Week 43 Lola's A Louisiana Kitchen (Downtown Vegas)

Happy Spring fellow food and fashion lovers. Spring is one of my favorite times of year (especially when it is spring break). This blog is a little delayed because we just got back from UTAH. It was amazing; so different from Vegas. It is great to get out of town every once in awhile, but that review of eating there will be up later in the week. ;)


Remember, you can find our blog on the LV Informer http://lasvegas.informermg.com/ We are under the Local Interest section. I still cannot get over the fact that we are in a newspaper. Maybe one day it will sink in.


What Teray Says...


This past week I chose to go to Lola's  because I was absolutely craving cajun food. It is rare that I get a craving, besides fast food because I love food in general that when I want to eat something, I typically do. Lola's is a tiny place that we drive by all the time when we head downtown for things such as "First Friday." It is on West Charleston and as you get off the 15 if you see the neon clock you know that you have found it. 


Pulling up to Lola's they have outside and inside seating. On a typical warmer day I probably would have chose outside seating, but my last favorite thing is to be uncomfortable during a meal so I went with inside, because I wouldn't be too cold or too hot. 


We were seated right away and greeted by our server immediately. Brett decided to order a beer that is popular in New Orleans...can't tell ya what it was, and I went with just a basic Bud Light. As we decided what appetizer we wanted I checked out the decor which was filled with things with the New Orleans Saints and Mardi Gras items. It is a pretty cool vibe. I love restaurants exactly that size, not too big and not too small. 


For an appetizer we chose crawpuppies, because we have had them at another place and I really liked them. These are called craw puppies rather than hush puppies like some restaurants because they had crawfish in them and were absolutely delicious. You get five of them, so it is perfect amount for an appetizer. We each had two and then split one. I probably could have ate the whole plate myself, but had to save room for dinner. 

For our dinners, Brett asked the waiter before we ordered which was a big portion, because he was pretty hungry. I immediately knew what I wanted, because I wanted crawfish, but not the actually kind that you have to figure out how to eat. I wanted it ready for me to put my fork in. I cannot remember the name of what I ordered (and of course I threw the receipt away) but it was craw fish in a sauce with rice. It was actually pretty excellent, and I finished almost all of it, letting Brett finish a tiny bit of it. The portion size was very good and there was just the right amount of crawfish. 

Brett ordered a shrimp pasta dish. Although it was very good, it is not what I would have chosen at a cajun restaurant. It was more like something that would have been at an Italian restaurant. I think he should have ate something a little bit more with the theme, but the waiter steered him in the direction of this. He definitely wasn't full afterwards like told he would be. It was pretty good though. 

As for dessert, that definitely was the best part. I ordered the bread pudding and Brett ordered the sweet potato pecan pie. My bread pudding was out of this world. It has the perfect amount of sweetness and consistency. I ate about half of it, because I was full from dinner. Maybe next time I should start with the dessert. I took one taste of Brett's pie and know that if I ever go back to Lola's I would definitely order that for dessert, or maybe even venture on finding a recipe to make it on my own. 

Overall, I enjoyed the food at Lola's, but if I were comparing it and the other cajun place we have been to, the other one would totally win. I rate Lola's 3.5 out of 5. I think maybe next time if we sat outside and ordered different items, the rating may be higher. 


What Brett Says...

This week we got to check out a place that was on our original list of places to go, and for some reason never got to.  This week we went to “Lola’s Louisiana Kitchen” on Charleston just off the 15.  I drive by it 10 times a day and always see people enjoying their meal out on the patio.  Not to mention good Louisiana food is, well good. 

The restaurant looks awesome, it is a small place with a few tables inside and a few outside.  There is a small bar as well, unfortunately it is beer and wine only.  I would expect to see this place in the downtown area of New Orleans.  The atmosphere is upbeat and just gives off that vibe that you are in for something good.  The only downside I have to the restaurant itself is that the location.  It is close to the Arts District and the new Smith Center but you sit on the patio and you have a view of Charleston and all that goes up and down it.    It is by far a deal breaker but if you are choosing a place based on patio then this might not be for you.

The service was good however, this would be a reason to go.  Our waiter was friendly and welcoming; he also was personable and ready with suggestions.  The nice thing about his suggestions were the fact they weren’t the most expensive thing on the menu.  He always made sure we had drinks and refills on our water.  The food we ordered he felt would be complete only with a basket of bread…which was brought free of charge.  Unfortunately he did not fully comprehend the meaning of “I am starving and want a very large meal” when I said it.  He threw out a couple suggestions and lead me to a spicy shrimp pasta,  not exactly what I would have called large or filling.

Like I said it wasn’t that large of a meal but the spicy shrimp past was good.  Unfortunately we lost the receipt and it isn’t on their online menu so I have no idea what it is actually called.  But it is on their regular menu.  I would also not say that it is spicy, I was not given an option for level of spice but I assume they play it safe for all guests.  The size and spice level aside it was still a very good past dish.  There was ample shrimp and it was already de-tailed so you didn’t have to reach into your pasta to take the tails off your shrimp…this is usually a disappointment for me.  We also ordered their hush puppy appetizer which was pretty good, on the small side but it is an appetizer.  I also should note that the bread that was brought to us was amazing and hot.  It seemed to have come right from the warming oven and was a great addition to the meal.  For dessert I opted to have the sweet potato pecan pie…this in itself is reason to go here.  If you are downtown and are in the mood for dessert go here and get this.

All in all I would recommend Lola’s.  I would return if given a reason, I would try different things on the menu, except the dessert.  The location hurts it and the shrimp pasta was good but didn’t meet the needs at the time.  I would have also liked to see a full bar, sometimes beer and wine doesn’t cut it.  Overall I rate them 3.75 out of 5.

Patty's Closet Outfit of the Week
Thanks to Patty, Juan, and Yasmine Larsen of the St. Rose Patty's Closet for providing me with my outfit of the week this week. I was excited now that I have some afternoons free being done with my class that I could make it to the St. Rose store because it ranks in my top faves among the Patty's Closet stores.  This dress is my absolutely favorite style because of the silhouette. It is extremely flattering to all shapes because it accentuates curves while highlighting the smaller areas. The colors on this dress are vibrant and definitely pop for spring. The lace at the top is pretty delicate to make this dress very girly. This dress could be worn to a dinner date or a brunch with friends. This dress with belt included is available at the St. Rose location!!

Great news Patty fans! The store is now online too! How amazing is that???!! It has different items than in the stores but of course the same fabulous styles to meet all of your fashion needs. You can check out the website and online store at: http://shop.ilovepattyscloset.com/

Also, be sure to check out their Facebook page for all the latest updates and shipment items on Tuesdays and Fridays. Each store has different items! http://www.facebook.com/PattysClosetLV

Until next time, cheers to spring break!!!