It’s easy to forget where you are when dining at Solera on East Colfax. Even though the front door is no more than two car lengths from the curb of Denver’s busiest working class strip of pavement, it’s not a distraction once inside. Never mind that Big-O-Tires and Checker Auto flank both corners; the restaurant offers a solid barrier to the outside world in both ambiance and cuisine.
In a way, the word solid best describes Solera. Owner and chef, Goose Sorensen, named the restaurant Solera after a type of aging used in winemaking, but the word can also mean a flat stone used as a bench, a solid beam or a family tradition. In my mind, the latter definition best suits the word Solera.
And the restaurant is like a solid friendship for the East Colfax neighborhood—a stable companion who is in it for the long haul, like a solid family tradition and a Spanish farmhouse that still stands proudly after many generations. Solera reminded me of many neighborhood standby restaurants I frequented while living in Italy—warm, casual but elegant, and time tested as a place for high-quality food and friendly service.
In May, the weather hadn’t yet decided it was spring, so we opted for an inside table with a view of the outside veranda. A few more optimistic diners sat on the patio under the tree canopy. A high fence guarded their view of the street corner, masking any hint of the restaurant’s location. I looked through the patio windows with envy and vowed to come back later in the summer to enjoy dinner al fresco.
Solera’s wine list was extensive. It’s divided into the traditional red, white and sparkling, but playfully listed as “Here” and “There,” for domestic and imported options respectively.\ Our first choice, a moderately priced Taft Street Pinot Noir from Sonoma County, was not available, so we ordered an Emeritus 2007 Pinot Noir, from the Russian River Valley. That too was gone, so the waitress brought a 2008 as the closest option. Solera’s Spanish origins begin with a tapas menu that includes a Salumi plate of Spanish and Italian cured meats, olives and cheeses, great for sharing with a group, and little neck clams with chorizo.
The dinner menu includes traditional Spanish dishes like Paella, but its side dishes and sauces beckon back to Spain’s early Roman, French and North African influences, such as beluga lentils, roasted fennel and merquez sausage (spicy sausage from North Africa) with grilled lamb, or red pepper and almond Romanesco sauce and idiazabel cheese (a sheep’s milk cheese usually from the Basque region) with roasted prawns.
For our first course, we went off the European map and tried the Thai-Style Calamari, spiced up with sweet-chili sauce, peanuts, mint and cilantro. In my opinion, the Spanish have mastered the art of calamari and my expectations were high.
This side note explains why: My first taste of Spanish calamari perfection was in Majorca, not at a restaurant, but from the Iberian Air catering kitchen at the Palma de Mallorca Airport. As an international flight attendant in 1980, our favorite pastime was sunning ourselves on the wing of a 727, while waiting for the passengers to board. The catering crew hand delivered fresh Spanish calamari to us from hydraulic lift trucks. Perhaps their motives weren’t always gentlemanly, but we were willing to take the risk because the calamari was tender, not tough, and so light and crispy, we feared the batter would blow away in the wind.
Even after these many years, the image and taste is still fresh in my mind. Though Solera’s calamari is not Spanish, I was not disappointed. The waitress suggested a medium sized order for our table of four. I was worried about the up-sell when I saw the generous portion size, but our table fiercely fought over the last crispy cornmeal ring, glazed with sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce. My hope is that Sorensen tries his hand at a Spanish version of the same dish.
Perhaps because the calamari was so strikingly good, the duck confit with raisins, pine nuts, spinach and sherry was conspicuously ordinary. Each of the pieces was lovely. The duck leg was tender and moist, the rich pine nuts, plump golden raisins and sautéed spinach were prepared nicely, but the sauce was lacking. I’d hoped for a little more punch, such as a splash of Spanish-sherry vinegar to balance the fatty richness and sweet raisins.
Solera’s salads are beautifully matched with Spanish ingredients. Diners near our table whole-heartedly recommended the Spanish Style Caesar, studded with white anchovies and Manchego cheese. I opted for the Butterleaf salad with buttermilk blue cheese, spicy walnuts, shaved red onions and champagne vinaigrette. The buttermilk blue cheese was deeply veined, creamy and provided a robust addition to the soft lettuce and delicate vinaigrette.
On Tuesday nights, Solera offers a mussels special, $17 for all you can eat. The choices include three variations: tomato and chorizo broth, similar to the little neck clams tapas; coconut curry; and a leek, white wine, Brie cheese and Dijon broth. I opted for the latter choice. The bowl was brimming with plump tender mollusks coated in a thick broth.
Not all restaurants are able to deliver when it comes to mussels; sometimes they are tough, sandy or flavorless. Solera knows its mussels. I tried not to eat the whole bowl in hopes of trying the other variations, but I couldn’t leave them alone. The mussels paired with chewy artisan bread and Solera’s aged balsamic vinegar, proved too tempting to resist. Next time, I will opt for only the mussels with a side of truffle frites and house-made aioli and call it good.
The other raved-about dish among our party of four was Diver Scallops with truffled macaroni and cheese, peas, toasted almonds and Wisconsin cheddar. The generous portion included three large scallops, on a queen-sized bed of pasta. This marriage of American Midwest cheese and Spanish seafood, studded with Mediterranean trimmings of peas and almonds was pure comfort in a bowl.
The other main course that caught one of my dining companion’s attention was mentioned above for its Mediterranean-influenced ingredients from North Africa, Spain and France—grilled Lamb Loin with merquez sausage, roasted fennel, beluga lentils and Brussels sprouts. This dish was complex and perhaps best represented Spain’s diverse culinary influences, particularly in the inner regions where seafood is less relied upon as a mainstay. The lamb was tender, the lentils, sprouts, sausage and brown sauce was a nice flavor match with the Emeritus Pinot Noir.
Spain is known for milk-fed pork, so we also chose pork tenderloin, with fresh spring peas and mashed potatoes as our last tasting option before moving on to dessert. The pork was indeed tender, the vegetables superbly prepared, but the overall impression was bland. The dish is a good choice for a less adventurous eater, given its proper preparation, but for someone who wanted a little excitement on the taste buds, it lacked emoción, as the Spanish say.
For dessert, our table opted to try a suggestion from a nearby table of eight Solera regulars, the Tres Leche cake, with sea salt caramel ice cream. The cake was moist and milky with a delicate crumb, and the sea salt ice cream addictive. No complaints were heard from our table or the party of eight.
I wanted to add one more sweet to our list, but our full stomachs cried out for mercy. Next time, I will try the Chocolate Crunch Cake, with Peanut Butter Ice Cream and Nutella Whipped Cream. Or maybe I will just go for a dollop of the Nutella Whipped Cream…
Solera’s reputation as a solid rock-bed neighborhood establishment was in full force during our visit. For a Tuesday night it was busy with a bustling bar crowd, a large table of eight, a couple with a newborn balanced on their shoulder trying to get a long-awaited night out, a few couples on dates, a few tables working late over a good meal and a glass of wine, and even a couple of single diners, which is always a good sign of a friendly restaurant.
Chef Sorensen says he is researching new menu items for the coming year, as he is inspired by new dots on the Spanish culinary map. Sorensen stated in an earlier interview with Denver Life, “It’s an exciting time for us and the restaurant; we can really feel the vibe.” It will be exciting to see where Sorensen takes us during our next visit.
Solera | 5410 East Colfax Ave., Denver | 303.388.8429 | solerarestaurant.com
