OK, to be honest this was during 5280 Restaurant Week so maybe our expectations were too high. We've been going to Solera since they first opened and had followed the chef from Mel's in Cherry Creek. I liked the Scallops and Mac&Cheese, but our other guests were not as impressed with the food.
The wine list is OK, but nothing to write home about. Add to that, our waitress didn't even ask us if we wanted a drink with our meal. When we asked another waiter for wine, his knowledge of the wine list was limited.
The waitress was unhelpful overall and got rude when we asked to have the bill split. This is not acceptable behavior at a fine restaurant.
I asked for the manager when I saw that a 20% was automatically added to the bill. He only offered excuses that it was 5280 Restaurant Week and implied that we should accept substandard service. He took the 20% gratuity off the bill and left the tip decision to us. I still tipped way too much.
I probably won't be back and our guests will definitely not be back. Sad that after all these years to not return, but Denver has to many great restaurants to visit to risk another bad experience.
Who is has two thumbs and is fully and happy after a dinner at Solera? Â This girl.
Solera was my first venture (of many) for restaurant week. Â I live only a few blocks away and have been intrigued by the presence of a nice, contemporary restaurant on my endearingly sketchy Colfax. Â The interior of Solera is kind of a rustic Western/Spanish theme. Â Which sounds like it doesn't go together, but it totally flows. Â The lighting is soft, but not too dim and the waitstaff was very friendly.
But really, on to the food! Â I ordered the red curry and tomato soup, which had the right amount of spice and was perfect to be sopped up with bread. Â For my main course, I had the flat iron steak with spinach, creamy potatoes, and Romesco sauce. Â Delicious! Â The steak was perfectly cooked, the potatoes were melt in your mouth and I think I could drink the Romesco sauce by the gallon. Â My two dining partners felt the same about their pork tenderloin and wild mushroom risotto. Â For dessert, I opted for the cheese plate which came with slightly-too-salty crackers and a peach compote. Â The best was definitely the sharp goat cheese. Â The other dessert we tried was the shortcake with strawberries and vanilla bean ice cream. Â A great ending to a fantastic meal.
I'll be back, Solera. Â And I'll come prepared with more forgiving clothing so I can eat even more of the goodness you have to offer!
I love this place! Â They have amazing food and incredible service. Â I keep coming back for more. Â We had exceptional service last night during the Wed wine tasting. Â The only reason I'm not giving this 5 stars is because we only tasted 3 of the 5 wines. Â It was very busy so I'm sure it was an oversight. Â They accommodated us in the dining room since the bar was full, and I wasn't sure how many wines they were tasting so I didn't say anything, I should have. Â The wines we did taste were wonderful! Â The food was delicious! Â Ryan was a fantastic waiter!
Review Source:I had the most amazing meal at Solera nearly one year ago. Â The meal was made all the more wonderful because I had a wonderful dinner companion. Â We were seated on the patio on a beautiful cool October evening it was truly like stepping into another world. Â The string lights and fountains made me forget we were on Colfax. Â It was lovely!
Onto the food. Â We shared several starters, the marinated olives and the clams, great variety of olives with a hint of orange and the clams were perfectly cooked. Â Next we shared the Caeser salad, basic salad that provided a nice bridge from the appetizers to the entrees. Â I had the scallops for my main dish they were accompanied by a luscious mac 'n cheese topped with almonds, it was heavenly. Â I can't remember what my dining companion had for a main entree but I do remember there was nothing left. Â Throughout the meal we shared a nice bottle of Spanish red wine that complimented the food nicely. Â After all that we skipped dessert.
Service was attentive without being intrusive. Â The atmosphere on the patio was perfect. Â All in all it was a lovely night that I'm still thinking about one year later.
I've been here 2 times, both date nights. This is a great intimate place, not too noisy, white linen tables, or take a sit on the patio!
Pros
--Calamari is THE BEST!!!!!!! I want to go back just to eat that app.
--Paella is good and spicy. I've had this two times the only two times I've been here. Â
Well Paella is too time consuming so I figure just purchase it when I get the chance.
--I love the atmosphere here. Â It's a good place to appreciate a locally owned business.
Cons
---Sangria....eh.. pass
--My boyfriends steak was passable. I'm glad I got what I ordered.
GO here! It's not typical Denver!
1. Thai calamari is the best in Denver. Be careful though, it comes out extremely hot!
2. Scallop Mac and cheese. Scallops are make it worth it allowed, but the Mac and cheese is not overly fancy
3. Locally owned and operated.
Overall, this is a great spot that will not break the bank.
