Houston isn’t my hometown, but I’ve lived here for 10 years now. And yet, horror of horrors, until recently I’d never been to Lola’s Depot (2327 Grant St., 713-528-8342). Hey, jerks! I can see you all shaking your heads. Gimme a break. It’s not like the place is real easy to find or anything. There’s not even a sign. But I will concede that its subtlety is its charm. According to the clock above the cash register, Lola’s is the Home of Reality. It’s also the home of all-day happy hour, including $1.75 Lone Stars, on Tuesdays. The world needs more of this kind of reality.
Lola’s opened in ’82, and it has been home to bartenders Kenny, Danny and Jaime for a combined 50 years. Like any great dive bar, it’s home to exposed duct-work, black walls, some scary-ass artwork and a stuffed baboon. It’s home to Kenny’s “travel wall” – a repository for postcards sent “home” to Lola’s from all over the world, even some place called “Alaska.” I asked Jaime to mix a shot for me, and we took a Georgia Peach together. Then I remembered I had some veerrryy important bidness in the A.M., so I had one more Lone Star and headed to my humble abode, home of your mild-mannered drinks reporter….until now. That’s right: Someone else will be taking over this column. So until next time, W.H., out.
2 ounces Crown Royal whiskey
1 ounce peach schnapps liqueur
Splash of pineapple juice
Shake with ice and strain into a shot glass. Lola’s is “cash only,” and “some wines may contain sulfites.”
This article appears in Sep 3-9, 2009.