Not a full review mind you, just some random musings on getting a chance to eat there while visiting the fam & friends.

In a word: AWESOME. In two words: REALLY SUPER WICKED AWESOME.

The service was outta this world, the food even better- and the selection and price of the wine, all things considered, was WELL above average. Even for a pair of mildly snooty NYC foodies.

With the meal that included meatballs, crispy chicken livers, mac & cheese, and the best damn soft polenta in the UNIVERSE we paired a pair or whites (a Viognier and a crisp Italian Falanghina) as well as a couple bottles of Rothschild's red "Pauillac" from '06- which in its own right was remarkably open and ready to go for being so young and opened at the table.

While everything was delicious; the crispy chicken livers with the soft polenta stole the show. The Mac & Cheese (the very dish that put chef Symon on the map to begin with) was a GREAT example of how & why this guy continues to surprise people no matter where he goes or what he's charged to prepare.

The prices were VERY reasonable- approaching "cheap" levels though we're a bit more jaded having to eat in NYC much of the time and pay a ten-spot for a street burrito. Having my roots in Cleveland though, this visit to Lolita made my heart swell with pride. If you happen to be "Fleeing to the Cleve" at anytime in the near future- check out Lolita. You will not be disappointed, and if Symon's other spot (across from the old Arcade on Euclid) LOLA is a ramped up version of THIS???

Seeya there, soon as we can.