Sol Del Sur

After a friend recommend I visit Sol Del Sur, I read the Yelp reviews and glanced at their menu online. My boyfriend and I love food adventures so with their unique blend of ingredients, Sol Del Sur sounded like a must try. First impressions? I was surprised by the interior because when I looked up their menu online, I thought Sol Del Sur would be more upscale. Also, it was awfully quiet. Granted, we came in before 6pm. But apart from the two other tables, it didn't get any more crowded from the time we came to the time we left (7:30pm).

My boyfriend and I order the Short Stack (grilled eggplant, whipped goat cheese, pickled red onions, and watermelon), Semolina (Roman style semolina gnocchi, sage tomatillo sauce, and parmesan), Basque (squid noodles, baccala al pil pil, and nettle foam), and Candied (crisp herbed shrimp on sea beans, candied kumquat, orange oil, and sage). The Short Stack was our favorite of the bunch. It had a perfect blend of textures, and the flavors complimented each other oh so perfectly. The candied watermelon was interesting! It had a kick to it. Cinnamon? All spice? I don't know, but it was an unexpected kick. The Semolina was ok. I think it was lacking a balance in texture. The outside was crispy, but the inside would just melt away. Maybe you'll find that appealing, but I wished there was more substantial texture than just the crunchy outside. The Basque may have been our least favorite dish. The combination of the squid and the orange foam (the chef substituted orange foam for nettle foam) didn't do it for us. The Candied was a pleasant way to end our meal. But of all the tapas we ordered, I would recommend the Short Stack.

By the way, if you're hungry, perhaps save a visit for another night when you're not so hungry. Because they serve tapas, it'll be quite an expensive bill to fill that hungry tummy of yours. Second, their small staff (only two people the night we went) means a longer wait time between each dish and inattentive service. The chef didn't take his time with us, which I think is a key to making customers feel that their business is appreciated. He would quickly deliver the dish, explain the ingredients, and then leave as swiftly as he came. I understand because he's shorthanded, but I would have appreciated the extra time spent talking to the customers.

On another note, for a Saturday night, it was dead. There were only two other tables aside from ours. It's definitely not the food; it's the location. The restaurant is located in a shopping plaza where most of the other businesses close early. I wish they were in a more ideal location because Sol Del Sur deserves more appreciative foodies.

Overall, I enjoyed their unique dishes, but unfortunately, there's nothing that made me leave thinking, "I have to come back!"

I am unable to rate this restaurant for I was unable to eat and enjoy this highly rated location. Upon arrival we were denied seating for they were on a hour wait. There were 4 tables occupied and the rest were vacant. I'm not sure If we were denied due to the fact we had a baby with us along with the response from the guest seated, or if they truly were over packed with 3-4 tables in the entire restaurant. I did only see two workers and I read that everything is made fresh, so maybe 4 tables is an overload. I was very excited to try such a high rated place but sadly was unable to. Not sure I would try to come back again for the lack of professionalism in the man who "approached" us.

Easily worth 4 stars but mom and I got diarrhea possibly after eating bad, unfresh oysters. Dave admitted that he gets new ingredients in every Fri when he changes the menu, so we got the leftover ingredients perhaps.

The experience feels like you walk into someone's home and ask them to make something for you; the team of two (waiter and chef and owner all rolled into these two people) cook the dish for you on demand, fresh off the grill. He tells us dishes each week are hit or miss. I think the oysters were a miss for our painful stomachs (still rolling around as I write this)

Everything ranges between 9-13$ per dish; we had 5 dishes for 4 people that totaled $70 w/tax and tip. So it won't break your bank unless you want it to. It's definitely a quiet place; there were only 2 tables when we were there between 6:30-8:30pm on a Thursday night.

I wouldn't take someone here on a date or celebratory dinner, but more of an "adventure" to explore local eats.

Restaurant ambiance is fine, reminds you of a family owned fast food place that tries to look elegant. I agree the strip mall is dark and scary.

In any case, spoiled food aside, the experience was unique, the food was tasty but I've had better at more upscale places on PCH or in SF. Check out the menu online, which is a janky wordpress blog; for the location and price, it's worth checking out. But serving expired food is unacceptable--sorry, but only 1 star.