Lola 41 - Elegant, Urban, and Inventive
A relaxed, contemporary mix of elegant and urban, LoLa 41 is one of Nantucket’s best loved nightspots, and has been for all six years it’s been open. Its positive energy draws a great mix of clientele: young and experienced, wealthy and not, trendsetters and college kids. You’re as likely to sit next to a CEO on summer vacation as a local character, which makes the ambiance more interesting for all.
Dining Room & Sushi Bar
Larger than it appears from the sidewalk, LoLa 41 has a dining room, a sushi bar that seats ten, a cocktail area with bar seating and tall tables, a private dining area for six or seven (the intimate Red Room), and a comfy outdoor patio.
Cocktails here are potent and creative. Prepared with fresh juices and eschewing most standard “mixes,” the bar at LoLa 41 is a must for anyone seeking the perfect cocktail. For martinis, we recommend the Ruby Red, Lolita, or the Green Dragon. Their LoLa Margarita is a favorite, and the Melon 41 is perfect for summer sipping.
LoLa 41 has a modest but well-chosen wine list with a very fine selection of bottles primarily from Spain, Italy, and the U.S, with a few choice bottles from France. Even more impressive is their sake list. More than a dozen, including some premium and super-premium, are offered. Those unfamiliar with sake will find the descriptions printed with each listing on the menu very helpful in making their choices.
Service is seamless under the direction of Proprietor Marco Coelho, who is often present to warmly greet his guests. His staff is knowledgeable, relaxed, cordial, there when you need them and never intrusive.
LoLa 41 serves up the unexpected on their Sushi and Bistro Menus. This is a place where guests feel equally comfortable eating sashimi or sushi as they do feasting on a cheeseburger with foie dipping sauce or macaroni & cheese with lobster and truffle crumbs.
Sushi at LoLa 41 is just as it should be: simple, sparklingly fresh, and beautifully presented. Sushi bar devotees will be pleased at the varied selection of sashimi, sushi, and designer rolls. At the recommendation of Sushi Chef Chris Kohama, we sampled his Honshu and his Mitsu Maki.
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The Honshu is a delicious showcase for the gorgeous tuna served at LoLa’s Sushi Bar. The Hamachi is rolled with creamy avocado and crisp cucumber, then draped with whitefish dusted with a zesty togarashi. It was the Mitsu Maki that we found truly inspirational. “My take on chips and dip” is how Kohama described this roll. He fashions it from three types of salmon: sashimi, salmon skin toasted crisp, and salmon roe marinated in sake and soy. A calcot style scallion adds an appealing and unusual (for sushi) smoky sweet flavor. Kohama tops the roll with guacamole he makes with yuzu for a whisper of citrus. The combination of flavors is sensational as presented, and we liked it even better with a touch of the wasabi served alongside. Suggested pairing for both rolls: Horin Sake. |
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For those who are wary of eating raw fish, LoLa’s delightfully crisp, award-winning Tuna Panko Roll, with its deep fried tuna and arugula and sinfully indulgent soy wasabi butter sauce, is a marvelous alternative.
LoLa 41’s Bistro Menu, brilliantly designed by Executive Chef Robert Boslow and beautifully executed by Chef de Cuisine Matt Kenah, is modified every three weeks, so there is frequently something new to try at this Global Bistro. Chef Boslow is fluent in a wide range of flavors and styles from countries and towns along the 41st parallel (Japan, Italy, Korea, Spain, Nantucket ...). LoLa 41 is the perfect place for people who love variety...you can start with sushi, have a mid-course of pasta, and savor an Asian inspired main course. |
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From the Bistro Menu this week, we sampled the Cantonese Pork “Pot Sticks,” which are a fabulous fusion of the flavor of a potsticker and the crunch of a spring roll. The delightfully moist and flavorful pork filling is enhanced with garlic, ginger, dashi, and vinegar. The “pot sticks” arrive with a soy, ginger, and scallion dipping sauce. |
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Also very good is the Pan Roasted Scallop, listed as singular but served as a trio. The succulent scallops are skillfully cooked for perfect delicate texture and sweet flavor. They’re set on a goat cheese cream (a flavor combination we’ve never tried and much enjoyed), and topped with a guanciale house-cured in brown sugar that nicely highlighted the scallops. Suggested pairing: Villa Sandi IL Fresco Prosecco.
