Lolita’s promises tequila on tap, food you’ll actually eat

April Corbin

Lolita’s Mexican Cantina

By April Corbin

Wednesday, July 21, 2010 | 1:37 p.m.

Real DJs battling holograms versions of themselves; flavored tequila on tap, delivered straight to your table; a quick-stop window for taco takeout; a barber-shop shot chair; a Mexican-themed bar with quality martinis; the possibility of balloon animals. ... Is this crazy talk?

Nope. It's the latest in food and nightlife, courtesy of the Lolita's Mexican Cantina, which opens Friday inside Town Square.

"The whole concept is about having fun, being really interactive," explains owner Eric DeBlasi. There will be Lolita's Girls — some with flesh, some as digital illusions — and the former may grab reluctant customers in an effort to get the dance party started. A built-in stage provides an area for live entertainment — DJs, the requisite mariachi band, singers, etc.

Two bars (and a satellite bar on the spacious outdoor patio) offer a full alcohol selection, including more than 100 types of tequila and a variety of specialty margaritas and martinis. One half of Lolita's dynamic duo, celebrity chef Carlo Cavallo, is an award-winning mixologist — something DeBlasi says will make a difference.

"We're a Mexican bar, but we'll be known for other drinks, too," says DeBlasi.

And food. Joining Cavallo as an executive chef is Tacho Kneeland, formerly of Pink Taco and Border Grill. DeBlasi describes Lolita's menu as Dos Caminos-quality food without the Dos Caminos price point. Fresh-made salsas are only the beginning of the modern Mexican menu, which will include tequila gelato.

"We really needed to do food right," says DeBlasi. "I think most places are either known for being a great dinner spot, where you leave and go somewhere else afterward to drink, or a great place to party but you wouldn't eat there. We need to have both."

Lolita's also will have a taco-takeout area called Tacos-A-GoGo, which will service customers on the go, or anyone too afraid of the futuristic holograms and tequila shots to stay inside. DeBlasi also hopes to market daytime Lolita's as family-friendly — maybe with kid-appropriate holograms and balloon animals.

If it sounds like there's something for everyone, you may be right, but DeBlasi insists it's been done with care. "You can't be everything to everyone. That never ends well. But everything we're doing has been thought out and will work together."

— Originally published on LasVegasWeekly.com