Upcoming Specials and Our trip to Florida Part II

We have lots of exciting specials coming soon, with several focused on authentic traditional Cuban dishes. Two of these are two of my all time favorites; Tasajo and Boliche.

Tuti's godmother Lilia (We call her Gia) is an awesome cook and makes some of the best Cuban food I've ever had, she is one of the main reasons I love the cuisine to begin with. She makes what we loosely refer to as "Tasajo" though it might be called "Aporreado de Tasajo" which technically means "Tasajo stew" though the way she prepares it is really nothing like a stew, or maybe "Tasajo Criollo." Though it is hard to say because like all Cuban dishes everyone has their own style of making it. Tasajo is a dry cured beef, imported from Uruguay. My understanding is that it originally was made from horse meat, though not to worry, it is only made with beef and is USDA inspected these days. It is quite expensive and has very limited availabity.

A picture of Tasajo with side dishes:




I LOVE this dish. I can eat it and eat it and eat it until I hurt. Then do it again the very next meal. Until it is gone. I have been wanting to share this dish at the restaurant for a very long time, but there was just one problem - no one knows how to make it. Except Gia! So, when I was in Miami I took the chance to have a conversation with her (translated through my mother in law of course as I am only ordering-at-the-Cuban-bakery fluent in Spanish) and she told me her general recipe and technique for cooking it. I say general recipe because Gia is 90 something years old and does most things from memory. Still at her age she will not get out of the kitchen! It is actually a fairly simple dish in terms of ingredients but the transformation and the flavor yielded are unique. To sum it up, the beef ends up shredded with a unique texture, has a red appearance and is complimented by the texture of the sauteed peppers and onions and tomato sauce in it. It is a slightly salty dish as it is made from cured dry beef, and so it is complimented perfectly by fluffy white rice, she usually serves it with black beans, thogh I don't need anything with this dish but a nice, toasty hunk of Cuban bread slathered with butter. Boy am I hungry just thinking about it! I am planning on making this dish for Friday and Saturday's special (provided there is enough for two days, depending on demand) and we will also be serving Chef Jeff's delicious Gazpacho soup with serves as a perfect appetizer to this meal. The Gazpacho will be made with tomatoes from our garden and will be packed with flavor. We sold out last time he made it, so I am sure you will love it! I hope you will come try the Tasajo, it will be a unique culinary experience. I do not know when you will get the chance to try it again, if ever!

Another favorite dish of mine is Boliche, also called Carne Asada, which is not the Carne Asada you get in your taco at Taco Bell. It is basically Cuban pot roast, and is, without a doubt one of the most flavorful preparations of beef anywhere, and if I can make it just like Gia does, will be something we make on a more regular basis at the restaurant. The roast is first marinated in spices then is stuffed with ham, olives and roasted red peppers (sometimes carrots)then cooked in its own juices on low heat for hours, sliced, and covered in a sauce made from the drippings and spices. The concentration of flavor is - ah well, I really can't describe it. I can only tell you once you try it you'll be hooked. I was. I am planning on making this dish for next Friday and Saturday's special. Again, I hope everyone can come out and try this wonderful, traditional Cuban dish, as made by our inspiration, Gia.

A picture of Boliche, ours will be slightly different, each is stuffed a little different. This one does not have the sauce on it:



I also brought back from Miami Cuban crackers. These crackers have a unique texture and we will be doing an appetizer with them in the near future. They will likely be served with fresh Chevre from Integration Acres and a Guava jam. Traditionally, cream cheese is spread on the crackers and then a slice of guava paste is placed on top. This will be our spin on that.

Enjoy!

Veggies with Sol

How many restaurants do you know of that grow, harvest and process their own organic veggies and deliver them directly to your table in the form of delicious salads, salsas and soups? Sol does! Check out these pics of our awesome, super flavorful, pesticide and insecticide-free veggies.





We weren't sure how this crop would turn out given the dry summer we had, but I feel I've developed what is a pretty good method for producing (at least) tomatoes. I plan on expanding production next year to provide even more of our fresh veggies including squash, strawberries, lettuces, cabbage, etc. There was only so much time this year as we were of course concentrating on getting the restaurant itself going, but each year I expect we will be able to expand production. This year I concentrated on tomatoes as we use a ton of those (maybe literally) for our fresh fire-roasted salsa, salads and for (when Chef Jeff makes it), our delicious Gazpacho soup. Coming soon as a special, by the way, read the blog about our upcoming specials for more about that.

