Enjoy Caribbean heat at Lola's

I get a little nervous when I drive up to a restaurant at 7 p.m. and there are no cars in the parking lot. So as we approached a sparse lot, we prepared ourselves for the worst. Little did we know we were in for a most memorable evening at Lola's Caribbean Restaurant in Ghent.

An unexpected flurry of snowflakes blew across the street, but inside the open two-story space, it was toasty. Since a group of trivia players had reserved the downstairs this night, we were escorted up to the more intimate second level. Mouthwatering lime-green walls with large arches divided the space and offered a nice contrast to the exposed red brick and terra cotta downstairs.

White leather chairs faced upholstered banquet seating across crisp white tablecloths. Glossy white carved crown molding, dark mahogany and wrought-iron accents, and shimmering white capiz shell chandeliers dangling like earrings from the expansive ceiling give Lola's an elegant plantation ambiance.

Since we were unfamiliar with some of the terminology on the Cuban-, Dominican- and Puerto Rican-inspired menu, our knowledgeable and friendly waiter Nelo gave us the lay of the land.

He suggested we start with the plantain nachos ($8.95) - which made me question if I will ever eat regular ones again! The plantains, a starchy, low-sugar member of the banana family known as the potato of the Caribbean, are deep-fried in vegetable shortening. They are dense and chewy with a slight crunch and topped with cheddar cheese, black beans, tomatoes, red onions, cilantro, lime and sour cream. This could easily be an entree - and just so you know, leftovers heat up nicely in the toaster oven. My date also enjoyed the ripe avocado slices, sweet grilled pineapple and fried onions on top of tender baby spinach dressed with a tangy vinaigrette of his Aquacate y Pina Salad $6.95.

For the meat lover, Nelo suggested the churrasco, ($14.95) a generous slice of grilled, citrus-marinated skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, which arrived beautifully plated with four thick spears of perfectly grilled asparagus and delicious chunks of crispy fried potatoes drizzled with a garlicky citrus sauce.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mofongo de camarones ($15.95), a traditional Puerto Rican dish of seasoned plantains that are mashed into the bottom and up the sides of a pilon, or wooden cup, and then topped with tender, seasoned shrimp. You can get this dish with pollo (chicken) or vaca frita (fried shredded beef) instead of the shrimp.

Since the desserts are all made in-house, we loosened our belts a notch and ordered the flan ($5.95), savoring the rich, eggy custard and caramel glaze with a robust cup of java.

Lola's, owned and operated by the Alonzo family, just celebrated its first anniversary. I will definitely return to sample more menu items, try a mojito, and possibly venture onto the floor when the place turns into a dance club nightly at 10.

Judy Cowling, jcowling3@cox.net