LOLA Loves and Laughs in Delray

​As a philosophy, "Love often, laugh a lot" is not half-bad, certainly better than Jon Gosselin's "Loser often a little shit" or David Carradine's "Lonely onanist loves a knot." As a name for a restaurant it's not bad either; nobody gets into the business unless they love it, and if you don't have a sense of humor you'll go around snarling at puppies and flowers like Dick Cheney. 

There's no snarling at puppies and flowers at Wendy Rosano's LOLA, her sleek new restaurant and ultra lounge in Delray, just a few steps away from her hearty Italian Cucina Mio. Inside, the LOLA is all about light and color--ever-changing LED lights and bright, vibrant colors. The lounge features flashing LED lights on a wall and the ceiling, plus live entertainment four nights a week and a roster of modern "mixology" cocktails. The restaurant seats 130 and opens onto an outdoor patio and bar.

​As for chef Bruno Silva menu, it's solidly in the mid-priced modern comfort food zone that's beginning to define dining out in the Great Recession. So there's fried calamari and wood-roasted wings, smoked salmon tostada and ahi tartare, a roster of salads and flatbreads, entrees from a burger to crab with lemon-pepper linguine to grilled lamb chops, and sides like house-made truffle-Parmesan potato chips and asparagus wrapped in serrano ham. 

Prices average $8 to $12 for apps, $12 to $15 for meal-sized composed salads and $19 to $24 for entrees, so you can dine out often, not spend a lot.

LOLA
16950 Jog Rd., Delray Beach
561-496-5652
loladelray.com