The new patio is fun. Â There is actually lots of tables outside. Â The decor is funky. Â I love the different wine names on the stairs. Â Merlot was one of the stairs. Â It 's a real nice outdoor place for a nice evening with friends.
I had the mussels and honestly they were ok but not great. Â I may have been full after the great bread and very yummy thick balsamic. Â I had a bit of my friends steak and it was good. Â Wanted to try a scallop but just tasted the Mac and cheese which I think I could have polished off on a hungry night.
I want to try their new brunch. Â I have been a few times for the wine tastings and know I will go back.
Why oh why did I wait so long to come back here?! Especially now that I live somewhat close it was so disappointing to realize that I could have been enjoying this little gem on Colfax for two years!
We came here Sunday night to celebrate my birthday and came up with the idea because we needed a quiet restaurant. Solera totally fit the bill and so I made reservations. We walked in at 6:15 and were greeted warmly by the host. He told us it would be just a moment for our table, it had started to drizzle earlier and they were ensuring it was all dry. I was so excited, I didn't even realize there was a patio!
The six of us sat down and started browsing the menu, and let me just say that there were exclamations about one menu item or another from every single member of our party. It took us a good 25 minutes to figure out what to get because we all were eying at least 2 items from each section!
I wish I could remember our servers name because he was awesome. He was attentive but not a hoverer and made sure that everything was the way we wanted it.
The food was all delicious, as a table we were all in agreement about how outstanding the calamari was. My mom does NOT eat spicy food and this was a Thai calamari dish with some sort of sweet chili sauce. She seriously inhaled half the dish and it had a little kick. That says something for sure! We all enjoyed our meals (mussels, halibut, another seafood dish that I can't remember and steak frites) For dessert I had the bread pudding and it was unreal.
I will NOT let another three years go by before coming back here! Looking forward to making this a regular stop on the restaurant rounds in our books.
I first experienced Solera for Mother's Day brunch last Sunday. Â The food and service were nothing short of great. Â It was cold out, so we didn't get to dine on the patio, but I vowed to return for a mid-spring happy hour in the sun. Â I did my research on Solera's website, and their happy hour checked out.
Sadly though, I was sorely disappointed. Â First of all, many of the happy hour prices on Solera's website misrepresent the true prices at the restaurant. Â Some of the drinks and appetizers are more expensive on the true happy hour menu. Â Also, there was no mention on the website that happy hour guests are not welcome to the patio. Â That was a huge letdown after a long day at work dreaming of wine and apps on their beautiful patio. Â My friends and I were shown to the patio when we arrived, but when we mentioned we where guest for happy hour we were rudely escorted to the dark bar. Â What a waste of a beautiful afternoon. Â We sat at the bar for an hour an a half while the patio remained empty. Â Next time I'm hankering for a great happy hour, I'll walk a few blocks west to the Cork House who will happily seat happy hour patrons on their beautiful patio.
Sorry Solera, but I won't be back until you change your policy.
Delicious food! Took a friend here for her birthday and was pleasantly surprised. Great atmosphere, great service, and really good food.
We both got fish - she had the salmon and I had the sea bass. The sea bass, served over rock shrimp risotta was probably the best flavored, seasoned sea bass I've ever had. Full of flavor, yet light, not overpowering -- perfect for spring time. Definitely would come back.
What a great surprise. Â I swore off dining at any restaurant on East Colfax years ago. Â Jaded by the sleazy riffraff and traffic nightmare. Â But the gang insisted we give Solera a try. Â The exterior is deceptive. Â Inside it's rustic, but classy. Â The staff couldn't be any nicer. Â Between the four of us we had salmon with fingerling potatoes $26.00, Â Sea Scallops on Mac & Cheese (OMG) and the Paella. Â All was excellent. Â The only thing I didn't like was the Caesar salad. Â I should have said NO Anchovies, because the salad was just too fishy. Â It would make a good date place but it's a little loud.
The server was a real pro, host also had a happy service oriented attitude, might have been the owner. Â Next time I'm trying the Mussels.
Not snobby at all. I stayed away from this place for years because of a misconception I had that they were snobby and pushy with expensive wine, despite living down the street. Man am I sorry I did. I've been to Solera 3-4 times now and have had a great experience every time. The food is very well-seasoned and creative, but not unfamiliar. Foodies and folks with more simple tastes will all find something they like here. They are very accommodating to dietary restrictions, which I appreciate. And there's a lovely outdoor area for dining during warm nights. I wanted to stay and hang for hours there.
