Perfectly crisped stone-hearth pizzas. Eclectic art and an intimate setting. Craft beer, fine wine and that luscious house-made sangria.
Just when I thought I couldn't love Lola's any more, the hot Bridge Road dining spot is now open expanded hours for brunch and lunch six days a week.
The new hours have only been in effect for a month, yet I've been there four or five times already. Yep, that good.
In addition to the restaurant's already solid array of piping hot Neapolitan-style pizzas, fresh gourmet salads and sumptuous desserts (the flourless chocolate torte is ridiculous) Lola's has added tasty new ways to tempt your taste buds.
Pizza for breakfast? Yes please!
The brunch menu features a breakfast pizza with bacon, mozzarella, scallions, tomatoes and chives topped with three gorgeous, jiggly, sunny-side-up eggs. The pizza itself is delicious, but the dish gets even better when you cut into those soft yolks, creating a rich and delicious sauce to drench every bite.
I suggest enjoying it with a Bellini of fresh peach puree and prosecco. I sure did.
Another brunch option is a Scramble Sammie of eggs, tomato, spinach, cheddar cheese and roasted garlic aioli on honey wheat bread, which you can add bacon to if you'd like. You'd like.
For lunch you can order cheese, pepperoni or veggie pizza by the slice, or try one a handful of new "roasty toasty" sandwiches on selections from Charleston Bread - including one gem I'm already proclaiming one of the best in town.
Yes, there's a lot to love about the salami and prosciutto with shaved ham, provolone, tomatoes, lightly dressed arugula and roasted garlic aioli on baguette. And yes, the Caprese with arugula, fresh marinated mozzarella, tomato and pesto or the turkey and avocado with spinach, white cheddar and roasted garlic aioli on honey wheat is worthy, too.
But get the roasted veggie sammy, a seriously good combination of roasted eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper with fresh marinated mozzarella and roasted garlic aioli on my newest obsession - tangy salt-and-pepper focaccia from Charleston Bread. I can't tell you how delicious it is, washed down with a local craft brew.
Salad options include plates of mixed greens; a roasted sweet potato salad with red onion, oranges, avocado and feta; a BLT salad with buttermilk herb dressing; plus Lola's mega-popular seared goat cheese salad.
On a separate visit, I tried the tasty marinated kale salad with fresh oranges, pumpkin seeds, crumbled feta and cilantro-lime vinaigrette, which I topped with a nice piece of grilled salmon and enjoyed with a creamy Chardonnay.
The new brunch and lunch menu is available Tuesday through Sunday until 2 p.m., when the regular dinner menu takes over with its lineup of prized pies.
Options like sausage and onion with caramelized onions, fresh garlic and roasted red peppers. Artichoke and goat cheese with oven-roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic and kalamata olives. Spinach and feta with roasted red pepper, red onion and balsamic reduction. Steak and cheese with Swift Level Farm flank steak, red onions, jalapeños, white cheddar and garlic.
There's also bacon and white cheddar; pesto portabella; fresh mushroom with caramelized onions, roasted tomatoes and smoked Gouda; ham and pineapple with Gorgonzola; or you can create your own masterpiece from selected toppings.
Anyone else hungry now, or is it just me?
With Pies & Pints downtown and Lola's up on the hill, we are one blessed pizza city.
IF YOU GO: Lola's at 1038 Bridge Road is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call 304-343-5652 or visit www.lolaswv.com.
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My latest visit to Lola's capped a great weekend of good eats in South Hills.
Just down the street at Bridge Road Bistro, we met friends for a cozy lunch of soups and salads on a rainy, chilly Friday afternoon. My lobster bisque was creamy and comforting, others loved their crocks of French onion soup and a rich portabella mushroom soup was also on the day's menu. I also had a fresh Boston bibb salad with grilled apples, toasted pecans and blue cheese topped with a roasted apple, thyme and shallot vinaigrette.
Just across the way, Amy and I were part of the packed house Saturday night at the always-stellar South Hills Market & Café, where we experienced one of the best meals we've had in some time.
It started with creamy parsnip soup with crunchy pancetta, a toasted potato cake with asiago and scallions, and a bowl of roasted acorn squash with crispy pancetta, fresh ricotta and Old Scout bourbon gastrique. For our main course, we devoured perfectly seared scallops with pork belly, succotash and soy beurre blanc, plus a roasted chicken with parsnip purée, farro hash, baby kale and chicken jus.
As good as these were, I still longed to sink my teeth into the 48-hour short ribs with griddled polenta and ratatouille; the roasted grouper with lobster risotto, bok choy and lemongrass beurre blanc; and the seared Itsumo tuna with braised romaine, daikon, pork belly pot stickers and hoisin barbecue.
A return trip is in short order.
Bite for bite and dish for dish, South Hills Market joins Noah's Eclectic Bistro on my list of the top two restaurants in town.
IF YOU GO: South Hills Market & Café at 1010 Bridge Road is open Tuesday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, call 304-345-2585 or visit www.southhillsmarket.com.
Steven Keith writes a weekly food column for the Charleston Gazette-Mail. He can be reached at 304-380-6096 or by email at dailymailfoodguy@aol.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Pinterest as "DailyMail FoodGuy," on Twitter as "DMFoodGuy" and read his blog at blogs.charlestondailymail/foodguy.