Terrific Takeout: More Excellence by Solera! Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Peachy's favorite garlic shrimps! Befriend them personally yourself.
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If you read all our categories in depth, you know if we like a place we continually feature them. It would be a massive understatement to say we like Solera, and it has been quite awhile since they've been featured. The first time they were featured Rufino was not yet our friend but once Peachy ate the garlic shrimp, she hoped he would be. We are thrilled to present an encore review in Terrific Takeout for Solera, and Peachy began with the appetizer selection directly above. Starting from the left and going clockwise, the hit parade contains: smoked foie gras with fig and tomato compote, sauteed shrimp, olive with anchovy marinated in olive oil and vinegar, pequillo pepper with goat cheese and serrano ham, house smoked salmon and tortilla espanola with a chicken croquette in the center. Each is excellent in its own right and you'll have an appreciation for them all! We think the zip and freshness of the pequillo pepper is particularly outstanding (even though you know who does not care for goat cheese-that's not relevant because when cuisine is outstanding you'll like what you don't like!) and the smoked foie gras had incomparable taste. The house smoked salmon was Peachy's favorite along with the shrimp of course, but that leads us to our next hit.
Oh garlic shrimp at Solera how we love you! Let us count the ways. Peachy's smile instantly becomes brighter when these come near. The scent, the flavor and the taste are incomparably brilliant. They have sizzle and succulence like no one else's. There is just the right amount of garlic in it and we love love love garlic. It goes without saying that the shrimp is the freshest anywhere. If you have not had this at Solera, you are leading a deprived life. The proper Spanish name is Gambas al ajillo but you know we worship the English language. Simply ask for the garlic shrimp and if you mention Peachy, Rufino will know exactly what you are talking about. When she talks to him the phrase Garlic Shrimp is in at least every third sentence. In everything Peachy has ever eaten these garlic shrimps are among the very top of her list.
Green salad is a must. Solera doesn't simply make any old green salad. They dress it up with their house smoked salmon which has a flavor to-die-for. It is in the right thinness and is the equivalent of cherry-on-top. Every bite of the fresh vegetables from the greens to the radishes to the tomatoes is decadent and you will forget you are eating something you are supposed to be eating for its nutritional value.
If you are into Paellas, and why wouldn't you be, know that there is Paella and then there is PAELLA AT SOLERA. Do not ever confuse the two. Rufino moved here from Spain in the 1970's and introduced the paella pan to Manhattan. Personally. If you are interested in eating the Bergdorf Goodman of Paella, you go to Solera. This particular version is the Mariscos: Lobster, Shrimp, Calamares, Clams and Mussels. Every bite was pure bliss and the seafood tastes like Rufino has his personal ocean in the back and catches it right before you eat it. Every component shines bright and this paella is so outstanding it will silence even the most interesting dinner conversations.
WE LOVE SOLERA! Yes, it is Terrific Takeout.
If you want to experience premium Spanish cuisine in Manhattan, there is only one place to go and that is Solera. Solera Restaurant and Tapas bar has been dominating Spanish cuisine in Manhattan for the last twenty-one years. Housed in a comfortable midtown brownstone, Solera occupies two floors at 216 East 53rd Street, with a capacity for 115 people. Each dining room evokes a warm, intimate feeling and reflects the colors and images of Spain. Solera restaurant offers contemporary interpretations of regional Spanish cuisine that will delight you. The Wine Selection is exclusively Spanish, offering New York's most extensive collection of Spain's D.O.'s, as well as, a fine selection of Sherries and Gran Solera Brandies de Jerez. Do tell Rufino that Peachy sent you! He is famous for bringing the paella pan to New York, among his many accomplishments. Solera was highly recommended by Whom You Know:
Rufino Lopez is a Mover and Shaker:
212-644-1166