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Our favorite of the Bistro Small Plates is the Turkish Rubbed “Wings.” For this, the meaty drumstick portion of chicken wings are glazed with a luscious mix of spices that adds a warm spectrum of flavor without much actual heat. At once crisp and moist, they’re presented in a cool tarragon yogurt with a drizzle of the “Turkish spice” alongside. A very welcome change from the usual wings served at island eateries.
The suggested pairing for the Cantonese Pot Sticks & Turkish Rubbed Wings: Cocktail Piña LoLada Martini.
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We were delighted to read on the menu that the pasta dishes are available as both small plates and as entrees. Eating too well is a real risk here. We were able to follow the Chef’s suggestion to try his Bucatini Carbonara, recently added to the menu. It arrived at table a lovely and colorful tangle of bucatini pasta, very crispy pancetta, English peas, grated locatelli cheese, and microgreens. A single quail egg is nestled in the center to be mixed in and enrich the buttery sauce. Bucatini is thick and spaghetti-like but with a hole down the center, it holds the sauce well and twirling is the best approach. |
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One of the most intriguing dishes we savored this trip to LoLa 41 is the Korean Hot Pot. Far from being a simple stew, this had complex layers of taste in a deeply flavorful lemongrass broth with cabbage, mushrooms, bok choy, long rice noodles, and braised duck leg. House-made kimchi adds a spark of heat. For an easier approach, pull apart the duck before diving in, it will come off the bone with a few gentle tugs. This was the entree that each team member came back to for just one more taste.
Suggested pairing for both the Bucatini Carbonara & Korean Hot Pot is a Chalk Hill Chardonnay, Russian River Valley CA |
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Butter Poached Sirloin has made us converts to this cooking technique—the sirloin is incredibly tender, served exactly to temperature, and richly flavorful. Every element of this entree is super—from the dense but creamy potato and horseradish puree to the clusters of tender pickled cippolines and morel mushrooms served alongside. The finishing touches are shaved truffle with black truffle jus...enough said? This is not just a very good meat-and-potatoes dish...it is the best steak dinner we’ve had this season or last! Suggested pairing: Whetstone Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA |
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The chefs at LoLa 41 conjure every bit of flavor in their Pan Roasted Sea Bass. Bold and stunningly fresh, the fish is cooked through but moist. It’s topped with tasty crisp skin brightened with a glaze of orange confit. The bass is served on wilted spinach and a carrot-yuzu puree that is vivid in color and flavor. This is best eaten together: a bit of fish, spinach, and carrot in every bite to bring out the full, lustrous flavor. Suggested pairing: Chalk Hill Chardonnay, Russian River Valley CA |
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Since they opened their door, LoLa’s signature dessert has been their Tres Leche Cake, a vanilla pound cake soaked in heavy cream, evaporated milk, and condensed milk that is sweet, but not too sweet, and moist but not soggy. |
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For a light dessert, they offer homemade sorbets and ice creams—the mixed berry sorbet is intensely flavorful. |
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Their ode to chocolate is a Flourless Hazlenut Chocolate Torte that is best enjoyed with a cup of their Café Americano. |
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Our favorite dessert of the evening is their Deconstructed Banana Cream Pie—creamy and cool with lots of banana flavor, honey graham cracker crumble, blueberry compote, and a drizzle of caramel. |
LoLa 41 accepts only same day reservations, so if you’re heading there for dinner, you’d best go early or stop by on your way back from Town or the beach to claim your place on the parallel.
LoLa 41
Open year-round at 15 South Beach Street • www.lola41.com
508-325-4001 (same day reservations accepted after 4 pm)
Full menu served from 5 pm
Dinner entrees range in price from $20 to $38
Full Bar open till 1 a.m.
Major credit cards accepted • Take-out available
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