Lola’s タコス

Last night’s #TacoTuesday was a complete triumph! I feel a tremendous sense of responsibility to tell you about Lola. This must have been what it was like for Indiana to find the Holy Grail. Treasure beyond compare. Watching chef Sam, his brother, his wife Paloma and even their sons in action craft our late night tacos was like watching Michaelangelo, Da Vinci and Rafael (not the @tmnt) in action. I know I’m prone to exaggeration but I’m NOT blowing this out of proportion. @Lola.Orem is a masterfully crafted culinary gift to Utah and to the world—expertly-crafted, Japanese-kissed Mexican cuisine. Truth be told, it’s not even unexpected. This is the innovative genius that also brought us Tortilla Bar and DaFoco. (We asked his teenage son, Socrates, if he even realizes how lucky he has been his whole life to be eating Sam’s food EVERY day. #blessed)
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@schoene4sure and @theflav have been raving about this place forEVER (ok since they opened 6 weeks ago ) and so last night we were THAT group. Called them at 8 minutes to close and said we were 7 min away. Of course, as some of the friendliest in the food biz, they said, “No problem!” and they started making our salads (they were both unreal—watermelon feta ponzu and slivered cucumber perfectly coated in an almond butter/@sriracha, soy and mint). And then the tacos. You just don’t experience this next level of flavor experience, farm-to-taco freshness and labor of love often. Let alone tucked behind Burlington Coat Factory in Orem. Felt like we were in SOHO, Cow Hollow or 3rd Ave in LA. Plus, gourmet food this good open until 11pm Tue-Sat? Seriously. This just keeps getting better and better.
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We were losing our minds. Everything was on point. Everything. Best tinga I think I’ve ever had (not even really something you usually talk about). Handmade corn tortillas (of course) were amazing with the tender carne asada chunks with olives (don’t really even love olives and they had me all ) and papas. And the carnitas cooked in coconut oil and topped with pickled swiss chard and tangy root veggies. Are you joking me?! You guys, it was out of this world. Sam has a gift and we all get to receive.