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Lola Mexican bistro moving to Salt Lake City; and an 80th anniversary beer for Snowbasin

Find Snowbasin Pale Ale at the ski resort and all three locations of Roosters Brewing Co.

(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Chef/owner Sam Oteo is moving his Mexican bistro — called Lola — to from Orem to Salt Lake City's 9th and 9th neighborhood. It will open in mid-December.

Lola — a new Mexican bistro in Salt Lake City’s 9th and 9th neighborhood — is expected to open in mid-December.

The restaurant takes over the former Bird House spot, at 856 E. 900 South, and is the latest project for chef/owner Samuel Oteo, who has been operating Lola Taco in Orem since 2019. Oteo previously owned and operated Tortilla Bar and Oteo, also in Utah County.

Lola in Orem survived the March shutdown, but with limits on seating to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Oteo decided to close the shop and move the concept — with some slight variations — to Salt Lake City.

While the 9th South version will offer tacos and burritos, the menu will not be traditional, Oteo said. There will be unique takes on favorite dishes like miso barbacoa soup, tinga tostadas and chilaquiles. Both sit-down and takeout options will be available.

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Oteo grew up in San Diego and then worked in New York and Chicago before moving to Utah in 2011.

He chose the name Lola — short for Delores — which means “sorrow” in Spanish. “It’s a reminder,” he said, “that even something painful can be eased with a good meal and good friends.”

(Photo courtesy of Snowbasin Resort) Snowbasin Resort has released a new beer to celebrate its 80th anniversary. It's produced by Ogden's Roosters Brewing Co.

Anniversary beer for Snowbasin

Ogden’s Snowbasin Resort has released a new beer to celebrate its 80th anniversary.

The Snowbasin Pale Ale is available on tap at various locations throughout the resort as well as all three locations of Roosters Brewing Co., which produced the new brew with crisp tropical and citrus notes.

The Compass Rose Lodge and Maverik stores in Weber County also carry the beer in cans. A six-pack costs around $9, depending on the location.

Snowbasin Resort opened for the 2020-21 season on Nov. 27 — 80 years to the day from its original launch as a small, local ski hill with only one rope tow.

Today Snowbasin has 3,000 acres of skiable terrain, 12 chairlifts, six day lodges and one of the country’s top ski schools.

(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) People line up outside the Cottonwood Heights liquor store the day before Thanksgiving on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020, on what is typically the busiest sales day of the year for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Fewer liquor store procrastinators

Every year, liquor store customers are told to shop early for Thanksgiving, to avoid long lines and crowds.

This year — thanks to the pandemic — there were fewer patrons who procrastinated, numbers from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control show.

The Wednesday before the holiday was still the busiest day of the year for the DABC, bringing in $3.3 million in sales. But that one-day total was about $229,000 less than the same day last year.

Revenues on the Saturday and Tuesday before the holiday also were down from 2019. Here’s the day-by-day sales breakdown:

• Friday, Nov. 20: $2.56 million (up $358,000 from 2019).

• Saturday, Nov. 21: $2.2 million (down $61,000).

• Monday, Nov. 23: $1.97 million (up $162,000).

• Tuesday, Nov. 24: $2.43 million (down $101,000).

• Wednesday, Nov. 25: $3.3 million (down $229,000).

Total sales for the five days leading up to Thanksgiving were $12.5 million. That’s a 1% increase from 2019, when the state sold $12.3 million in liquor.

These totals do not count beer sold at grocery and convenience stores.