Owner/Chef Lola Pokorny

A year ago, after 15 years as owner of the Las Vegas-based Cajun Connection, Chef Lola Pokorny took what many would consider “the next step” for a successful personal chef and caterer: restaurateur.  So, imbued with that famous joie de vivre made famous in New Orleans, Pokorny opened Lola’s – A Louisiana Kitchen; continuing her quest to provide authentic Cajun food with authentic Dixie hospitality.

I stumbled upon Lola’s quite by accident.  I’d been Downtown, at the Arts Factory, with Jacob and the artist P-Detta, getting a sneak-peek at the latter’s newly-hung Alterna-Life show at Laura Henkel Fine Art (read all about it, next week); and, since it was dinner-time, decided to look for a place to eat.  The restaurant next to the Arts Factory was closed, and so was Chicago Joe’s.  Driving west, up Charleston, we noticed Lola’s in the Old Holsum Bakery, and decided to check it out.

The patio at Lola's

First impressions go a long way with me.  I’m a sucker for a nice, clean logo and good signage; so before we’d even parked, I was happy to be there.  We took a table on the patio, and were greeted almost immediately by our server, Frank, who brought out our drinks in a jiffy.  Ever the visual aesthete, P-Detta was the first to notice the menu’s clever artwork – a fleur-de-lis with illustrations of a shrimp, a crawfish, a bottle of wine and a steaming bowl of gumbo superimposed upon it.  But I was far more impressed by the promise that lay on the menu’s pages. 

There were the classic New Orleans culinary favorites that I’d come to love all those years ago, during my (somewhat blurry) time at Tulane.  Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, Gumbo, and Étouffée.  What’s more, the menu’s back page was devoted to Po’Boys, those delicious sandwiches served on French loaf, and containing virtually anything.

Lola's delicious Gumbo

I’ve always found that gumbo is a good gage of a bayou kitchen’s wherewithal, and in the case of Lola’s, Chef Pokorny and AJ (the cook) are all that and a bowl of grits.  Andouille sausage, shrimp, okra and chicken, just the way the Cajuns intended (Creole gumbo is a bit less spicy, and features seafood and tomatoes in lieu of sausage, chicken and okra).  If you appreciate a hearty stew that will make your eyelashes sweat and open pores you never knew you had – this one’s for you.

Fried Oyster Loaf Po’Boy and Potato Salad

Lola’s presents all of their Po’Boys on French Bread from Leidenheimer Baking Co. in New Orleans.  The bread is lightly buttered and toasted, and (per Big Easy vernacular) served “dressed” or “undressed” (i.e. with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and – in the case of seafood – tartar sauce).  Now, I didn’t realize it, but before dining at RM Seafood, the other night, Jacob had never eaten oysters.  Apparently, they went over in a big way, ‘cause now he’s a believer, and when it came time to order, he got the Fried Oyster Loaf Po’Boy.  I, meanwhile, decided to go the whole-hog, and opted for the Blackened Chicken Breast Po’Boy.

"Dressed" Blackened Chicken Po'Boy

Mine was just scrumptious.  The bread was just flaky enough without crumbling-apart (don’t you just loathe an overly crumbly baguette?) and held-up fantastically with the juicy and tender chicken breasts, crispy lettuce and Cajun seasonings.  I was so ensconced in my own little food flashback that I failed to notice the vigor with which Jacob had gone after his sandwich.  I looked-up, and he was picking-up a crumb of Fried Oyster that had dislodged itself from its motherloaf.  Once he was able to catch his breath, he was unable to shut-up about it (until dessert came).

AJ

We each got something different for dessert: I chose the Louisiana Chocolate Cake à la Mode, P-Detta opted for the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie, and Jacob went with Lola’s Famous Bread Pudding topped with Jim Beam Praline Sauce and a dollop of Chantilly Cream.  I suppose it says a lot for the trio of desserts that none of us had even the slightest intention of sharing.

Louisiana Chocolate Cake à la Mode

It’s been a year since Chef Pokorny opened her namesake restaurant in the Old Holsum Bakery, on Charleston just east of Interstate 15.  With its warm and inviting atmosphere and downright delicious delicacies, Lola’s is a fantastic place to laissez les bons temps rouler, and represents the best of what Downtown Las Vegas aspires to become.

Lola’s – A Louisiana Kitchen
In the Old Holsum Bakery
241 West Charleston Boulevard – Suite #101
(702) 227-5652

Get into it!