrapped in bacon and not accompanied by lardons, but I'm not complaining.  The dates melted in my mouth and the bacon was the perfect accompaniment.

Roasted Dates (almonds, bacon, chili, parsley)

As for our second appetizer, not surprisingly we chose the pig ears and tails hoping for a repeat of the fabulous pig ears we had had the night before.  These were good, but they were a little too thin for their flavor to really stand out.  As for the tails, they were not at all what I expected.  I thought they would be thin and curly, but rather they were kinda thick.  The tail had been cut at each space between the bones and we were advised to eat them like chicken wings - as a finger food.  It amazes me how every time I try a new part of the pig I love it more and more, especially since the tails were as tender as pork belly.

Crispy Pig Tails & Ears (fennel-onion agrodolce, pickled chile, cilantro)

I knew when I ordered the macaroni that it wouldn't be anything like what you get from a Kraft box, but I was definitely surprised when I saw the shape of the pasta.  Okay, I wasn't expecting elbow, but I also wasn't expecting rotini.  The serving was large enough for two and I was sorely disappointed that our hotel room did not have a refrigerator as I wanted desperately to be able to take home the leftovers.  The sauce was luscious as only a sauce made with goat cheese could be and the chicken was moist and succulent.  That said, after eating close to half of the dish I started to tire of its simple taste and was envious of my husband's extremely flavorful hanger steak.

Macaroni (chicken, goat cheese, rosemary)

Tonight was my husband's turn to have the hanger steak and I was thankful that I got to take a bite of it.  As good as I had thought my steak at Lola the night before was, I quickly learned that this was so much better.  Lolita is considered to be a Mediterranean restaurant and the Mediterranean flavors accentuated the steak to elevate it to its highest flavor potential.  And it also made my macaroni taste bland in comparison.

Hanger Steak (greek yogurt, shishito peppers, feta, charred onion vinaigrette)

Again we needed a side for our entrees, especially mine since it was just pasta.  I tried to tell my husband that these were the worst brussel sprouts that I had ever had, but there was no way to hide the truth so I eventually told him that if I could, I would leave him for these brussel sprouts.  They were perfectly fried and when combined with the capers and anchovies they exploded with flavor.  I must find this recipe as I must have these again.

Fried Brussel Sprouts (caper, anchovy, walnut)

The dessert menu at Lolita is not as expansive as the one at Lola and for us there was only one choice: the trifle.  It was so creamy and succulent.  The only flaw was that the pound cake crumbled under the moisture instead of just becoming soggy and the texture, to me, was not enjoyable.

Peach Amaretto Trifle (almond pound cake soaked in amaretto, layered with creme fraiche custard and peach compote)

When dinner was complete we stepped outside the restaurant to find our way back to the hotel when I looked up and saw this sign, the perfect summary to our expedition.

If I had to tell you which I preferred between Lola and Lolita, it would be Lolita.  I much preferred the stronger flavor profiles of their dishes to those of Lola.  That said, its like comparing gelato to ice cream - both are heavenly, but each unique.