To grow these vegetables chemical free, I start with a technique I picked up from the U-pick fields we used to go to when we lived in Miami. They mound the rows, cover them with plastic and plant the strawberries and tomatoes. There is no weeding. I also do not water the plants all summer either. Only when the plants are put in the ground and that's it. They are pretty much on their own from April until September. I feel like letting the plants grow naturally instead of babying them allows them to develop stronger roots, leading to a healthier plant better drought and pest resistance, etc. I only stake and reinforce the plants as they get larger. This year has been extra hard to keep the plants upright because they have grown SO large. This year I used compost from Integration Acres. Chris Chmiel brought over two truckloads and I am not sure if it was the compost or not, but I have never have tomato plants with such a high yield of fruit, especially considering the dry summer.





So here they are, extremely flavorful, colorful, and sweet tomatoes, with more flavor than you will ever find from anything store bought. I expect we will be able to supply ourselves almost entirely through the end of September if we are lucky, so hopefully you will come in and experience the difference of locally, organically grown direct to restaurant produce before the season is over!

Our Trip to Florida Part I

Our family goes on a week long vacation once a year to Ft. Myers Beach, FL. Tuti has been going since she was a baby with her family and after we met I started going with her too. We have a timeshare the same week every year, and as the extended family has expanded, we now have 4 of fifteen units in the building. So, after forty years, and with around twenty family members present, it is safe to say that this is as much a tradition as it is a vacaton. We are sort of like the sea turtles that come back there every year around the same time to lay their eggs; it is innate, it is instinct, it must be done. However, this year we were faced with a predicament, one named Sol. Our restaurant. How could we leave our fledgling business unattended for over a week? COULD we leave it unattended, and WHAT would happen?

The answer was YES. Of course we could. We have an excellent staff, it is one of the keys to our success and what allows us to set ourselves apart as a dining establishment. Our staff is more than employees,they believe in and enjoy what they do and understand the goal we have in mind. The experience must be exceptional. The food, the environment, the service. More responsibility was doled out and when we came back, the restaurant remained. Thank you staff!

This year we were especially anxious to get to the beach, because a "renourishment" program was set in place last year to combat the erosion that has taken place over the years. How big would the beach be? How far would we have to go to drag or chairs and coolers and other necessities near the water's edge? The beach had eroded to only a few feet from the volleyball net. They were working on this project as we were there last year; a barge pumped sand from out on the distant horizon to the water line and an excavator worked the sand into place to form the new beach. Each day we could see the beach approach several noticeable feet closer to in front of our building. They were nearly to in front when we left. There is a picture hanging in Sol of the excavator at sunset. It was one of the most interesting things to see happen, and had the stunning backdrop of a perfect Gulf Coast sunset. I couldn't help but snap dozens of shots trying to capture the scene.

The reactions to the "new" beach were mixed. Of course when you change something you have been used to for years not everyone gets used to it right away. In the process of pumping the sand to the shoreline, many shells were pumped as well. While shelling has been almost nonexistent for many years at Ft Myers, there were now many beautiful shells to look for, albeit mostly smaller ones as the larger ones appeared to have been chewed up in the pumps and were the source of several punctures and cuts on our feet throughout the week. (Some of us figured to wear aqua socks earlier on in the week than others.) Also, the almost always present sting rays seemed to have shyed away this year, though we saw dolphins close by nearly every day.

Thinking back though every year as I do when we go, each has been different. Different animals make themselves seen, the beach is in a different place, we do different activities, the experiences are always slightly different. And yet we look forward to it, whatever it will be, because it is always the same, and it is always there, and we expect it to be that way for another forty years.

While I tried hard to overcome the psychological condition that never fails to inflict me at the end of the week of vacation - that one where I swear I was abducted by aliens and lost a week and then they dropped me back off, or where I fell into some sort of wormhole (both of these because how else to explain the instantaneous passage of a week's time?) I was though, also ready in some ways to come back. I thought about how the vacation was constantly changing, evolving into something different, and yet we always looked forward to it, and I thought about the restaurant and wanted to get back to it, because it too is a constantly changing thing. Evolving, providing new experiences, and the best little bit of this Tropical life I can have in Athens and that I can offer to others. So for it too, I was excited and ready to get to work, to see what had changed when I got back.

But first, I had to go to Miami...

Ohio Brew Week Part One

June 22-30th is Ohio Brew Week in Athens, and Sol Restaurant is looking to play an active role this year. We are both new and late to the game, as we have only recently even started serving alcohol at our restaurant, but we have lots of exciting stuff we'd like to do. Below is a summary of the events we are planning so far, we may be able to add additional events as well. These should soon be posted on the Ohio Brew Week website, which you can access here:

www.ohiobrewweek.com

Our events so far are as follows:

Saturday June 23th
We will be at the Spicebush Festival at the Dairy Barn, with food featuring both beer and Spicebush berries as ingredients. More details to come on this...

