Lolita's

We know we're not the only ones who have extreme difficulty in deciding where to go out to dinner. A couple of Friday nights ago, we found ourselves stumped again. As seven o'clock drew near, we finally decided to head downtown to Guu with Garlic, Gyoza King, Toratatsu, or somewhere similar. Naturally, we ended up at Lolita's South of the Border Cantina.

When we walked in, we were given an estimate of fifteen minutes for a table. Fortunately, we were allowed to order drinks to keep us convivial while we waited. We chose the Tijuana Tornado, muddled pineapple with Goslings rum and ginger beer, and the Matador Mojito, a blackberry & raspberry infused version of the classic. We'd show you pictures, but it was really dark inside, plus it's hard to take a shot when you are standing by the door.

After chugging down our delicious cocktails, we need more nourishment, but fortunately, space cleared up at the bar, and we could sit down. Before we ordered, a regular table opened up, and we were asked if we wanted to move, but we decided to stay at the bar.

For appetizers, we chose Ceviche Habanero and Crab Cakes. Our mains were Enchilada Verduras and 2 Tacos (pan-seared fish and ground beef & chorizo). For our wine, we opted for the Parès Baltà Mas Petit, a cabernet sauvignon-grenache blend from the Penedès region Spain. No photos again, but the ceviche is shown on the restaurant's website.

All the dishes we ordered were quite good, but our favourites were the enchilada and the crab cakes. Mmmm mmmm. The wine was also delicious, and a decent value at $38. Inevitably, we finished the bottle, and ordered two glasses of the house wine. Although fine, it was a big step down from the Parès Baltà.

A little while back, the Vancouver Sun recently ran a column by the always contemplative Douglas Todd concerning unnecessary noise in restaurants. Since then, he's been compiling a list of quiet restaurants in the region. We feel obliged to report that Lolita's will never make that list, but then again, who expects quiet from an establishment that dubs itself a cantina?