I discovered this place last year during Denver Restaurant Week - it was one of the few places we went to that understood the opportunity DRW provides - to win new customers and not treat people like cheapskates. Good strategy.
I actually found this place on Yelp while on a business trip in Denver. I appreciate the fellow Yelpers because they were right- this place is good. My dining companion and I each enjoyed a salad along with an entree for a reasonable price.
I had the beet and quinoa salad followed by the mussels. With a glass of Spanish white it was just right. The beet salad was more salad greens than beets, but it was wonderfully dressed with a citrus vinaigrette. The of pile of mussels was huge and the broth was plenty spicy. They offered me pomme frittes but I opted for bread instead. I was hoping for toasted bread, but the bread was delicious nonetheless. It was just the right meal.
My companion had the Spanish Caesar salad. It appeared to be really good. He also had the scallops with the truffle mac n' cheese. He said it was all fantastic.
This is a great little place in what appears to be an up-and-coming area of Denver. I would totally go back on my next trip.
Solera was an easy choice for my birthday meal as they had my three favorite things in the world to eat on their menu:
Truffle macaroni and cheese.
Seared ahi tuna.
Flourless chocolate cake.
Service: Service was a bit slow, but we came on a Friday night and it wasn't too bad as we had time to enjoy our four-course dinner. Â Our server was really nice and knowledgable about the food and wines.
Ambiance: I love the patio! It has sort of a rustic, romantic, and relaxing vibe. Â There are lights hanging from the trees overhead and you can hear the water coming from a fountain. Â Grab a spot outside, if possible.
The Food: Amazing! Â Pricey, but my truffle macaroni and cheese appetizer filled me up even before dinner started. Â Next up was a tomato bisque, which was a little lumpy in texture but still alright. Â I'd probably skip this one. Â For my entree, I had the ahi tuna and it was cooked perfectly! Â I also enjoyed the accompaniments to the dish. Â It was a fairly decent portion size, and I had to take most of the dish home (after eating soup and an appetizer, mind you). Â Then the server brought out a complimentary chocolate cake for my birthday (with a candle!) and it was DELICIOUS! Â Super rich...I loved every bite.
The Wine: I believe I had a malbec and then a rose...both appeared to be 6 oz. pours. Â The wine list had some interesting choices and prices seemed fair.
Solera is definitely a more expensive restaurant - luckily I was able to use a $69 Travelzoo voucher to cover this four course meal (with 2 glasses of wine), which would have amounted to about $150 with tip. Â I'd definitely go back again though for a special occasion!
Me and my GF met a friend at Solera last Wednesday for their wine tasting. Â I've heard that it's a fun place to try some good wine for a decent price and it did not disappoint! Â It was 15 bucks for 5 small pours of wine - 2 white and 3 reds. Â They were all pretty good and the person pouring the wine (a vendor) was really knowledgeable. Â He shared a little of the back-story for each one, some better than others but all still interesting. Â
The friend we met is a regular at the weekly tastings, which proved to be very helpful when the bartender stopped by to comp us a glass at the end of the tasting. Â The friend also he got there early in order to save a prime table for us, what a nice guy!
We shared the Truffle Frites (only OK), Thai Style Calamari (good, with a nice spice kick), and Duck Confit (very good, came on a bed of creamy polenta). Â We tried to order the Lamb Belly, it sounded SO good but they said that the supplier didn't bring them any that day. Â I guess I'll just have to try that the next time I'm in, probably on another Wed.
Tips, get there early if  you want to do the wine tasting, at least if you'd like a place to sit!  It goes from 5:00 to 7:00 and there were only a couple spots at the bar by 5:15 last week.  As with any tasting, consider having a drink before it starts.  I'm usually in happy hour mode after work, which pretty much means I want a drink and I want it NOW.  It took some zen-like patience to wait for the 2nd and 3rd pours!
My husband and I went twice to Solera and I absolutely love that place. To be perfectly honest, I was a little concern to try that place just because was right off Colfax but that's such an immature thing think about it as Solera has so many good recommendations!
The food is fantastic and the wine selection is also amazing! I love going there with my hubby and we both totally recommend it.
I have been to Solera for Office Hours and have been looking forward to going back for dinner. We had an Open Table coupon to use so we made reservations and off we went. Â
We ordered the truffle mac and cheese and Serrano croquettes for starters because they were under the tapas menu. Â Well, they could have been meals. Â The truffle mac was a huge bowl that had asparagus and a few peas in it. Â The asparagus didn't pair well, but the peas did. Â The dish was so rich, too rich. Â There seemed to be a bit too much truffle oil. Â The croquettes were good, they were served with queso fresco and a yummy sauce.
