900 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-338-0062
http://www.solera-restaurant.com/
Category: Spanish
Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 9
Service: 8
Ambience: 8
Recommendation: Excellent! Solera is a chic Tapas bar serving 40+ small plates of tapas in the heart of the Hennepin Theatre district.
Chic, funky, arty, elegant. Solera is all of these and more. Vibrant colors surround you the moment you enter this place. Beautiful mosaics, soft lighting and amazing sculptures. Solera is so satisfying for us on so many different levels...it’s a great place for a romantic night out, late night happy hour after watching a show on Hennepin, entertaining out of town guests, and watching movies on their rooftop patio in the summer. It was also featured on Rachel Ray’s Tasty travels show. We have La Belle Vie's Josh Thoma and Tim McKee to thank for this chic hot spot. Their Tapas Bar and Lounge is open until 2am on weekend nights. They not only have a traditional 4pm-6pm happy hour but also a late night happy hour after 10pm. Happy hour specials include $2 Sangrias, $2 domestic taps, and $2 Chorizo Burgers. Check out the “Movies on the Roof” schedule on their web-site. Movies are played at dusk on Sunday and Monday nights and include a wide variety from chic flicks such as Meangirls to comedies such as Borat. With four levels of restaurant space, they are also an ideal location for large events such as office parties or business meetings.
Now for the menu…we’ve tried many of their 40+ tapas plates and can’t think of any that we have not enjoyed. The servers are very helpful and always willing to recommend their favorite plates. Our favorites include the Chorizzo Bocadillos with Galician Remoulade, Piquillo Stuffed Peppers with Herbed Goat’s Milk Cheese, Prime Beef Carpaccio with Avocado and Garlic Confit, Patatas Bravas, and the Ham and Cheese Croquettas. In our opinion, the Braised Chicken Wings with Moroccan Spices is just average. The Sangria is highly recommended.
$$$. You can make reservations online at Opentable.
Update (November 27, 2007) – We were at Solera again recently, where Anthony Bourdain was in town and signing his new book. The event was awesome – we’re big Bourdain fans and listening to him speak was a treat – he’s opinionated, sarcastic, funny, and full of interesting experiences.
We started the evening at the bar where the Pomegranate Cocktail as well as the Pear Martini was awesome (sorry, don’t remember the names). Our $80 tickets to the event included a tasting menu consisting of eight tapas, hand-picked by the chef from their seasonal, nuevas, and tradicional menus, 2 glasses of wine, and a signed copy of Bourdain's new book, No Reservations. The tapas selection included some unique ingredients like Oxtail and Morcilla (blood sausage).
While the thinly sliced Octopus Ceviche with Hot Pepper and Cumin had a great balance of spice and citrus, we found the steam rolled presentation gave it a processed look. The Chorizo with Hot Green Peppers and Sidra was very different from any other Chorizo preparations we've seen. The Sidra (cider) gave it a sourish flavor. If you have to get one Chorizo dish, we prefer the 
Chorizzo Bocadillos. The Oxtail Terrine with Preserved Lemon Frita Mixta and Horseradish was also good. The Grilled Pork Belly & Morcilla (blood sausage) with White Beans and Romesco was one of the more unique items – it came on a stick!; the fatty pork belly was great but neither of us was a huge fan of the blood sausage. A preparation of Olive Oil Poached Salmon with Fennel, Lemon and Olives had mild and fresh flavors. The only plate we weren’t impressed with was the Fresh Portuguese Goat’s Milk Cheese in Mojo Verde – we both felt that the goat cheese was very strong, and although we love strong cheeses, this particular didn’t have refined flavors. Overall, another great gastronomical adventure at Solera.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Solera
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3 comments:
I agree 100% with the reviewers. Solera is a consistently great dining experience and great fun to boot!
Bourdain was definitely in rare form that night and he's just as sardonic in person as he appears on his TV show and in his books.
As for the Solera food, it was very good for the most part. Here's my thought dish by dish...
Octopus Ceviche with Hot Pepper and Cumin - The octopus had a rubbery yet strangely brittle texture that distracted me from enjoying the mild flavors of this dish. I wasn't a fan.
Olive Oil Poached Salmon with Fennel, Lemon and Olives - This was an excellent albeit simple dish where the salmon was cooked perfectly.
Chorizo and Hot Green Peppers with Sidra - This was one of the more unique forms of chorizo that I've ever had. For better or for worse, it reminded me strongly of cocktail weenies cooked in barbeque sauce. That's probably insulting to a fine dining establishment but hey, I like cocktail weenies.
Shrimp and Tetilla Croquetas - Deep fried puffs of shrimp and cream cheese (okay fine, it was spanish tetilla cheese but I couldn't tell the difference) reminded me more of Minnesota State Fair than of Spain but I still thought they were delicious.
Piquillo Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Goat’s Milk Cheese - Imagine jalepeno poppers if they weren't deep fried. Okay now image instead of jalepenos and cream cheese, you used fancier ingredients. This dish didn't really work for me particularly since my palate had previously been calibrated with the saltier tetilla cheese from the previous dish.
Oxtail Terrine with Preserved Lemon Frita Mixta and Horseradish – Growing up in a household that regularly served oxtail soup, this dish filled me with nostalgic childhood memories. Although the oxtail was a bit over salted, overall I found this to be a very appealing dish.
Fresh Portuguese Goat’s Milk Cheese in Mojo Verde – While the above reviewers didn’t particularly enjoy this dish, I found it to be kind of fun. The cheese was stronger (and saltier) than other goats milk cheeses that I’ve had but the mojo verde really made it work. The taste of the mojo verde reminded me of freshly cut grass and it balanced well with the salty cheese.
Grilled Pork Belly & Morcilla with White Beans and Romesco – This dish was by far my favorite of the night. Of course who can really complain about fat on a stick? The grilled pork belly and blood sausage came on skewers on top of a bed of white beans and romesco. I loved te white beans and the romesco had a wonderful texture and nutty flavor (which makes sense since its made out of nuts). The pork belly was extremely tender and reminded me of the juiciest and most tender parts of bbq ribs. The blood sausage on the other hand was drier and had a very strong beefy flavor. I don’t like the idea of blood sausage but I did find it to be very edible and it worked well with the other components of the dish. This was a total success in my opinion.
Finally, moving on to drinks, I had a pear cocktail of sorts and a glass of both white and red wine. The pear cocktail consisted of Pear Grey Goose vodka, white cranberry juice, and a muddled slice of grapefruit. As for the white and red wines that we were all served at dinner, although I didn’t note the label or variety, they were more than drinkable and both complemented the meal well.
Got a bill for $10.51 which was obviously too low for the 3 hr tappas tasting for three. Alerted the waiter and he brough back the correct bill for $156.47 to which I added a $30 tip. Was charged for all three amounts $10.51, $156.47 and $186.47. Returned to FL and now am trying to have them credit the overcharges. My bank says Solera has an 18 day hold on the pre authorized overcharges. Pure BS! Food was OK, not great...if you want tappas, Barcelona, Spain is A++. Solera's food B-. Their terms for debit cards....FFFF-! Don't use a debit card at this Madoffesque restaurant!
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