after dinner sneeze

t says:  The other day, a and v and I decided that we wanted to go to a BYO for dinner.  We originally thought of the semi-BYO GTC … but they were just too busy/cool to seat us before 9:30pm.  We were hungry and didn’t want to wait.  Kanella was booked ’til 10pm.  So what were we to do?  As we wandered towards 13th street, either a or v thought of Lolita.  While normally a place I associate with BYOT (bring your own tequila), they also don’t object to wine, either.  I hadn’t been in a super-long time (i.e. circa ?2006?), but I was game – it was threatening to rain so I was happy to get indoors pronto.  So off we went …

July 2012, Saturday Dinner, Party of 3.  g was said she couldn’t make it – she was busy in NYC.  We came, we sat, we ordered, a made an ATM run, and we ate.  Here’s the dillio (sans pictures) …

a says: 
-Tequila-Lime Smoked Salmon Tostaditas:  I thought this was the best “bite” of the night. The salmon was very good and went better with the fresh veggies/fruit than I expected. The crisp of the tostada added another layer.

-Tamal De Humberto Con Huitlacoche, Pollo Y Mole Rojo: A crowd pleaser that has been on the menu for as long as I  can remember. Well described as comfort food. The best part is soaking up the remaining sauce with the masa “hiding” at the bottom of the tamal.

-Carne Asada A La Lolita – Described as the best dish on the menu and I can say it is definitely a winner. The beef was cooked perfectly, had a tiny amount of heat, a nice cumin bite, and was cut nicely by the guacamole. I didn’t love the fried yuca “fingers” that provided the steak’s base but the sauce and plantain chip paired well. This is a very solid dish but I have the underlying feeling that something is missing.

-Vaca Con Budin De Papas – t thinks he won (t interjects: I don’t “think” I wont – I know I won …), and I would tend to agree (t boasts: Buzinga!). This dish had some great flavor (t agrees: Yea – it was a surprisingly well glazed, nice-and-tender hunk of meat – highly recommended!).

-Enchiladas Verdes Con Portobello Enchipotlados – v went vegetarian and was not disappointed… v jumps in: On my dish… the sauce was light…not creamy crap that most Mexican restaurants pile on dishes. The portobello mushrooms were fresh and flavorful.  t echoes: Yea – it felt some comforting, but it didn’t feel “heavy” – quite nice!

back to a:
-Tres Leches De Coco, Chocolate Y Nueces – One of the best desserts in the city. If you haven’t had tres leches or love it, get there soon and save room for this. With a cafecito, this can’t be beat.

-Budin De Con Chocolate, Canela Y Nueces – An interesting take on bread pudding, this was solid but not knock-your-socks-off. Though there was no rum listed in the dish, I enjoyed what I thought was a rum-like quality. The tres leches is better but I still kept coming back to this for another bite.  (v suggests: Eat the bread pudding when you are having a bad day!)

-The wines: We brought one red and one white – both that we had were solid, cut-above-the-rest table wines. The red was CMS (Hedges Family blah blah) and was a nice blend from Washington that makes no attempt at being complex. The Cabernet (C) gives it a cola punch, Merlot (M) good fruit, and Syrah (s) spice and richness. Take this to a dinner when you know there will be red meat but not much else. t, as become his M.O. of late, went for the esoteric.  t pontificates: Yes – I brought this white pinot noir from Italy, inspired by a white pinot noir that we had in Oregon.  It wasn’t sock-rockingly good, especially when compared to Erath’s, but it was fine.  It had a Chardonnay richness without being Chardonnay.  It was a good way to prepare us for our last bottle of that Erath sitting in my cellar – it’ll be making an appearance soon!

In all, I think that Lolita had some surprisingly-good food – it was better than I remember!  True, it doesn’t get a ton of love in the press nowadays, but I’m happy that a and v have convinced me to put it back on my radar.  If you haven’t been to Lolita recently, definitely give it a whirl – it’ll make you forget all about your previous reservation at GTC …