Sola Byob

Phenomenal execution of ingredients and splendid attention to the flavor profile. Dishes were unique and exquisite.

I came for the Tuesday Tasting Menu. The chef offers a four-course meal with impressive selection.

The chef began the meal with a small amuse bouche: A blended soup of beets and chèvre. The beets were a deep red of the freshest variety. The earthy chèvre balanced out the acidity of the beets quite well.

We then had bread with a sweet cream butter. The bread was pleasantly crisp on the bite and soft on the inside. Not spectacular, but this is good bread with even better butter.

I selected the crab cake, scallop, short rib, and Orā (New Zealand farmed) Salmon.

The crab cake was impossibly flaky. Upon forking, the cake flake into sturdy, yet tender flakes of succulent lump crab. A crisp layer surrounded the meat. This was some excellent execution.

The scallop was also extremely well-seasoned, large, and served with a perfect char. The scallop was placed on a bed of creamy and acidic risotto.

The short rib was incredible. It was that perfect savory connection of fall-apart and tender. The chef is not afraid to leave on some of that deeply flavorful fat. He hid the whole, generous chunk under a complex bbq-like demi-glaze. This was probably the best short rib I've ever had. Very impressive execution of the meat. Definitely, order this "peasant" dish.

The salmon was likewise excellent. It was well-seasoned, tender, and juicy.

For the final course, I chose to complete this ecstatic experience with the flourless lava cake and hazelnut ice cream. The ice cream was excellent. It was smooth, creamy, and deeply nutty. The cake was super chocolatey and well-executed in texture.

I had the pleasure of eating at Sola Byob and had a wonderful experience. My husband and I decided to try the tasting menu because that is what adventurous people do! The tasting menu was made up of a 6 course meal for $75 per person. Here is a breakdown of what we had:
1.) Amouse Bouche - Roasted Mushroom and Barley Soup
The flavor was robust and quite nice! It was reminiscent of a sweet and sour soup. My husband and I aren't the biggest fan of mushrooms but these mushrooms had just the right amount of flavor and texture. We both enjoyed this as a way to whet our taste buds.

2.) Butternut Squash Baklava
I thought this dish was very creative. It was made up of pistachio, goat cheese, and truffle vinaigrette. It was presented like a dessert dish. The butternut squash added sweetness to the dish and enjoyed the flavors. I do wish they added a bit more crunch to the layers. Baklava is made from a flaky pastry. This dish seemed more like a sweet lasagna. I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

3.) Seared Day Boat Scallops - escargot, seaweed pasta, and beurre rouge
This was my favorite dish from the tasting menu. The scallop was nicely seared. The seaweed pasta was out of this world! I thought I would be overwhelmed by the seaweed flavor, but that did not happen at all. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The beurre rouge was buttery, rich, and just luxurious. So delicious!

4.) Black Diamond Mussels - dashi, basil, ginger, bonito flakes
This dish captured the essence of the ocean. The dashi had a very seafood flavor, as it should! The bonito flakes add a great savory touch to the dish. I liked that this dish was simple so that you could enjoy the flavors of the ocean.

5.) Duck three ways
This dish came with a roasted/panfried duck breast, duck prosciutto, and duck confit. I don't frequently eat duck so I don't think I appreciated this dish as much as I could. I felt like I was overwhelmed by the duck, because it has such a game-y flavor. This was a very heavy dish and by the time i ate everything off the plate, i was feeling stuffed.

6.) Creekstone Farm Stiploin
I enjoyed this dish quite a lot! The meat was cooked very well to a perfect medium rare. The foie gras sauce was absolutely delicious. I did notice that the blood from the meat had seeped into the potatoes, so there was a red pool that had formed at the bottom. This tells me that the meat should have rested a bit more. I still very much enjoyed this dish!

We had a palate cleanser sorbet before dessert was presented. It was a bit on the sweet side but it was delicious!

