Review: Lola's on Harrison Street in Hollywood
By John Tanasychuk, Sun Sentinel
Important: This article was last updated on July 29, 2010. Please call ahead to confirm hours, prices, dates and other information.
 |
 2032 Harrison St., Hollywood 954-927-9851 LolasonHarrison.com Cuisine: American Cost: moderate-expensive Hours: dinner Tuesday-Saturday (open Sundays starting in October) Reservations: highly recommended Credit cards: AE, MC, V Bar: full service Sound level: never quite too loud, but never quiet Outside smoking: yes For kids: high chairs, boosters, menu Wheelchair accessible: yes  |
|
First impression: Chef Michael Wagner's three-year-old American comfort food eatery succeeds by updating recognizable dishes in mostly crowd pleasing ways. The setting, like the jeans-wearing servers, is just as comfortable.Background: Culinary Institute of America grad Wagner worked with some of South Florida's finest — Allen Susser, Johnny Vinczencz and Mark Militello — before ending landing at Jeffrey Chodorow's now shuttered Tuscan Steak in Miami Beach for seven years. In July of 2007, after a short stint at Abe & Louie's in Boca Raton, Wagner opened on Harrison Street. Lola's has since become one of South Broward's most important restaurants. Last November, he took over an adjoining space, doubling inside seating to 100.
Ambience: Set in an old store front, the deep purple walls are almost too stark for my liking. But the space does create a kind of instant intimacy at each table.
Starters: Stick with any of the restaurant's signature dishes and you don't go wrong. Case in point are the braised beef cheeks ($12 appetizer /$24 entree) — tender chunks of beefiness served with creamy polenta and a mild horseradish gremolata. Likewise, salmon tartar ($10) is a winner, although I'd like a little more heat in the dish. The meaty crab cake ($12 appetizer /$24 entree) is served with a house-made herb tartar sauce. Caesar salad ($8, $12) could use a little more of its lemony dressing.
Entree excellence: You must order the Coca Cola BBQ Beef Ribs ($24), another house specialty. They're fall-off-the-bone tender and sticky with house-made barbecue sauce. They're served vertically with buttermilk onion rings and herb cream yellow corn. Outstanding! An egg-battered, bone-in veal chop gets the Oscar treatment ($25) with lump crab meat that's served with a delicious herb hollandaise. A filet mignon ($34) was just a bit overcooked one night. And Grilled Ruby Red Trout ($24) was more than overcooked. It was dried out and oily and needed more flavor on the plate than the arugula salad dressed with lemon vinaigrette. Perhaps I should have listened to my server who described the dish as "healthy."
Sweet!: Aside from a serviceable Key lime pie ($7), this section of the menu needs some rethinking. The carrot cake ($7) was just plain odd and the cheesecake ($7) wasn't quite sweet enough.
Service: Excellent, although our servers seemed exasperated. When we had specific requests, however, they dropped the overworked tone and became friendly and accommodating.
Liquid assets: Don't come here looking for Budweiser. The ever-rotating craft brew menu always has about 50 choices.
Insider tip: Happy Hour is 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, when guests at the bar can buy $4 cocktails, $3 craft beers and $5 bar bites (small samples of the restaurant's signature dishes).
Contact dining correspondent John Tanasychuk at jtanasychuk@sunsentinel.com or write to him in care of Sun Sentinel, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301.