For entrees I had paella, the hubs had the roasted  chicken. Neither of us were overly impressed.  The paella was not what I was expecting.  It was very brothy, almost like a soup.  It was red and spicy. I thought pallea was yellow from saffron, and not usually soupy.  There was 1 shrimp, a few mussels and small clams, some salmon and calamari.  There were no  veggies in the entire dish. The flavors were good but I honestly don't think I would recommend it.  I was honestly disappointed, I had been looking forward to having pallea, it had been so long since I'd had it. Â
The half roast chicken was small and there were a few scattered potatoes and tomatoes on the dish, and it was served on huge pieces of sauteed spinach. Â The flavors were good, but not as good as it could have been, especially for the price.
Maybe if I liked wine, I would like Solera more. There is a huge wine selection and the night we went they were doing a wine tasting in the bar area. Â The outdoor patio is very nice, but I was too cold to eat out there. Â I really would give more stars, but it is quite pricey here and the food just doesn't seem to match up. Â If I'm paying over $25 for an entree I would like to be blown away, and I just wasn't at Solera.
OMG! Thanks so much Liz for taking me there for my birthday it was wonderful!!!
Don't know how many times I drove by that place never really knew too much about it. Â the place was full so alot of people know about it and now I do too! :)
I had the pan chicken over fingerling potatoes and the corn was so good!
We had a sampling bowl of olives and I loved it
and they treated me for dessert to the warm peaches and cream and almond gelato  yummo.... telling everyone and that's what I do!!
Thank you thank you
The people were great and friendly too
I had a TravelZoo voucher for Solera and had a a reservation for Friday night at 8:00 PM. The place was crowded and vibrant. We were seated on the patio which was nicely decorated, but not very well lit. Â It took a while to get our first visit from the server, so we had a good look at the menu. Once we finally did see a server, we were told that we had to order from a different menu with the TravelZoo voucher. Â No problem - I sort of expected that - but I mentioned I had the voucher when I made the reservation. They should have had that information at the host's podium and given us the appropriate menu as we were being seated. This "chef-selected" menu was very limited. I can't hold this against the restaurant - I understand it was a promotion.
I got Thai Calamari as a starter, which was very nice. The Thai sauce was fairly mild and did not overpower the calamari. Decent portion size. My wife got a fancy green salad which was doused in black pepper (and she was even asked if she wanted more pepper by the server). Almost inedible.
For the entree, we both got Salmon with a shellfish risotto. I've never been asked how I wanted my Salmon prepared (rare, medium, well), but I left it up to the chef. It was a little underdone compared to the salmon I'm used to eating, and my wife's salmon was cooked inconsistently. But, the flavors in the dish worked well together. The bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream was the highlight for me. My wife was less than enthused with her cheese plate. It was microscopic and didn't present well.
Service was pokey - 1 and 1/2 hours from seating to bill. The crowd (mostly in there 40's and 50's) didn't seem like they were in a hurry though. Very nice wine list with a variety of prices. Â We had chef-selected wine pairings with each course, but the server never offered to tell us about them as they were being served.
Now over 70 people are telling you that this is 4 star dining. Trust us; we're your eatin' buddies.
Other things you should know about Solera: very good wine list and very very good selection of wines by the glass--all reasonably priced; neat patio that's private from Colfax; knowledgeable/nice servers and a rockin' hostess.
Goose knows what he's doin' and has been doin' it at that spot for many years. Give it a try. You're gonna like it.
My husband and I went to Solera with a friend for the first time over the weekend. Â My husband and I arrived earlier than our friend and ordered several tapas that included: olives, the white truffle mac and cheese and the manchego cheese. Â All three were delicious, so much in fact that our friend ordered the scallops just to have more mac and cheese. Â
Where things went a little off track for me and only me was the paella. Â I appreciated the waiter explaining to me that it was more of a seafood stew rather than the classic paella. Â I should have chosen a different dish but I had my heart set on paella from previewing the on line menu and wasn't to be dissuaded. Â The broth itself was really spicy and didn't have much depth of flavor. Â There could have been more rice although, the seafood was cooked well. Â I do think that the menu should say seafood stew or Spanish bouillabaise rather than paella as this is definitely NOT paella.
My husband on the other hand ordered the grouper special with lobster risotto and it was fantastic. Â As mentioned earlier, our friend had the scallops with white truffle mac and cheese and that was also very good.
