I visited Solace and the Moonlight Lounge for a special birthday celebration for one of my “tribe”. You know, one of those good friends who are there with you through thick and thin? We celebrated this beautiful soul by spending a girls’ weekend in Encinitas, CA in a house on the beach, listening to some fun cover bands, shopping, and eating fine food. Solace and the Moonlight Lounge was a total stand out.
We sat on the terrace patio in the gorgeous weather. You couldn’t have made it more perfect. We had a reservation and were immediately shown to our table. Our waitstaff was so friendly and kind; I felt like she was a member of our group as she helped us make our selections on the menu. Now let me preface this by saying this was not any group of women, we are all foodies. Two of us are at home chefs. We all dine out often in great restaurants and eat a lot of sumptuous food. We aren’t easy to impress, but impress us they did on every level.
We started with Solace’s famous cheddar and chive biscuits with tomato jam and orange butter as our starter. I know this sounds like a strange combination, but it was really good. The biscuits were light, fluffy, and flaky. Alone they had a wonderful flavor. Adding the tomato jam with hints of anise seed took it over the top. They also included the orange butter but I really didn’t care for the combination of flavors. I think I would have liked just plain salted butter with it.
We ordered the following dishes: The hangar steak with Béarnaise sauce on top of roasted brussels sprouts and mushrooms with a garnish of water cress. Trout stuffed with leeks and bacon, topped with a Béarnaise sauce, and served with sweet potato hash. Three day brined pork chop, with a red wine reduction, and sweet potato puree.
The hangar steak was cooked to order; medium rare and just beautiful; melt in your mouth perfection. The Béarnaise was exactly as it should be: buttery and light. It was a great complement to the steak without making it too rich. The roasted brussels sprouts on the plate were absolutely delicious and the mushrooms were a great counterpart to the meal’s texture.
The trout stuffed with bacon and leeks was as amazing as it sounds, but it was the hash that was served with it that really knocked it out of the park. Sweet potato, onions, white potato, and raisins really lifted this dish to the sky for creativity and flavor. It looked beautiful too!
The three day brined Pork Chop was my second favorite dish of the night. I loved the red wine reduction with the flavorful pork and the cinnamon spiced sweet potato puree. It really gave the dish that sweet and savory counterbalance. Outstanding!
When it came to dessert, we were all too full to order any of the tempting things that they offered. However, as it was a birthday they sent out a lovely complimentary chocolate cake with whipped cream and a candle for our birthday girl. How great was that? And guess what? We found room to eat it!
Solace and the Moonlight Lounge is class and beauty all the way from the excellent service to the outstanding food. It really made our night special. It was a memory I shall always cherish.
1 Comment
What a lovely post. I was the luckiest girl to get to share my birthday with such amazing ladies and fabulous food.