Sunday June 24th
Sunday Brunch 9AM – 3PM. In addition to our wide selection of regular brunch menu items we will be offering our biscuits and beer gravy made with our house made Spanish chorizo, a steak, eggs and beer breakfast, a selection of our beer inspired desserts, and Micheladas and Beermosas. Walkins and reservations welcome.

Monday June 25th
6PM – 10PM. Our award winning chef’s Ribs and Beer Dinner. Walkins and reservations welcome.

Wednesday June 27th
4:30 Formal Tasting: Elevator Brewing Company. Meet elevator representative Jay Taylor and restaurant owner Todd Wilson as you taste 4 beers including: Mogabi Hoppy Wheat, Heiferweizen, Angry Goat Nut Brown, and Dark Horse Lager. History of Cuban cuisine and meal pairings will be discussed. The event is free, sampler cost is $6

Thursday June 28th
7PM-10PM. Night of Desserts. Desserts ranging from the savory to the sweet side, made with beers from Thirsty Dog, Morlein, Jackie O’s and more. Available in full servings or as a dessert sampler paired with a beer sampler.

Even on non-event nights we will be featuring dishes that will pair with, and also that use beer as an ingredient.

We will be featuring and using beers from Elevator, Mt. Carmel, Moerlein, Rivertown, Thirsty Dog, and of course, Athens' own Jackie O's.

Check back here and on ours and Brew Week's website for up to date info. We will post more details about the food we will be featuring as we get closer to the event.

Sure I'm the owner, but...

Last night Tuti and I made reservations at Sol. Why, you might ask, would we go to our OWN restaurant for a date night when we could go anywhere else? Hmm...that is a good question and one which I will answer shortly.

Jeff, our Chef, Has been working on a special, and we were very curious to try it out. At first glance, it seemed interesting, but I was not sold. I DID want something different though, different from the regular menu. Even when the food is great, everyone, even owners like to try different things sometimes. The special ended up being three courses, each which could be selected individually, but we decided to get all three.

The first course, the appetizer, was Cuban-spiced crab cakes. I will start by saying that I have never been big on any seafood but fish. But these, wow, they really were great. The spices in them were just right, and they had a light crispness to them on the outside that contrasted the sweet and tender Maryland Blue crabmeat inside. Two of them were placed in the center of a very nice sun made of mango aioli sauce that was just enough to go with the crab cake, but nearly left you wanting for more.



It was very, very good. We had mojitos to start with our appetizer, one traditional and one guava mojito. Both were excellent. The fresh lime and mint took these drinks to a level beyond what you'd get at an average bar.

The second course, the entree, was Harina. This is a sort of a Cuban grits. A course corn meal, it was cooked with Snowville Creamery heavy cream and plated with a Tasso Ham Cream Sauce with fresh white shoepeg corn.



Jeff made the ham. As in cured it, spiced it...made it from scratch from a fresh piece of pork. The Harina was served with pan seared shrimp, but really the Harina and sauce were the star of the plate. Creamy and flavorful, the bits of ham perfectly seasoned and just making the dish. I sipped some Ron Zacapa rum as I ate my entree. Smooth and dark, it is a very nice rum.

The biggest surprise for me, and some other tables confirmed the same experience was the crepes. Uhm, I was thinking this might be like a fruit stuffed pancake with a guava syrup. Can I say that in a word this dessert was...phenomenal. The Crepes were soft, and lightly sweet with just the perfect crispiness on the edges. The filling started with a base of our guava cream cheese and added strawberries to the mix. A guava mojito sauce was drizzled over top and a finely diced strawberry placed in the middle. We paired the dessert with a glass of Ecco Domani Moscado, a dessert wine that complimented the crepes nicely.



In short, this dessert really surprised, as did all the courses, and honestly was one of the most enjoyable meals I've had at Sol, and for sure in Athens. I really wish everyone had the opportunity to come try the food, and have the same experience that I and many other people had. It was just great. And when I was there, I didn't feel like an owner, I just felt like I was somewhere special, and that's what we want everyone to experience. I talked to a table next to me about how good everything was and they joked that sure, I was biased, but really, I wasn't. My experience at Sol that night was as new and unique as theirs, because I had never had this food either.

