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.

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.

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.

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: In an area with virtually no Cuban food, it's refreshing to see that the Twin Cities features two excellent tapas restaurants.

Jorge Castillo: Yes, when you get hungry for tapas in the Twin Cities, you have two choices: you can go upscale and trendy, or uptown and funky.

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!

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.

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.

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!

We Show You How in Two Great Miami Cuban cookbooks:

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