I would have given Solera four stars if it hadn't been for the dessert. Â My husband and friend both ordered the chocolate cake with Nutella whipped cream. Â What came out was dry cake sloppily cut into two squares. Â Sandwiched between the 2 pieces of cake was a sticky filling that tasted like it came out of a box. Â This was sitting on top of broken ganache (oil was separating from the chocolate) and on the top of that was a dollop of the Nutella whip cream that looked as if someone had shaken a spoon and a plop landed on top. Â And to boot, the whipped cream didn't even really taste like Nutella. Â Not good. Â At all. Â Half of each dessert was left on each plate.
Our waiter was very nice and professional and overall, we had a good experience that would have been great minus the paella and dessert.
What I ate was fantastic. Our server was a pretentious turd who made snide comments at some of the diners I was with because they don't drink alcohol and some of them are vegetarian.
When we arrived the bar tender and hostess were very polite, the two of us who drink were given champagne. It took a while to get a table as there were six of us, but it wasn't too terrible.
After being seated the server made his stupid comments to my friends and we debated leaving. It was new years and they had a prix fixe menu and a few options from the regular menu. This was disappointing because I had chosen this place based on the regular menu for our vegetarian friends. Again, upon being asked about the vegetarian fixed menu the waiter proved his ineptitude and barely knew what was available for the vegetarians.
When we finally ordered, my friends mostly got small plates and I ordered the chicken, which the waiter had no idea was even on the menu for the evening. When my boyfriend ordered the tapas frites he had no idea THAT was on the menu and had to double check.
The food was great. The cheese plate was delicious, the clams were very good. My chicken was phenomenal and well seasoned and I loved the frites that came with it.
Basically our waiter ruined what would have been an awesome meal by being condescending and talking down to four of the diners because they don't drink and are vegetarian.
I had a <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurants.com&s=8b83bf0ff8b716aae84527dc95577a310f201b166dcca25c8ca3824b15703869" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurants.com</a> coupon for Solera and made a reservation for Brent N. and I to dine there last night. The gentleman who took the reservation explained that the certificate couldn't be used for the 3 course menu. I said fair enough, Â and proceeded with the resevation.
What I didn't realize was that was the only menu offered on Sunday. Our server, Robert, explained this as we looked over the regular menu. I mentioned to him my certificate and phone conversation and he repeated that all that was available was the 3 course menu, and we couldn't use the certificate. We said we'd look at the menu and decide. We decided we'd stay and enjoy the 3 courses. But I was worried. I mean, after reading the last 2 reviews for Solera that were one star, I was nervous that the evening was going to suck. Then Mijan came to our table.
Mijan told us that if we wanted to order off the regular menu and use the certificate we could and apologized for any confusion. We chatted with him a little longer, told him we had decided already to do the menu and he explained why they only serve the 3 course meal on Sundays and told us to let him know if we needed anything.
Robert came back and took our order: mushroom bisque, scallops with truffle mac n cheese for me and a salad and ribeye steak for Brent. My bisque was lovely and both dishes were fantastic. For dessert we ordered both the bread pudding with marscapone gelato and Brownie with nutella gelato to split. Let's just say I'm glad Brent doesn't really like bread pudding cos I didn't want to share! The brownie dessert was good too, but I'm not really a big chocolate fan.
The great food, outstanding service and lovely patio setting (hard to believe Colfax is right outside) made for a great evening.
You know how sometimes all it takes is one little thing to ruin your entire experience at a place, and make you write that [perhaps unwarranted] 1-star review? Yeah, you know what I'm talking about. For Solera and me its like this: "What do you mean happy hour 'on the patio' ends at 6?"
Now, I'm not usually an angry person, but this really drives me crazy. I've experienced this kind of treatment at other places too..(The Rio, I'm looking at you) the kind of thing that really just leaves you speechless, thinking "hey, what does it matter where I'm sitting and what I'm ordering..I'm spending money, right?" but that apparently isn't good enough for some places. My inside-sitting-at-your-bar money is apparently worth less than my sitting-outside-on-your-patio money.
Anyhow, Solera in fact has this policy--they boast on their website "Happy hour from 4 to 7" but when you arrive and are seated with the rest of your Yelp compatriots, you discover that in fact happy hour where you are sitting ended at 6. At the very least, this is false advertising as their site gives no mention to this slight fact. Furthermore, while this is a ridiculous policy you would think that when the commander-in-chief of yelp denver sets up an event at your restaurant, and the only area big enough to hold all of us is the patio, you would cut us some slack. Alas you did not, Solera...and while I'm sure you have some delicious delicacies and some tasty cocktails, I think I'll stick with the ice water.