The Smells of Sol

Driving down Court Street the other day with the windows down in the car, I commented to Tuti what a wonderful smell that was that was filling the street, and I wondered what it was.

"That's our black beans cooking." she said.
"Nuh-uh"
"Yeah, it is."
"Wow."

I've smelled our food cooking before, various things, sometimes the black beans, sometimes the Guava Honey BBQ sauce, it usually does flow into the alley from the vents in the kitchen, but I was really surprised how far it reached that day. All the way into the street, detectable even inside the car as you drove through uptown.

There are several stages of smell associated with the cooking of black beans, each is a unique and enjoyable experience. First comes the smells from the fresh veggies that must be chopped, there is a bit of sting from the onion, a mild peppery freshness from the green bell peppers. These are then sauteed in olive oil with garlic, this creates the "sofrito" the base for many Cuban dishes. To this is added white wine, cumin, paprika, oregano and salt and our locally sourced Shagbark black turtle beans. It is then that the magic begins. Without fail, the aroma of black beans begins to flow into the alley. Our signage is not ready yet, but should be ready for installation no later than next week, at which point we will hopefully start to get acknowledged credit for the source of good smells. After only a few short minutes, the spices begin to meld with the wine and sofrito, the beans soften and begin to release their starches, some eventually turning into sugar, giving a slightly sweet, almost banana-like quality to the overall uniquely Cuban aroma being generated. Enjoying these smells, I can sometimes imagine myself sitting near the ocean in Havana, A traditional meal of black beans and rice with maybe pork or some other main course in front of me, a gentle tropical breeze swirling the elements of cuisine and salt ocean air together for an experience like no other.

We only have an alley, and there's no ocean, but the wonderful aroma is here. Come to Sol, linger outside a bit even before coming in if you like, then be transported. To Havana. Maybe to Little Havana. But you will definitely feel like you are somewhere else. And that's part of the magic of Sol.

Customer Feedback - Specifics

My last post was of a more general nature, but I'd like to get into some more specifics. I mentioned feedback from customers. For the most part, this has been extremely positive, though there has been negative as well, and I want to talk about samples of both.

Obviously, no restaurant can produce food that can make everyone happy, there are too many palettes out there, and as I have learned from our short time in business, there are a few people out there that NO ONE can make happy, in fact, it seems to me their only happiness seems to come from making others the opposite. That's too bad, and I really can't help those kind of people, though I do my best trying. I have had only a few customers who do not fit into this category of "unpleasable" but HAVE complained about various items, to food not being quite hot enough to the music being a bit loud, or service not quick enough, etc, but they are always polite, and gracious, and understanding. I have even had (especially when we first opened) customers who told me to seat other parties who were not ahead of them because they could see us struggling to keep up, and our limited number and arrangement of tables, and overall very understanding about wait times (which we have drastically reduced.) I can't tell you how nice those kinds of things are to see and to know that for some people, it's really about that - people. Selfless acts can be small and have a big impact. More of those, and the world would definitely be a better place.

On the other hand, this small population of people who seek to make other people miserable. It is very hard to deal with. I have had people tell me how horrible their experience was or the food terrible (when a table next to them with the identical dish has praised it up and down without solicitation.) Interestingly enough, often these same tables that have blasted the quality of the food end up taking their leftovers home. I have also had people use the word "inedible" for something as refined and exotic as our Malanga soup, something we see consistently come back with bowls all but licked. Personally, malanga is not my favorite root vegetable, but I tried the soup and really liked it. I understand if you have a different palette than someone else, but I really feel the word "inedible" is taking it a bit far. Simply ask for something else. We will gladly accomodate that request.

Then, as I have recently discovered, there is the small population of people that not only want to make you miserable, they also only have the guts to do it from behind a computer. I really do not understand their motivation. As an example, on Urban Spoon our food was recently described as bland, both the waitresses and the sophistication of the entire Athens populatation insulted, etc. We are pretty good about keeping an eye on all of our customers. I know for a fact this particular customer did not complain while he was in the restaurant, either about the food or service, but simply waited until he had exited to blast us. How do you respond to that? You don't. And I don't need to. It has nothing to do with the success of Sol. It's in the real world, not the cyberworld where that success takes place. Where we talk to the customers who are praising what we do, watching them laugh, have a good time, enjoy the music, even breaking out in impromptu salsa dancing during their visit.

