Zole’s a Mixed Bag; Lala’s a Melrose Treat

I’ve spent the last few weeks eating at new neighborhood restaurants around town and here’s what I found at two of them:

I was lured into Zole, a new Mexican restaurant on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, by its contemporary good looks. A large, airy, post-modern cantina, Zole sports cement floors, lovely pale wood, judiciously placed color--a purple wall here, green booths there. Ribbons of galvanized tin ripple along the ceiling: an homage to tin-roofed taco shacks? With its central bar and outdoor patio, cheerful lighting and lots of elbow room, it is a perfect set for a huge, raucous party. Even a scattering of families and other folk makes for a notable din.

The big party may not happen, not yet, at any rate. Not until a few of the kinks are ironed out.

First, there’s the service.

On a slow weeknight, we stand at the front desk for several very long minutes before anybody greets us. Once seated at our table, it’s another 10 minutes before anyone acknowledges our presence. Our waiter is friendly and sweet, but drinks take another eternity.

Then, there’s the food.

The menu is standard, updated Cali-Tex-Mex: ceviche and pizza, fish tacos and pasta, fajitas and “wraps.” But the ceviche tastes soggy and old, a pizza is ruined by utterly tasteless carnitas and goopy yellow cheese. Potato tacos drip grease; shrimp tacos come smeared with tartar sauce. Salad dressings are sweet as soda pop. A chicken breast wrapped around a chile relleno and grilled is as dry and tough as bark; a tamale is also strangely difficult to cut with a knife. Mesquite-grilled yellowtail couldn’t have less flavor. The best things I found were the “Southwest Club,” smoked chicken, avocado and bacon rolled up in a tortilla, and “Seafood Vera Cruz,” fettuccine with shrimp and scallops, capers and olives.

A bit more art on those pretty new walls, a chef and kitchen staff that knows what they’re doing, and there’s no reason why Zole shouldn’t host a perpetual fiesta.

* Zole, 536 S. Arroyo Parkway, Pasadena, (818) 584-9101. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Full bar. Major credit cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $22-$45.

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On Melrose: If you’ve walked the length of Melrose and want a quick, inexpensive, protein-rich meal, try Lala’s, a small Argentine cafe in the former Chin Chin space. The little white hut holds a pretty dining room of blond wood tables and a counter with a bird’s-eye view of the cooks. The exuberant Latin music is sometimes hideously loud, even on the patio, but not always. The staff is good-natured, relaxed, maybe a little too relaxed--can’t our waitress leave that cute guy at the bar alone for a minute and clear our congealing dinner plates?

The food here is inexpensive, unpretentious and tasty: Lala’s is like a homey, mom ‘n’ pop Gaucho Grill. With a basket of bread comes a ramekin of chimichurro, the definitive Argentine hot sauce of parsley/garlic/basil and olive oil.

Epan~adas, with blistered, crunchy crusts, are filled with well-seasoned ground beef or spinach. An appetizer of grilled vegetables falls short: The zucchini, eggplant, peppers and onions are virtually raw, with a few black char marks. But a grilled sausage, served on a salsa of lightly dressed chopped tomatoes and red onions, will take the edge off an appetite.

Salads are large and juicy: I liked both the “rugola” with spinach, arugula and tomatoes, and the “griega,” a true, lettuce-free Greek salad with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onion, feta and olives.

Dinners are a bargain here. Just $6.95 will buy you half a tender, moist, crisp-skinned marinated chicken with a huge serving of great mashed potatoes or French fries. A rib-eye, while over-cooked, has good enough flavor for $8.95. And I’ve had smaller portions of worse salmon for far more than Lala’s $9.95 salmon steak. But steer clear of “Lomo Lala,” grilled filet mignon in a too-boozy red wine sauce with raw, slivered mushrooms.

A slice of cool, sturdy flan comes with dulce de leche, a rich, addictive caramelized milk sauce, and superfluous whipped cream. Wash it down with a demitasse of good Illy espresso.

* Lala’s, 7229 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (213) 934-6838. Open seven days for lunch and dinner. Beer and wine served. Major credit cards accepted. Dinner for two, food only, $22-$57.