Her name was Lola...she was a rip-off

Lola's
945 N. Fairfax Ave.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 654 5652
Happy Hour 5:30-7:30

Food - 5
Prices - 4
Service - 4
Bonus Points - none. They have valet parking, but I can't tell you what it costs because we walked.
Total - 13

I really wanted to like this one. It's walking distance from my house, some friends of mine work there, they have the most extensive martini menu I've ever seen, but sadly, for happy houring, Lola's is a miss.

Happy hour drinks are $5 and the appetizers are $5.50, but unlike the Bungalow Club, there is a very limited selection of drinks and apps available. That said, everyone should find a drink they will be happy with (a small variety of martinis, one margarita, one mojito and various beer and wine choices on the specials menu). The blue cheese-stuffed olives in my martini were the best thing there, but like I said, my friend was tending bar, so I'm not sure if you can get these just by asking without being charged full price ($12-14) for a blue cheese martini.

The food is where Lola's falls flat. Having grown up in the deep south, I can tell you that they don't seem to know what a hush puppy is. (Note to the chef - it is a dark brown, deep fried ball of cornbread, not a yellowish, barely cooked potato croquette.) The red pepper sauce with the hush puppies was very good, however, even on a regular menu, this item was not worth $5.50. For happy hour, it should have been three bucks at most.

We also had the pizza, which was okay, but not any better than the $5 pizza you can get at Brick Oven up the street (and much smaller) and the mini burger was very mini and overcooked. I will say that the mini burger bun was great and the fries were good.

The service was not too super. My companion wasn't drinking, and even though I was, we still both downed our glasses of water and practically had to send smoke signals to get them refilled by a busboy. The waitress never once came back to the table to ask how everything was or if we wanted anything else, and we didn't see her again until she handed us the check.

The music was good and the clientele mostly professionals meeting after work (although like all bars in LA, there was a gaggle of females who felt the need to squeal every time a new one showed up). They have a pool table that on another night, we would have waited for, but it was occupied and we weren't really in the mood to stay. One good thing is that the bar area is very large (much bigger than the restaurant dining room), so seating for happy hour is plentiful.

We left full, but unsatisfied, and for one drink and three average appetizers, the total bill, with tip was $28. (yes, we tend to tip large, but that should be expected when the food and drinks are discounted). Sadly, despite the proximity to home, this one does not merit a revisit.

Back with a fresh review next Tuesday.