Anyhow, enough about the negative responses, I'd like to talk about some of the positive responses. First off, we have had many Hispanics from various countries (Argentina, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, etc, and of course Cuba) come to our restaurant. Consistently we have received praise for the authenticity and flavors of the cuisine. I mention this first, because, it helps us to know we are on target with how the food is supposed to really be. In other words, its being eaten by the people who know what it is supposed to REALLY taste like. If it was wrong, they’d know. We could be making food that tastes great, but has no authenticity, and that authenticity is important to us. Locals have praised it as well, and so now we know we can make it authentic AND they'll like it too.

A young woman was in the other night with one of my regular customers, and he told me she wanted to talk to me about something. It was the Sol steak. She said she loved it and that it was one of the best steaks that she'd had, and that every bite was edible and delicious. I had a short discussion with her about how we'd met with suppliers and cooked and eaten boxes of steaks to make sure we'd have the best product out there. I understand the disappointment in getting a steak that is not only inconsistent, or improperly cooked, but that you end up having to cut off 1/3 of it and set it to the side of your plate. It's not satisfying to only eat 2/3 of something nor is it appetizing to have to look at the remaining 1/3 all discombobulated on your plate. We KNOW this and we approach everything based on our own experience, and how WE would like it to be. So that specific feedback was very good. It is EXACTLY what we are aiming for.

Several people have stopped by the kitchen and told us how good everything was, or asked to talk to Tuti on her nights in the kitchen, when they see that she has had a chance to take a break in the dining room.

We have received lots of compliments on the dining room, and what we’ve done with the space. People share their experiences in the Keys, Cuba, etc, and understand exactly the feel we were going for. Again, all of this confirmation from customers makes us feel very good, and lets us know our vision for the food, the environment and the service are all being executed as we had hoped. It is always fun to hear about how a customer has found us and the surprise they have when they open a door in an alleyway and find this almost secret place. While I enjoy hearing about their surprise (and I often actually see it on their faces when they open the door, unsure they are even in the right place) I am ok if the “secret” gets out. The more people that know the better!

Of course, as I recently mentioned in a response to an online review, we are not resting on our laurels. We are constantly reviewing everything we do, asking for customer feedback, and striving to correct mistakes, and achieve a very high level in everything we do.

If you’ve come to Sol already, and had a good experience, we’d love to hear about it, Urban Spoon is a good place, also our Facebook page, or even here on the blog. While we do talk to as many people as possible, we do not get the chance to talk to everyone, and we like to hear your comments. It’s also been my experience that most people only comment on sites like Urban Spoon when they want to express something negative, and I’d like to see that balanced out by the positive feedback I get in the actual dining environment. While I know most everyone is having a good time, and I have no worries regarding that, it would be nice for out of towners to find us online and not be influenced by unbalanced online reviews that do not accurately portray the overall experience most people are having.

I will continue to share customer comments here, and again, we appreciate so much everyone’s patronage of our restaurant and really enjoy seeing you all have a good time. That’s what it’s all about!

Internet media, feedback, and advertising

So, we have been very busy at Sol Restaurant, and I haven't had much of a chance to get on here and do any blogging. But, there is quite a bit I'd like to discuss, and so I am going to try to do a few entries over the next day. I wanted to share some statistics regarding the blog, here is the latest:



As you can see, interest in the blog has remained steady, with over 7500 views (the majority of them in the last month and a half since we posted a menu.) Even with very little activity on the blog, interest has remained. I hope that the activity increases as more customers come in, and I continue to add entries. There is interest in several parts of the world, I have had friends that live in other countries tell their parents who still live in Athens about it and they've come in to dine. I think that's pretty cool, information traveling around the world and making it back, turning into an actual customer. I mention all of this not as a pat on the back, but simply to share what other people are thinking and looking at with regards to Sol, and to segue into my next topic, our patrons.

We have with the exception of the Visitor's Guide done no advertising. We have no sign in the alley, no sign over the sidewalk, no lighting, we have not even had a chance to finish the trim above the door and a (what was supposed to be temporary) piece of plywood still hangs above it, the finish nails I temporarily tacked it up with rusting in place. All of these will be addressed in the next few weeks. Yet with all of this, we pack the house consistently Thursday - Saturday and have done the same M-W of this week. Lunch is picking up and following suit. Again, not back-patting...I'll get there...

Sol's concept is different than most other restaurant's, especially the chains. We want to do more than serve a meal, kick out the customer, add the dollar to the ledger and move on. We are trying to create an entire experience, and it sincerely matters to us. We take it personally. We want it to be a personal experience. I feel that the majority of our customers are having this experience. I believe that most of our customers are leaving happy, and I see repeat customers, so I know they are enjoying themselves. The point I am getting to, is that Sol is not advertising, it is not numbers, it is not corporate or packaged, or an exact formula, it is people, it is community, it is an idea, and it is a success, and it is because of the people that have come in, enjoyed themselves, talked with us, and talked with other people. We sincerely appreciate everyone's kind words and support, their feedback, their positive criticism, and we will continue to work hard to offer the best, most enjoyable experience we can. Thanks!