As soon as we got off the plane, got our rental car, instead of heading to the hotel we headed straight to Solera's All You Can Eat Mussels Tuesday :D
SO. FREAKING. GOOD.
Our waiter was super nice and gave us some nice wine pairings to go with our food...
We started off with the West Coast and East Coast Oysters with Pineapple Mignonette & Caper Cocktail Sauce followed by a bowl of Moroccan Spiced Mussels and a bowl of Portuguese Mussels....
Theeee bestest dish ever of the night...and also the best risotto of my life Confit Rabbit Risotto with Caramelized Onions, Creme Fraiche and Fontiago Cheese.... soooo tender and creamy and delicious....
.... and then the best macaroni and cheese ever... Sauteed Sea Scallops on White truffle "Mac&Cheese", Asparagus, Green Peas, Toasted Almonds & Wisconsin White Cheddar.... SOOOOO GOOD and creamy and full of truffle goodness...
we ended the dinner with the
Turron & Caramel Bread Pudding with Buttermilk Gelato & Bourbon Caramel which was soooo creamy and amazing. Best bread pudding ever... and the Ginger-Lemongrass Creme Brulee with Candied Lemons
Get exactly what we got :] You're welcome.
A few coworkers and I sat in the bar area on NYE and shared the largest platter of Thai influenced calamari and WOW, explosion of deliciousness! It was a very large platter for $18 that six of us enjoyed.
The waiter was very attentive and there was never an empty glass or dirty plate on the table. The wine prices were quality, you could go $6 a glass or up to around $12 per glass. I, of course, drank my pinot grigio on the cheaper side..I'm not incredibly picky considering I like boxed wine, but whatever, those were two delicious glasses of wine!
A really cool place with free valet and after reading all the reviews for this white truffle mac 'n cheese..I wanna go back ASAP.
Thei patio area is quite nice, filled with Americana decorations on the walls, nice wooden deck, tables in a decent distance from one another, great live band music playing right in front of the tables.
As far as food, we tried few of their items:
* P.E.I. Mussels - Neuskies Bacon, Olathe Corn, Albarino, gardens Tarragon: Mussels were fresh, nicely cooked, cream broth was light and bacon complemented the mussels without overpowering the dish.
* Salumi Plate - Spanish & Italian cured meats, flatbread, caper berries & olives: meats were good, cheeses not so much... Olives were a bit bitter.
* Sauteed Sea Scallops - White truffle "Mac & Cheese", asparagus, green peas, toasted almonds & Wisconsin white cheddar: Scallops were perfectly cooked, nice crust on both sides, inside was very juicy and perfectly salted. Mac and cheese was missing flavor, very bland; especially bland when eating the scallops all together.
* Dark Chocolate cake with gold, berries, and milk chocolate gelato: Interesting flavors, especially when tieing most key ingredients together, like dark chocolate, peach preserve and berries.
* Mascarpone gelato, cupcake ice cream, and mandarin orange sorbet: mascarpone was really good; cupcake tasted like a grocery store cupcake, mandarin organe was tart, but good.
Overall, Solera is nice, very nice service (attentive and knowledgeble).
Pretty lame. Â A friend had a coupon from <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> so we thought we'd check it out. Â I'd been any number of times many years ago and liked it for lunch but hadn't been lately so, why not see what's up? Â Really wish we wouldn't have.
First, the service was amazingly unprofessional. Â Sweet girl without a clue. Â I blame Goose for that - train your staff. Â I was grumpy to begin with because they told us we couldn't come at the time we wanted to and literally the place was not even half full. Â So we get seated, inside because the weather was iffy. Â The room is nothing special and the patio would have been much nicer. Â Probably 15 minutes before anyone acknowledged our presence and then when we tried to order cocktails the waitress had to make several trips to the bar to find out if they had the call liquors we requested. Â No to several (seriously who doesn't have Johnny Walker Red and Stoli? Â - finally settled on something close.
So, really it was the food that was most disappointing. Â Shared the calamari which is supposed to be the hot ticket here. Â Not impressed. Â Way too much hard fried coating and some kind of sticky Asian sauce. Â It was a mess to eat and mostly tasted like Asian honey sauce on fishy tasting hush puppies - not a fan. Â Thank god the waitress advised us to get a small order which we didn't finish. Â Dinners were equally lackluster, especially the scallops with mac ' cheese. Â The scallops although few in number were perfectly cooked but the mac 'n cheese was a mess - kind of dry and stiff - not gooey and unctuous at all. Â The two together just don't work and I am over truffled anything unless real truffles are involved and they never are. Â
Decent bottle of wine which again our waitress didn't have a clue about and had someone come to the table from the bar to provide guidance. Â We were fairly put out by this point and skipped desserts. Â Still, even with the coupon we were over $100. Â Go back? No way.
