Après Kosherfest @ Solo
After Novembers’s trip to Kosherfest, the gang and I met up with some local friends and readers for a swanky meal at Solo. I had really wanted to try their tasting menu, but I ultimately decided it would be too onerous and costly to foist upon a big group. Our decent-sized group let us try most everything on the menu, limited as it was — the restaurant’s main dining area was devoted to a large function, so the menu was pared down quite a bit, most notably missing all varieties of fresh tuna.
As such, we were shuttled off to a quiet, glass-enclosed room, where Valentino, our able waiter, greeted us and thoroughly explained all of Solo’s dishes. In the spirit of the day, we ordered, and then passed our dishes around for all to try. Aside from Avi’s chicken, I think we were all quite satisfied. What follows is our amateur photographic record; the lighting wasn’t ideal, so use your imagination as necessary.
David’s Cowboy Steak, an extra-thick bone-in aged ribeye topped with hearty onion rings. One of the tastier steaks I’ve ever tried.
Chaim’s steak au poivre. This one really surprised me. The ginger-infused poached pears were a heavenly match with the black pepper encrusting the steak
I ordered this veal filet. The veal was cooked perfectly, but it took me a few bites to warm up to the yam/sausage hash beneath. A fine, hearty meal for those looking to venture beyond steak.
The details of Avi’s chicken dish escape me, but I recall he was unimpressed. I wasn’t surprised, as my one experience with the Prime Grill (Solo’s sister restaurant, which I’ll never visit again) involved a similarly disappointing chicken.
The Jack Daniels-infused chocolate mousse.
My dessert, the banana brulee tart. Outstanding! Crisply browned bananas, decadent shortbread crust, delicate caramel ice cream. And a healthy portion, to boot.
Oh, no- vertical food. How delightfully…. tall!
The Jack Daniels mousse looks intriguing & the banana brulee tart looks healthy only in portion size. I need it.
That is indeed my steak au poivre. I will speak about it in just a moment, but I would also like to point out that the side next to it was an excellent shredded potato and spinach tower.
Now to the steak! As Jabbett said, the flavor was excellent. The flavor profile was perfect. with each bite the mouth was inundated with the spice and sharpness of the pepper and ginger. Then the meat made it’s presence known, with both an exquisite flavor and texture. Finally the sweetness of the pear refreshed the mouth of the pepper, preparing it for the next bite.
Frankly, I was amazed. It would have been very easy for any of the flavors to become overwhelming through the course of an entire dish. The true brilliance was in the chef’s ability to pair them so that did not occur