7.) Poached pear stuffed with goat cheese.
The flavors that were presented for dessert were quite interesting. The more I ate it, the more I liked it. I liked that it was different and flavors I never had before. I do wish they sweetened the goat cheese a little bit because it felt almost like a sweet and savory dish and less like a dessert.

Our server, Ali, was amazing! The ambiance is very cute and charming! I also felt like Sola Byob did a great job in terms of portioning the menu. By the time I finished everything, I felt satisfied. I did not feel so full to the point that the smell and look of food made me want to explode. Thank God for that!

Brian and his team are outstanding. My fiance and I visited for the first time this past weekend and we were certainly wowed.

The two special appetizers that evening were Nantucket bay scallops and foie gras, two of my favorite things ever. We debated which to order and ended up passing on the foie since I had just had that the night before . We ordered the ahi tartare instead and although it was delicious, Brian, thankfully, recognized this as a mistake on our part and brought us the foie dish after we had finished our two appetizers!! We were so grateful he did because not only was it an amazing gesture, but the two obvious winners of the evening were the bay scallops and the foie dish. The foie paired with a hibiscus (?) bread pudding and edible apple blossom (SO good!) was one of the best, most complex flavor combinations I've ever had.

My dinner review is going to sound lackluster in comparison but I assure you everything was delicious! My fiance had the duck and I had the short rib. Both were flavorful and cooked perfectly.

For dessert we opted with the very seasonal apple pie which came topped with almond ice cream. Apples are not my favorite fruit and pie, in the traditional sense, is not my favorite dessert. This dish was more of a tart and the apples were coated so well in cinnamon and nutmeg? and other amazing spices, it literally tasted like fall if fall had a flavor. Brian, again, helped us out and gave us a scoop of their honey ice cream on the side since he saw my eyes light up when giving us the list of ice creams. This sounds crazy but that honey ice cream was the best ice cream i've ever had. I love the flavor of honey mixed with butter and cream. It was so smooth and just perfect. order this if they have it on the menu!!

long story short: we are 100% coming back and I'm sad I hadn't tried this spot before now!!

My wife and I had a very excellent dinner here. It was Wednesday, so the restaurant featured a seafood tasting menu, a four course meal for $55. The fish that night was lobster, one of our favorite foods, so it was an easy choice. The first course was lobster and cucumber gazpacho, delicately seasoned with basil. It was delicious and perfectly balanced. The half lobster tail was thinly sliced, so you could get lobster in every spoonful. Second course was lobster claw with artichoke heart. This also flavorful (the mushroom especially), but frankly there wasn't enough of it to be able to combine all the different flavors in rotation. Third course was gnocchi with crumbs of lobster and roasted Brussels sprouts and small bits of apple. This was incredible, but, again, there wasn't enough. Desert was poppy bread with sorbet and meringue. Very nice, and this was finally filling.

The lesson is, when they say "tasting," they mean tasting. I think the regular menu had larger portions, but I can't say that for sure.

The place attracts a nice crowd. Of the six couples who were there while we were there, half were regular customers, greeted by hugs and shown to their usual tables. People have a passion for the food here, and it's easy to see why.

The meal was also very quick. We were never rushed, but our desert was being served 45 minutes after we sat down. Getting the tasting menu probably played a role in how quickly we were served.

Visited: Wednesday - June 15, 2016 - 6:30 PM

I enjoy a variety of food but, not selecting individual dishes off a menu. Fortunately, Sola, offered a Prix Fixe of which I quickly agreed. Each course would be served on "small plates" and at regular intervals or as I requested. I agreed to regular intervals

The first serving was the Watermelon crab salad - two watermelon discs with crab and avocado topping with Thai pepper vinaigrette

The second serving was the Chilean sea bass - small roasted potatoes, crispy scallions, haricot verts, in light sauce

The third serving was Duck breast - perfectly cooked duck (medium rare) with a potato hash and bacon, glazed carrot and zucchini strips, in a light sauce

The fourth and final serving was the Sorbet trio - guava, strawberry, and raspberry

The Prix Fixe totaled $39.00; I throughly enjoyed the meal.