Overall my experience at Solera was just OK, nothing to write home about.
Good:
+The restaurant is cozy and comforting, and has a well done overall decor. Â The patio is nothing special.
+The wait staff was attentive and eager to answer any questions
+The food was good overall. Â An excellent cheese plate to start, a very impressive wine list, and my chicken was crispy and delicious on the outside while still being moist and fantastic in the middle.
Bad:
-The service was pretty slow. Â Normally I am lenient when enjoying a nice meal, but we waited five minutes to be greeted by our waiter and the transition between appetizer and main course was beyond long. Â
-The portions of the scallop and mac and cheese dish were way too small to charge the price they do. Â Only two scallops? Ridiculous.
-The worst part of the dining experience was actually the other patrons. Â There was a couple dining at the table adjacent to us who partook in the wine tasting on the patio and were so drunk they could not even recall what they had ordered when the waiter brought them appetizers. Â The restaurant should not have kept serving such a visibly impaired couple more liquor. Â Also the overall pretentious trendiness of the other patrons was off putting at best. Â Old, scandalously dressed cougars to hipster 20 something's, gag me.
I was getting over a cold and wanted something close, cheap and easy. Â I was thinking along the lines of Pete's but he wasn't in the mood for Greek. Â I for some reason had it in my head that Solera was a Mexican restaurant that I'd read about on Yelp. Â We headed over, both in shorts and t-shirts, looking kinda scruffy. Â
We spied the wall-o-wine and I thought "hmmm I bet this isn't Mexican!". Â When the host asked if we had reservations, my date said, "no, we heard really good things about this place!" (rimshot!). Â I had to explain the joke to the host, who even after the explanation was not amused, but he put us at an awesome table on the patio just the same. Â
Our server said he was ready to answer any wine questions we had, but I didn't want to ask any, since I wanted red wine and I was set on ordering seafood, and I knew he would not approve. Â Being that we were set for cheap, I chose the wine by the price (second cheapest bottle was $34). Â I was sad to see when poured, our server dripped not only down the side of my glass, but all over the table as well. Â I'm glad I was wearing my old shorts and t-shirt for when it dripped off the glass onto me (of course missing the napkin in my lap).
We had spotty service throughout the evening actually. Â Not terrible, but it was definitely uncomfortable. Â Was it the way we were dressed? Â Perhaps, but we weren't in rags, and we're both able to speak coherently. Â Maybe it was ordering red with seafood? Â Or maybe it was just not a great server.
We shared a salad that was the special, complete with fresh peas in the pod. Â They split it to separate plate for us which was a nice touch. Â I had the scallops and truffle mac and cheese. Â The scallops were blackened just right, but I felt they used just a little too much truffel oil in the mac and cheese. Â He had the duck special and couldn't believe it. Â He'd never had such a great duck meal ever. Â But really, how often does one order duck? Â Last time I got it was at least ten years ago. Â
Pretty great time, but could have been better with better service (and a sense of humor).
This is a review of Solera's macaroni and cheese dish.
Description: Sauteed Sea Scallops w/ White truffle "Mac & Cheese", asparagus, green peas, toasted almonds & Wisconsin white cheddar. $22.
Presentation: Nice white shallow round bowl with 3 perfectly cooked scallops in the middle surrounded by ragonetti pasta and white cheddar cheese sauce. Â Sparsely sprinkled with the peas, asparagus and almond slices. Â I have decided that I like ragonetti pasta because it is kinda fun looking - twirly and like a small spring. Â
Consistency: Â This pasta is perfect to pick up the cheese sauce and it also blends well with the truffle oil. Â
Taste: Wow. Â The flavor profile of this dish with the scallops, noodles, cheese and truffle oil is excellent. Â Man, do I love truffle oil.
Overall this is a great mac mainly because of superior ingredients and a good recipe. Â I would definitely order this dish again. Â Thanks Goose!
