Get Home to Lola's

Fall Dining & Entertainment Special Barracks Row Happenings Get Home to Lola’s by Sharon Bosworth D LUNCH COMBO SPECIAL choose from salad, soup, and sandwich www.nebscaffe.com Free Wireless Available emanding, sultry Lola – “Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets”… she slipped into our culture via Broadway’s “Damn Yankees.” That mid-‘50s musical explored a moral dilemma Washingtonians may face in 2009 – should we sell our souls to the devil for a winning season? Could this baseball link be how Lola’s got its name? Early in the season it did seem there was some voodoo … beautiful renovated restaurant, mysterious delays in opening. Then one Tuesday it happened. It wasn’t even a baseball night – the doors opened and fabulous smells swirled into the street. Lola’s had arrived and not a devil in sight. Named for his mother, owner Xavier Cervera is determined to keep that family connection going. Xavier aimed to create a place to go for a good meal, to hang out with neighbors, feel comfortable and return to two or three times a week. Lola’s is not like a restaurant at all – more like a club – but a club without membership fees. Everything sparkles. The jazz is served from a classy sound system – not too loud, not too soft. The walls are lined with sepia photos, prints and maps on a Washington, DC, theme. Along the bar, lamps cast soft puddles of light showing off the silky grain of African mahogany. Even the view through the bay window onto Eighth Street seems residential: across the street, branches from massive fir trees in the garden of the Home of the Commandants rest peacefully on the solid brick wall – a scene perfectly framed every day of the week when you gaze out the front window of Lola’s anticipating… We started with quesadillas. A grilled crescent shell filled with shrimp, roasted chicken, pancetta, fontina and cheddar cheeses. To the side, three dipping sauces: perfectly balanced salsa, holsum sour cream and a tartar sauce full of character and promise. The crisp tangy combination of flavors kept us munching competitively. We wondered if this fast start could continue and ordered another appetizer: Joe’s Sliders – not what we expected – a delicious surprise! Chopped beef is smothered in a piquant barbeque sauce, spooned onto a small bun and topped by a sliced pickle … so simple, just right. Our two lunches arrive. My friend’s flashfried fish fingers are served nestled in a thicket of skin-on fries. Lola’s trademark fries, these are the real thin ones that can only be complete with ketchup. Hot and crunchy – perfect American fries. The fish fingers are moist – the batter light, the fish delicate. Satisfaction! I ordered Billy’s Key Largo Favorite, a 94 ★ HillRag | October 2008 Watch the Game with Your Friends grilled grouper and cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread. There are big pieces of fresh grouper on this sandwich, and somebody back in the kitchen cooked it just exactly right. That’s how I discover chef Joe Robinson. When Xavier described the home style comfort food he craved, Joe knew how to get it done. Joe’s career took him from Di Angelo’s Steak House to Legal Seafood and on to Bistro Bistro. At each stop he focused on perfecting simple goodness – big portions of American favorites. Lola’s has other secrets, too. Six flat screen TV’s tastefully framed are mute during weekday lunch – tuned to ESPN-HD, NFL, Fuel TV, etc. Weekends, however, the sound comes on. There are college games on Saturday and, on Sunday, Redskins all the way. Lola’s at 711 Eighth St. SE is open 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. every day. No reservations. Call 202547-2020 (547-LOLA) for to-go orders. Up the street from Lola’s, two new retail stores promise to move the evolution on Eighth Street fast forward. At 709 Eighth St., watch for the opening of Sweet Magnolias 202-232-3707. Owner Yolanda Vaughan is moving from U Street to Eighth Street with a new spin on home accessories and infant wear. Saro Textiles and Seda France Candles mix with fun things from Mudpie (kids hats) and Bunnies by the Bay – the softest baby clothes in the world. The Market Place on Barracks Row – coming soon! Mid-October, Denise D’Amour (Capitol Hill Bikes) plans to unveil an unusual crossover enterprise. Denise will present an eclectic assortment of better end crafts, smart home accessories and seasonal wearables plus gently used high-end furniture! Not an incubator or co-op, this shop will be full of surprises and good deals for the discriminating buyer. Probable hours: long weekends – Thur.-Sun. For info, contact Denise@capitolhillBikes. com. For more information, please visit www.barracksrow.org. ★ Sunday & Monday Night Football Game Time Specials • 1/2 Priced Wings • $2 Bud Light Drafts • Wide Screen HDTV’s The Hill’s Best Happy Hour 5 to 8 PM - Call for Specials TUNNICLIFF’S TAVERN The Gathering Place On The Hill… Right next to Eastern Market Metro across from Eastern Market Tunnicliff’s Tavern 222 7th Street SE Washington, D.C. 20003 www.tunnicliffstaverndc.com Phone: 202-544-5680 Fax: 202-544-9630 Email: tunnicliffs@gmail.com capitalcommunitynews.com ★ 95