I had a positive impression of Lola right away. The interior design strikes a rare balance of being stylish, fresh and hip while also feeling down-to-earth and relaxed. Our grou of 5 was seated in a comfortable booth close to the entrance. The service was excellent, especially with regards to suggesting wines by the glass. We ate family style so I had a chance to sample quite a few things. I thought the Greek Salad was great though not your traditional leafy salad. There was a hunk of feta the size of a razor phone in the middle of the plate of olives, cucumbers, onions and tomatoes. very tasty. The dolmades were good but not a personal favorite (they taste the same everywhere to me and it's always too greasy). I was not a huge fan of the salmon kebab, but it was as expected -- if you like your salmon grilled and very rich (as it tends to be in Seattle) then you'll like this. The highlight for me was the goat tagine. The meat was very succulent and the flavors quite subtle. The portion was medium-large, but by no means "big" as advertised by our waitress (not by any self-respecting male standards anyway). The vegeterians in the group seemed very satisfied and the dishes tasted ok to me but I'm hard pressed to write a positive review of a vegetable skewer (so allow me to recuse myself). One of the uber-healthy amongst us did comment that it was "rich" and the vegetable skewers had been dripped with olive oil. So it's not quite California cuisine if you're a health nut. But it is tasty and flavorful, in a great setting. Oh almost forgot! Dessert - against my wishes, the group opted to share 2, not 3 desserts. Both were good, though the Chocolate Tart was among the best I've had. (And I've had a lot, since it's the town bicycle of desserts). What made it special was the orange chocolate flakes in the ice cream. The doughnuts were good if...well, if you're into that sort of think. Light tasting, for a donut. But artery cloggin nonetheless.
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