Solera didn't disappoint. Â 3rd time here - 2nd time eating. Â Met a couple of my grrlz here at the bar and had a little later dinner reservation. Â We were all three intrigued by the maitre de - so cute - is he? Â Isn't he? Â Who knows, but he made us all laugh multiple times. Multiple is good. Â
Onto the food - it's restaurant week so we ordered off that menu and were happy with our choices. Â A little different twist on a Caesar for 2 of us; the parsnip soup for 1. Â All good. Â Salmon, flat-iron steak were luscious, as were the scallops but they were just 3 little lonely scallops adrift a sea of spiral white truffle mac & cheese and my friend was yearning for more,more, more.
Brownie dessert fell a big short of the mark (my brownie was a little dry; mocha ice cream was good) but the cake-flavored ice cream magically vanished from the plate. Â Um um good. Â
Full house, nice atmosphere and many 2-tops that looked to be on promising dates.
Really enjoyed our trip to Solera last night for Harvest Week. Â They served up a 3-course dinner (choices for each course) plus an amuse for only $40. Â Very reasonable!
As neither of us are fans of trout roe (or any roe in general...I know, I know), the chef sent us out a lovely slice of Camembert with truffle oil drizzled on top. Â Yum!
First course: Â Haystack Mountain Goat Cheese Agnolotti
Local Apples & Wild Porcinis - delicious! Â Gooey goat cheese in the middle of a robust broth spotted with mushrooms and diced apple. Â I was sad there were only 2 Agnolotti - I could have had an entire course of this!
Local Sweet Greens Salad: Â Goose's Garden Heirlooms, Sutcliffe Viogner Vinaigrette - really ordinary. Â Just two small slices of tomato, and I am almost positive they were NOT heirlooms. Â They looked and tasted exactly like red vine-ripe. Â Pretty disappointing. Â The vinaigrette, however, was very good - highly acidic.
Second course: Â Colorado farmed Trout, Rocky Flats Asparagus, Fingerlings, Red Pepper Butter - delightful! Â There were two generous trout fillets, so the portion was a little to big for me, but the flavors were harmonious and it was very delicious.
Colorado Lamb Loin, Colorado Sweet Corn Souffle, Lamb Jus - excellent! Â Lamb was very tender, cooked to perfection, and also a generous portion. Â The corn souffle was insane - I could have eaten an 8x8 pan of it and been really happy. Â Wow...it was SO GOOD.
Dessert: Â Palisade Peach Bread Pudding with Stranahan's Whisky Caramel Sauce - welcome fall! Â It was full of the fall spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) and the flavor was very good. Â The pudding was steamed and not baked, so the texture was a little doughy. Â
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream Alchamy Bourbon Chocolate gelato - decadent! Â The brownie was not too thick, and it was nice and fudgy. Â The Bourbon in the gelato helped balance some of the richness - very yum.
The service was VERY friendly and welcoming. Â We had a lovely time here! Â Will definitely be back - they have a nice (though limited) tapas menu, so it would be nice to unwind at the bar or on the patio with some wine and small bites.
One star off for: Â most wines by the glass are very expensive ($10 - $20 for a GLASS!?) and I expected a bigger selection from a so-called "wine bar", somewhat cramped dining room.
Yesterday was my 28th birthday and I was surprised with how old that sounds - I can no longer say that I am in my mid-twenties. Â However, a trip to Solera reminded me that there are much older people out there. Â Old people eat here...really old. Â I felt young again!
Solera is a really nice place located along legendary Colfax Ave. Â Their spacious, yet cozy dining room is gourgeous at sunset - with the dramatic natural light filtering in through the shades to provide an pleasant and upbeat mood for your special occassion. Â
The food was magnificent. Â I ordered a seafood paella that was loaded with mussels and other goodies. Â My favorite part of the dish were the spicy bites of spanish chorizo - adding a much welcome texture and taste variation to contrast the variety of seafood. Â The mussel were wonderful, fresh and cooked to perfection - as was the rice. Â Many restaurants will overcook the rice in paella, leaving you with a mushy mystery mix - Solera did this dish to perfection. Â
My wife had the atlantic salmon with grilled gnocchi, wild mushrooms and zucchini squash. Â Wonderful - though I must admit that the salmon was slightly overcooked - a common but forgiveable mistake made by most all restaurants. Â
For dessert - which is free on your birthday - I had a lovely cinnamon ginger bread pudding topped with a chocolate ganache. Â Absolutely fabulous. Â Creamy, light, fluffy, and delightfully sweet - I am drooling at the thought of this wonderful treat. Â My wife went with the cheesecake, which was also wonderful.
The service was fantastic. Â My server congratulated me on my birthday and then promised that their staff would not sing to me...got to love that. Â My only beef with the service is that the valet in the front needs to pull his pants up. Â Seriously.
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