I sampled my lady friend's Sola salad, baked tuna, and mousse; all were excellently prepared and delicious.

Although there was only one server she was attentive and professional.

Amazing!
Bryan's got a goldmine here and Chef Scott is a genius.
Go for No-Menu Monday for a culinary treat!
BYOB, which make this place both delicious and affordable.

It's been a while since I'd been here--given that I no longer live in the area--but my parents mentioned a reasonable prix fixe menu, so off we went. When we arrived, there was one couple dining, but it was quite early and eventually it filled up. The room is pleasant, with some well-chosen art and cool lighting fixtures. The owner was doing service on his own initially, and so it took a few moments before he came out to seat and greet us. Another server arrived a little bit later. On that note, service was very friendly, but it didn't seem as polished/skilled as I remembered. Despite constantly checking on us (almost too much so), water glasses were never refilled, and the first three courses came out at lightning speed--for a little while I was worried we'd be done our four-course meal in an hour.

The first course was a Shrimp Mary, which was a pair of large shrimp arranged like a shrimp cocktail over a non-alcoholic version of a Bloody Mary. To be honest, this was my least favorite dish and just felt ill-conceived. While the shrimp were plump and tender (except for the fact that my mother and I both got veins in one of ours), it wasn't really clear what you were supposed to do. Even if you dipped them, the drink wasn't really thick enough to cling to the shrimp, and so the flavor didn't carry over, and who really wants to dip shrimp in your drink and then drink it. It just didn't work for me. Next came the lobster with a corn-cucumber risotto. This could have been a very good dish, but unfortunately mine was a bit oversalted--not quite enough to send it back (and the problem is that you hesitate to send it back after a bite or two, and after a few more bites, it's too late), but it needed to be pulled back to be fully enjoyable. Right on the heels of the lobster came a petit filet mignon with truffle mashed potatoes, haricot verts and an onion fritter. Again, verging on too salty (the steak in particular), could have been hotter, and the other problem which only seemed to affect my particular piece is that my steak was quite rare in places (instead of medium rare). My father very kindly traded a piece of his with me (his was cooked nicely), but he ended up leaving most of what I gave him, as it was too tough.

Dessert was the best course of the night, largely for the cookies 'n cream ice cream, which was original (it's usually a white ice cream with Oreo, but this was a slightly different spin) and delicious. I also had a coffee ice cream (solid) and a cheesecake ice cream (the weakest of the three--didn't have much flavor to me).

I realize that Sola has had some chef changes in recent months, so maybe they're working some things out, and maybe the a la carte menu is better. But it just didn't feel like it was quite at the same level as before. Still A-OK, but it wasn't the really great--at least not this night--that I remembered.

Excellent service, food and ambiance. Old school, but super friendly and welcoming. If you want a great date night that's BYOB come here!!!!!

This is one of those few restaurants where they make everything from scratch and chef's passion speaks in every dish! We had the seared black bass which was absolutely A-mazing from flavors, texture and plating! It was served with a sweet onion soubise, warmed kale, charred scallion and ponzu reduction finished the plate. My boyfriend had the lamb rillette with pickled breakfast radish, fava flowers and kumquat chutney and currant moustarda; it was so good that he wanted to lick the plate, literally! :) We finished off with espresso and homemade (of course! duh!) baklava with honey ice cream, which had the PERFECT texture and the flavors were to die for!

Chef Scott came and talked to us; he is both very pleasant, knowledgeable and super talented! We will be back for a tasting menu, chef!

Took my lady there for our anniversary. While she picked the tasting menu (scallops crudo, grilled salmon, red wine pork cheek and lava cake) I picked from the menu (tenderloin tartar, duck breast and Creme brullee). If you go during the week prices are more reasonable as the tasting is only 39$ while my menu was 45$. We will be back!!!