‘Solace’ seduces palate with enticing coastal cuisine

During a visit to  Encinitas, California, my traveling companion and I visited a newer restaurant called, Solace.  Solace and the Moonlight Lounge is situated off highway 101 just blocks from Moonlight Beach.  The building is part of a LEED certified mixed-use project anchored by Whole Foods. The two story structure has a contemporary, urban chic feel. The interior is comfortable and unpretentious with a a deck equip with heat lamps—unfortunately there are no ocean views, but those interested in sitting out there will enjoy a colorful sky during dusk.

In addition to the modern structure, what attracted us to Solace was the unique blend of coastal American cuisine.  There were so many deliciously sounding menu items, that we opted to share a few different dishes.  We started our meal with a couple of appetizers, which included:

• Dungeness Crab “Brik” with spiced aioli, celery leaves and a fried lemon.
• Seared Albacore Chop Chop with avo, cilantro, cucumbers, pine nuts and peppers.

For our entree, we devoured a perfectly prepared mustard incrusted White Bass, with farro stew mixed with a toasted black pepper sauce.  It was simply delicious. Our meal was accompanied with a couple of pints of cold locally brewed Hefeweizen (unfortunately I’ve forgotten the name).

The portions at Solace are modest, so we were excited to indulge in dessert—we decided on one of the more popular dishes, a slice of coconut cake with rum caramel sauce sprinkled with sugared Macadamia nuts and frosted in a light cream cheese.  It was so good, but a tad sweet for my taste. If I had it all to do over, I would have gone for our second choice…the black cherry soda roasted apple with french toast and ginger ice cream topped with black cherry caramel. Which would have you have chosen?

The service at Solace was pretty good, especially at the on-set, but as the evening waned and the restaurant got busier, our server seemed to disappear.  The bus service was great and the manager made a couple of appearances to make sure everything was satisfactory.

Our experience at Solace was overall outstanding, from the atmosphere to the food to the service, it was a thoroughly enjoyable time. My only criticism would be the pricing…it seemed a tad high, especially based on the modest portions.  I actually love small portions, but I also like commensurate prices.

Solace is the brainchild of partner and executive chef, Matt Gordon, who is a 22-year veteran of the restaurant industry working in culinary destinations like San Francisco and Flagstaff, AZ (my home state).

Solace and the Moonlight Lounge information:

Address:
25 East E Street
Encinitas, CA 92024 (map)
Website:
Solace & the Moonlight Lounge
Phone:
760.753.2433
Email:
[email protected]