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Upscale and trendy
Glenn Lindgren: In just the last few years, tapas have suddenly become a hot commodity in the United States.

Raúl Musibay: Everybody is serving tapas these days – even some restaurants that aren't even the least bit Latin.

Glenn Lindgren: The Three Guys From Miami have even included a few tapas recipes in our new Cuban cookbook – so we guess we're just as guilty of being trendy as everyone else these days.

Raúl Musibay: Although tapas dishes have invaded the United States from Spain, where they originated, there has been something lost in the translation.

Jorge Castillo: In Madrid, tapas plates are basically bar food. You usually get a small serving for the price of a glass of wine.

Raúl Musibay: When they do charge extra for the plates, you can count on spending only a Euro or two – less than $3.

Glenn Lindgren: In the United States tapas have leaned decidedly upscale. At most restaurants, one tapas plate will run between $6 and $12.

Jorge Castillo: So although we are enjoying the spreading popularity of great Spanish food, we do think longingly of Madrid and the excellent food that can be had so cheaply.

Glenn Lindgren: Much of the United States tapas trend is an off-shoot of Nuevo Latino cuisine. It's basically a lot of improvisation and rifting on certain themes in the kitchen.

Solera's artichoke and spinach tortilla.
Raúl Musibay: The result? You're going to find a lot of dishes that would be unheard of in Madrid!

Glenn Lindgren: We guess an argument could be made that most American tapas dishes aren't even Spanish! One New Mexico chef we know typically creates three or four new tapas dishes a week at his restaurant.

Jorge Castillo: Another thing about tapas is that in most restaurants, the plates are sized so that two people can split a plate and still get a decent sized taste of the dish.

Raúl Musibay: For dinner, two people are going to go through six to eight plates. So an evening for two is going to be pricy.

Glenn Lindgren: With four people, you can get even more tastes, although the size of each taste is going to be smaller.

Restaurant interior
Upscale and trendy
Raúl Musibay: You'll get half a scallop, rather than a whole one.

Jorge Castillo: So for large groups, six or more – it's probably better to double up on the orders so that everyone gets a nice sample!

Glenn Lindgren: For upscale and trendy, you can't beat Solera. It's a beautiful restaurant in a great location on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis' Theater District.

Jorge Castillo: Solera looks like it was airlifted from West Hollywood. You get a lot of warm woods, earth tones, tile, mosaics, and a bar area that combines all this with some futuristic looking touches – check out the crazy bar stools that will give you a ringside seat at the grill!

Raúl Musibay: The food here is excellent. Each plate is made to order and lovingly prepared.

Glenn Lindgren: The ingredients are all top notch. The scallops taste like they were harvested this morning. Beef tastes like the best hand massaged Kobe beef. Spanish chorizo is real, high-quality chorizo from Spain.

Jorge Castillo: The menu features a hot side and a cold side and we like to order from each side with reckless abandon.

Solera's chicken with mojo verde.

SOLERA

Raúl Musibay: Don't feel like you need to eat a cold salad item first, followed by a hot item, and so on.

Jorge Castillo: If you love olives, as we do, you'll want to try the Spanish olives in cava vinegar, a great way to perk up your palate.

Glenn Lindgren: They serve real Serrano ham here. A whole ham in the United States can run as high as $600, so this is a delicacy. The plate featuring Serrano ham, honey, and Manchego cheese is a great combination.

Solera's spicy beef tenderloin.
Jorge Castillo: Manchego cheese comes from La Mancha. It's a sheep milk cheese with a nutty flavor that runs from mild to sharp, depending on how long it's aged.

Glenn Lindgren: Aged Manchego is typically grated. The short-aged varieties are great for snacking and melting.

Jorge Castillo: We also liked the artichoke and spinach tortilla (Spanish omelet) served cold with a tasty Romesco sauce, rich with garlic and chopped almonds.

Raúl Musibay: The deviled eggs with blue crab meat and cumin, also cold, are excellent.

Jorge Castillo: You also can't go wrong with the selection of grilled Spanish and Portuguese sausages.

Raúl Musibay: If you like chorizo like we do, this is a great plate!

Glenn Lindgren: If you like beef, the spicy beef tenderloin grilled with mojo picon is a melt-in-your-mouth strip of tender beef.

Jorge Castillo: Solera could benefit from some sort of a checklist that would allow diners to keep a scorecard of what they want to eat. With so many items and the need to order several different plates, it's hard to keep track of everything!

HOURS:

Dinner: Sunday through Thursday 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | Friday and Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Tapas Bar: Sunday through Thursday 5:00 p.m. to midnight | Friday and Saturday 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.

PRICES: Tapas plates average about $6.00 to $8.50 – allow two or three plates per person

DRESS: Upscale and a little dressy.

CARDS: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, Diner's Club

Bar: Full.

The Details
Solera
900 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
612-338-0062
Copyright 1996-2006
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