American Eats: Nevada. Lola's Louisiana Kitchen
Las Vegas is of course a world unto itself. It’s not a city that I enjoy all that much. The Las Vegas Strip is just too loud, too bombastic, and too much for my sensibilities. If I want to gamble, I can drive ten minutes down the road or place a bet on sports from my phone. While there are cool places in Vegas like the Pinball Hall of Fame, the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum, or the Nucleare Testing Museum, it just isn’t for me as a whole.
As far as culinary delights go, Vegas runs the gamut but is most famous for either extravagant fancy food or the cheap buffets that are all over the city. These are of course worlds apart.
My personal favorite is something distinctively in between and yet another Diners, Drive-ins and Dives favorite find.
Lola’s Louisiana Kitchen serves Creole cuisine in the desert. In a city known for having everything, it would not be surprising to see a Creole restaurant. But I have to assume that Lola’s is among the best Creole joins outside of Louisiana itself.
On my trips to Lolas, it was located in the Las Vegas Arts District off of Charleston Boulevard. It was kind of a pain in the ass to get there, trying to negotiate traffic and parking, but it was completely worth it when you walk in and get the feel of Louisiana and New Orleans.
On both trips, my dinner choices were completely the same. For my entree, I selected a Po-Boy, once the Roast Beef D”Brees” and once the Shrimp. Both were of course excellent, on perfectly cooked bread that was absolutely to die for.
But the real star of the show for me was dessert. The Bananas Foster Bread Pudding. Lola’s of course sells both Bananas Foster (Sliced bananas sautéed in a brown sugar butter, topped with vanilla bean ice cream) and Bread Pudding topped with a Jim Beam praline sauce. This desert of course combines the two of them in a dessert so heavenly and delectable that words just cannot adequately do it justice
The original Arts District location has closed. But Lola’s lives on in the suburb of Summerlin, ten miles west of the Strip. But I assure you that when in Las Vegas, it is well worth the time and the drive to get out there and experience the best damn restaurant in Las Vegas.
Lola’s Louisiana Kitchen
1220 N Town Center Dr.
Las Vegas, NV 89144