Thursday, Jan. 17, 08

What’s in a Name?

Curiosity seduces a dining critic into Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita

By Paula Niño

Causa, a Peruvian tuna dish made with potatoes and marinated spicy peppers. Photo by Richard M. Brooks

Surely the first thing that draws attention to the three-month old restaurant now occupying the old Firehouse Four in Mary Brickell Village is its name. Dolores But You Can Call Me Lolita, a moniker that’s a little too long and rather puzzling, is bound to make some people stop and wonder. It did for me. And after a few strolls in front of the place, my curiosity compelled me to try it.

On each of my visits, I asked a staff person about the name (a question I’m sure they’re tired of answering), and got the same explanation: Dolores was meant to be the restaurant and Lolita the first-floor lounge. Not a particularly satisfying answer for my curiosity, but I really went to eat.

As you enter the first floor of the old firehouse, the contrast of the white walls against the dark-wood floors captivates you, as do the steel fire poles coming down from the ceiling. Lanterns placed on each stairstep to the second floor give the room a touch of romanticism. Upstairs, the white tablecloths and minimalist decoration impress; candles lit at dinnertime give the space a warm, cozy feel. The restaurant’s large outdoor terrace, which overlooks the surrounding shops and restaurants, is great at lunchtime and on weekend nights, when it becomes packed for happy hour.

Service at Dolores is attentive and prompt. Your water glass will not stay empty for long, and you’ll be greeted with a plate of tapenade and toast almost immediately after being seated. Though a too-noticeable anchovy taste in the tapenade turned me off on my first visit, it only happened that time.

The menu works like this: Entrées are divided into two price categories — $18 and $23 — and include an appetizer of your choice. A novel idea, I suppose, and an affordable one. Unfortunately, the food at Dolores isn’t always as impressive as its decor or as enigmatic as its name.

A generous portion of causa with tuna — a Peruvian dish of potatoes and tuna, and sometimes served with avocado — presented as potato cylinders with a scoop of canned tuna on top, stands out against the backdrop of its black plate. The tuna is flavorful and pleasing combined with the potato, but I would lean toward other first courses. The eggplant timbale with smoked mozzarella is a tad greasy, but more satisfying. The alternating layers of piping-hot mozzarella and eggplant make for a nice, juicy combination. The single sautéed shrimp that tops the timbale doesn’t add much to the dish, but overall it’s a tasty option and one of the restaurant’s more popular offerings. Another popular appetizer is what the menu calls “simply, the best Serrano ham croquettes you have ever tasted.” I, no fan of croquetas, cannot attest to the restaurant’s claim, but I was delighted by the dish’s crisp exterior and creamy insides. A chunky roasted pepper hummus would have been better had the triangles of accompanying fried bread been crispy.

Intentionally or not, the appetizers seem to take center stage over the entrées, both in presentation and taste. The salt-crusted salmon, served with jasmine rice and tomatoes marinated in vinaigrette ($18), lacked oomph. The less-plain pork tenderloin with an orange-ginger glaze (also from the $18 side of the menu) is a safer choice. You’re better off, however, with the intensely flavored veal lasagna ($23), which comes with a rich Bolognese sauce. The picanha ($23) — a Brazilian cut of meat translated into English as “rump cover” — comes in thin slices with tender mushrooms in a wine reduction.

Although the first few slices of my dish lacked flavor and were overcooked, the others were cooked at the right point, really making the meat’s flavor stand out more than in my initial bites.

Each time I visited, I was full after the appetizer and entrée, but on the final occasion I ventured into desserts, which are a bargain at $2.50. The mango carpaccio with lemon crème was lovely. Disclaimer: I have an endless love affair with mango. The thin slices of sweetened fruit were delicious with the tangy lemon crème. It was a light ending to a filling meal.

Leaving Dolores that last time, I felt as uncertain about it as I did before I decided to try it. It succeeds on many fronts — service, atmosphere and prices — but its food is hit or miss.