SAUCE MAGAZINE
Posted On: 05/01/2010
I love a restaurant that proves interesting multiple areas, and Lola certainly does that, with a pleasant wine list, a range of specialty cocktails and plenty of beer offerings.
About half of Lola’s wine list is available by the glass; a modest selection of a couple of dozen wines by the bottle, mostly French, gives the diner enough range to explore a few different flavors.
The by-the-glass selections include an expectedly delicious Côtes du Rhône white ($8) from the famed Guigal winery. I always really enjoy the fresh flavors of these blends of Viognier, Marsanne, and usually a few more; they work particularly well with slightly spicy foods. I also tried an Eve Chardonnay from the Charles Smith winery in Washington state, which turned out to be a very flavorful white without the hit of oak that many Chardonnays have; a very solid wine for its $7 price tag.
We tried a couple of reds before heading into the creative world of Lola’s cocktails. With Pinot Noir pricing stabilizing a bit from its recent boom years, I’m always looking for new values in Pinot. Labouré-Roi is a very well-established producer of fine Burgundies, so when I saw this Vin de Pays Pinot Noir from southern France at $7, I could not wait to try it. My suspicions proved correct: Good wineries make good wines, even if from other regions. The list also includes a Lirac Rouge from Lafond, also from southern France. This Rhône red blend is a wannabe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, but at a price 75 percent less. This would pair well with dinner, but it also tastes just great on its own.
Lola’s list of cocktails and beers was impressive and fun to explore. The Bee Hat is Lola’s version of the Rusty Nail, made with Dewar’s scotch and Drambuie with a cleverly presented pair of straws dipped in honey, which slowly dissolves into the cold drink. One of the best versions of a Rusty Nail I’ve had.
A selection of four Champagne cocktails, 10 Metropolitan Martinis and five Urban Ice Picks, the last made with Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea Vodka, certainly gives guests an ample list of drinks from which to choose. More than 20 bottled beers and six draft beers give fans of other grain-based beverages numerous chances to play nicely in the sandbox. Three of the six drafts were local products: Schlafly APA, Schlafly Kolsch and O’Fallon Gold.
With such a varied drinks list, I certainly look forward to returning to Lola.
To read Michael Renner’s take on the cuisine at Lola’s, visit Gourmet Guru in the reviews section.