Regarding Reservations

We have had several issues regarding reservations. I just wanted to address those here, and try to explain some things so that everyone has the best experience possible. We are trying to offer the service of reservations, because so few restaurants in the area do so, while allowing for a certain amount of walkins. We feel this is a service to our patrons and they appreciate having the option. It is a very hard thing to balance though, especially with a restaurant as small as ours.

>Our hours of operation are as follows:
Lunch - Monday through Friday 11AM-2PM. We are closed from 2PM-5PM to prepare for dinner service, reservations are not necessary for lunch.
Dinner - Monday through Wednesday 5PM-9PM, Thursday-Saturday 5PM-10PM. Reservations and walkins accepted.

>Several people have come in saying they have reservations and we were not able to find them in the book. Some, I feel, have left voicemails and thought this confirmed their reservation, though it does not. We simply can't get back to everyone's voicemails, there are too many, so unless you speak to someone directly who can confirm your date and time, your reservation is not confirmed.

>Any size party can make a reservation, from one and up, though parties over eight are more difficult to acommodate, so if you are interested in making a reservation for a very large party, the earlier the better. We have had reservations for parties of twelve and fifteen.

>If you do have a reservation, you will most likely be seated almost as soon as you arrive. Our goal is to seat you within 10-15 minutes. However, many people are staying a very long time (in excess of two hours) we are finding, as they are really enjoying themselves, and we are very happy that they are enjoying the food, service and intimate nature of the space. This has on occasion, however, caused a few bottlenecks and with our limited number of tables, sometimes causes a delay. We will do our best to inform you of any delays and get you seated within that 10-15 minutes. Please keep in mind that without your reservation, there is the chance we would not be able to seat you at all, so the reservation is still of great value.

>If your reservation is for a party of 2,4,8, etc and you arrive with an extra person, making it an odd numbered party of 3,5,9, respectively, there is the chance this will delay us seating you according to your original reservation. It usually means reassigning a non-allocated table in order to accomodate the odd numbered person and there may not be a table available.

>If you call the day of, and especially the night of the date you want a reservation, there is a good chance we are already in the thick of trying to prepare for that day's service and may not be able to get to the phone quick enough, especially to listen through all of the voicemails, make notes and call everyone back. Our recommendation is that you call M-F between the hours of 10AM-4PM and at least one day prior to the date of your reservation. This not to say that you are not welcome to call anytime you like and leave a voicemail, just that this is the best time to reach us.

>We recommend that if a particular time of day and not so much a particular date is important for you, that you make reservations Monday-Wednesday, as these are our less busy days. This goes for walkins as well. We welcome you to come by without a reservation, but Thursday through Saturday (and especially Friday and Saturday are very busy) and there is a good chance that your wait will be anywhere from 20-60 minutes, if there is any availability at all.

>There are no regular reservations for lunch, only walkins. However, if you have a special event for a large group of people, call us in advance and we will try to accommodate you

>If you need to cancel your reservation for any reason, especially for a larger party, please let us know as soon as possible, preferably at least two hours prior. If you do not show up within fifteen minutes of your reservation, we may seat someone else at the table. We will still prioritize your seating to walkins when you arrive, but you will likely experience further delay.

Again, we are just trying to make sure everyone has the best experience possible, from the process of making reservations through the receipt of their bill, and that they leave happy with their experience at Sol.

Thanks for your patience and support,
Todd and Tuti Wilson
Sol Restaurant

Lunch is coming...

We have had dozens of people try to come to SOl for lunch this last week. In an interview with the A-News I said or tentative opening date for lunch was Feb 6th, but that we needed to get dinner operations 100% before that could happen. We felt we needed more time and we did not want the quality of either lunch or dinner service to suffer by trying to do too much too soon. Given the physical restraints of our facility, their are logistical issues with even bringing in enough food to supply service all day, and so the processes must be timed perfectly. Also, the training of an additional set of staff was not possible while trying to perfect the performance of the dinner service. There is still plenty to learn and the dinner staff is doing a great job, they will continue to improve their skills.

