Solera

I love tapas-style dinners. I always have such a hard time deciding what I want to order, and this way, I’m able to choose several items off the menu. More and more restaurants seem to be picking up on this trend, but Solera was one of the first in the area (I think) to really make it popular.

It’s been several years since I’ve been to Solera, so I was really excited to go back. My friend Debbie and I were supposed to go a couple of weeks ago, but it was kind of a snowy day, so we decided to reschedule (mainly because I was a being a baby about driving). Debbie kept her eye on the extended forecast just to make sure we’d be able to make it this week. She was bound and determined to get her Chorizo Stuffed Dates one way or another!

After placing our drink order, we started looking over the menu. So many choices! We decided to order two plates at time so we could easily pace ourselves through the evening. We started with the Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Smoked Bacon (Debbie would have it no other way) and the Smoked Salmon with Pistachio Pesto and Coriander Yogurt. The dates were really good. They had a crispy fried outer shell and were filled with tangy goat cheese. I couldn’t taste any chorizo or bacon though, so I’m not sure where they were supposed to be. The Salmon was served chilled with a side of frisee and was garnished with a dollop of pistachio pesto, coriander yogurt then sprinkled with additional pistachios. It was a light, refreshing dish and gave a good balance to the heavier stuffed dates.

Next we ordered the Sobrasada with Quince Honey & Sheep’s Milk Cheese and the Roasted Beets with Duck, Walnuts & Palhais. Sobrasada is a spreadable sausage. It was served on toast rounds and topped with a drizzle of honey and sprinkled with the cheese. I loved the mellowness of the sausage with the sweet note of the honey. The cheese was really interesting. It was mild, delicate and almost had the texture of cellophane. The rich, tender duck was shredded over of bed of frisee served alongside a napoleon of mild golden beets and Palhais (a type of cheese).

For our third course we ordered the Roasted Vegetables with Radicchio & Blue Cheese and the Scallops with Serrano Ham & Saffron. I loved the vegetables – they were a combination of roasted parsnips, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, beets and radicchio served on a bed of arugula. The entire dish was tossed with a reduced balsamic vinegar sauce and topped with Blue cheese. The scallops were pan seared and served atop ribbons of fried Serrano ham. I do prefer scallops at Sea Change (another Tim McKee success), but these were still very good.

We thought one more plate was in order, so we settled on the Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Goat Cheese. The roasting gave the slightly spicy peppers a hint of sweetness, and they were filled with plenty of the warm, tangy cheese.

Although we were getting full, the desserts were calling us. As my cousin says “You don’t save room for dessert, you make room!” I tend to agree with him!

We settled on the Churros with Mexican Hot Chocolate. The warm churros were crispy on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside. They were finished with a sprinkling of sugar and served with the slightly spicy chocolate dipping sauce. I loved the churros, but for me, the chocolate just wasn’t sweet enough. I think it’s my American taste buds getting in the way as I would have preferred to dip my churros into a jar of warm Mrs. Richarson’s fudge sauce. I know, tacky….

Overall I really enjoyed Solera. Wonderful food, attentive service, beautiful atmosphere. I hope to come back this summer to check out their rooftop. I think they even have Monday night outdoor movies….aha…summer…will you ever come?

Additional Details:
1. Website: http://solera- restaurant.com/
2. The best place to park is in the ramp on the corner of 10th and Hennepin. It only cost us $4 to park here!
3. Solera’s Happy Hour only runs from 5-6pm. They have some great food specials available in the bar at this time, but no drink specials (Really, Solera? Really???)