Lunch WILL begin Monday, Feb 13th, and will be from 11-2. Sol will then close from 2-5 to prepare for dinner service. Weekly lunch hours will be M-F 11-2. At this time, there will be no lunch on Saturday or Sunday, but we see breakfast and brunches in Sol's future and have already come up with lots of yummy menu items we are excited to share with everyone.

We are finalizing the lunch menu now and rushing to get them printed for Monday, as soon as we have the text finalized, you will be able to find it here. I am estimating that will be tomorrow or Sunday.

Thanks again for your patronage and we look forward to seeing you for a delicious lunch at Sol!

Voicemail, Valentine's Day and more...

I'd like to start off by thanking everyone for their support for making our Grand Opening weekend last week such a success. We were packed every night Thursday through Saturday and I think we were able to accomodate nearly everyone, both reservations and walkins, with only some minor bumps. Thanks to everyone for being patient. One thing somehow that got missed was the large number of voicemails which piled up in our voicemail box. We didn't realize that so many calls got missed on Thursday and Friday, and actually caused our voicemailbox for this week to be full. I have been going through the voicemails and will be returning the calls of everyone who is still needing a reservation for a later date. I think in the heat of the battle we were not able to answer the phone very much as we were very busy making sure everything went smoothly. We did answer the phone a lot and took many reservations, so I hope everyone can understand that the volume of calls was simply more than we could answer and/or return. We do take walkins so don't think that just because you don't get through for a reservation that you will not be able to come to Sol!

Managing a blend of reservations and walkins is difficult, but we are trying very hard as we feel that offering reservations is something many people appreciate.

We will be offering a special Valentine's Day package that includes choice of entrees, appetizer, salad, dessert and a glass of champagne. It is tailored to couples, and will be priced between $60-75 a couple. As soon as we finalize the details we will post it here. We are taking reservations for Valentines Day now.

Last night was another smooth night and we'd like to put a special thanks out to Tony from Tony's bar for his encouraging words and to Jess and Jason from Fluff Bakery for the yummy donuts they brought over to us after their meal. They were thankfully gobbled up by all of the staff.

Hope to see you all soon at Sol!

The Dinner Menu

Ok, you've beem asking for a while now, and here it is. I finally got Tuti to let me post it. (She wanted to make sure it was as final as possible.)

As far as content, it should be very close to what you see at the restaurant when you come in next week for dinner (hint hint!) The lunch menu will follow shortly, we are not opening for lunch until the next week. Of course, we have to format and print the menus, how they will actually look has yet to be determined. We will also have a mixed drink menu, but it looks like the liquor license details will not be finalized at opening, so for now, it is on hold.

There are many vegetarian options on this menu (I've marked them with asterisks), and there will likely be more, we are experimenting with ways to make some of them vegetarian that are not currently.

ENJOY!

Appetizers

Empanadas (pastry pocket)
3 Beef Empanadas- filled with traditional Cuban Picadillo
or
3 Vegetarian Empanadas- filled with rice, beans, tofu and cheese *
6.5

Chips and Salsa *
Shagbark tortilla chips served with a flight of freshly made fire roasted salsa, black bean salsa and cucumber avocado salsa
6.5

Tostones *
Twice fried plantains served with garlic mojo dipping sauce
5

Flatbreads
The Cuban - topped with mustard, swiss cheese, dill pickle and shredded pork
6
The Ropa- topped with house made avocado spread, shredded seasoned beef, gouda cheese and sliced red onion
6
La Italiana- sliced, ripened tomatoes, crushed garlic, fresh mozzarella drizzled with olive oil and topped with fresh basil and cracked pepper *
5

Florida Fish Spread
A creamy smoked fish served with lemon wedges, crackers and hot sauce
7.5

Soups and Salads
(served with bread)

Sopa de Falda - Simmered with shredded beef, carrots, onions, potatoes, with a hint of lime and angel hair pasta
5

Creamy Plantain Soup garnished with wedge of lime and cilantro
4

Red Bean Soup - Made with Shagbark Adzuki Beans, ham, chorizo, potatoes and carrots garnished with cilantro and sour cream
5

Black Bean Soup - made with Shagbark black turtle beans *
4


Sol Salad- mixed greens, dried cranberries, candied nuts, feta, grape tomatoes, cucumbers and julienned carrots
6.50, with chicken 9

Chicken Salad- Mixed greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, croutons
8

Avocado Salad - avocado, red onion, tomatoes served on a bed of mixed greens dressed with olive oil and vinegar, sea salt and fresh cracked pepper *
6

House Salad- Mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots *
3.5



Dinner Entrees
(all served with house salad and bread)

Picadillo- A true Cuban comfort food - choice of seasoned ground beef or tofu served on a bed of white rice *
9.5
make it "a caballo" (fried egg on top) for one dollar more

Chicken Fricasse- Chicken stewed with potatoes in a tomato and wine sauce served with white rice
12

Arroz con Pollo - Traditionally served on special occasions or birthdays but served everyday for you at Sol - Chicken breast sautéed in olive oil, then cooked with chicken broth, white wine, beer, tomato sauce, sofrito and yellow arborio rice, garnished with peas and pimientos
(this dish requires special made to order preparations, so please allow for just a bit more time)
14

Lechon Asado- Pork roast, marinated in a sour orange mojo and slow cooked, served with white rice, black beans and plantains
15

Shrimp Pasta "Al Ajillo"- Garlic Shrimp served over linguini and cream sauce
15
with Chicken
13
Pasta Only *
11

Ropa Vieja - said to have been introduced to Cuba by Spanish sailors - Flank Steak simmered until the meat is so tender it falls apart to resemble "old clothes", seasoned with tomato sauce, white wine, onions, green peppers and garlic served with white rice and black beans
16

Carne Asada - Eye of Round Roast stuffed with Spanish chorizo, Ham, carrots, olives, braised with white wine and a gravy made from onions, green peppers and garlic
Served with white rice, black beans
18

Sol Steak with Chimichurri - Our version of an Argentinean steakhouse classic
served with a side of chimichurri sauce, white rice, Shagbark Adzuki beans, and plantains
20



Dessert Menu
(featuring Snowville Creamery dairy products)

Flan de Queso - A traditional Cuban custard, cooked in and topped with its own delicious caramel sauce
5

Arroz con Leche - Creamy, rich and sweet, our Cuban rice pudding made with milk, cinnamon and a hint of citrus
5

Tres Leches - Our version of this classic features an already moist cake drenched in three kinds of milk (regular, evaporated and sweetened condensed milk) topped with whipped cream and seasonal fruit
6

World's Best Chocolate Cake
We simply didn't know how else to describe it! Our three layer chocolate cake has just a hint of our Cuban espresso in it and comes on a warm puddle of chocolate sauce. Perfect for sharing
7
add a side of vanilla ice cream
1.5



Beverages

Soda - We feature Pepsi products with free refills
1.5

Coffee - All of our coffee is handcrafted using Cuban espresso which is a dark roasted finely ground arabica bean, sweetened with sugar, and features Snowville Creamery where milk is used

Un Cafecito - Cuban Espresso served in a demitasse cup
2.5

Cortadito - half milk/half coffee served in a demitasse cup
2.5

Cafe con Leche - Hot milk with coffee
3

Iced Coffee - Generous portion of cuban coffee mixed with milk and poured over ice
4

More Food Experimentation

You would think its all figured out by now, the food, but we are fine tuning it til the end. Here are some pictures of some of the things we've been working on:

Experimenting with making Cuban bread:



Experimenting with our flatbreads (trying to use our bread dough)





The flatbread crust perfected! (We have to make a special recipe from scratch)



Perfecting our shrimp pasta:

Interior of Restaurant

Here are some more shots of the interior of the restaurant. We still have some patching and painting to do, but we are almost there, and we have our tablecloths and napkins now, so you can get a pretty good idea of how its all going to look. We played with different presentations of the napkins, but ultimately I think we are going with the one from the last post where the napkins are under the plates. Its a clean, modern look, and that fits in nicely with the look of the restaurant.

Lots of Updates - Grand Opening!

So I just realized its been almost exactly a month since my last post, and I wish that hadn't been the case, because the whole point of the blog was to establish and maintain an interest in our progress in the restaurant. Well, you can only do so much. But there is lots to update on. First off, it doesn't look like we will be on the Food Network show though they were really interested in our story. The reason being that they cannot film until March or later and we cannot wait that long to open. That brings us to our opening date...

The Grand Opening to the public is currently scheduled for Thursday, Feb 2, 2012. Put it on your calendar! We are taking reservations now. Our new phone number is 740-592-1740. We are usually in the restaurant 9-4 working on things so feel free to call us there, if we are not there, please leave a voicemail and someone will get back to you. Reservations are limited, so call as soon as you can. Feb 2-4 we are serving dinner only 5-10 pm. Lunch service will be begin the following Monday the 6th from 11AM - 2PM. The restaurant is closed from 2-5PM for dinner preparations. Lunch will be served M-F 11-2 and Dinner MTW 5-9 and THFS 5-10. Obviously, these hours are subject to change as we fine tune our operations.