Review #69

Tonight some of our friends were in dire need of a blog night out. One friend just got out of a serious relationship unexpectedly and two friends have to put down a beloved pet.  Drinks, good food, live music and friendship were needed on the menu! I hoped the musician tonight, Nena Anderson, would play upbeat tunes.

Solace has lovely downstairs and outdoor seating, but we were sitting upstairs tonight.  I love local art, and they have it displayed everywhere.  Weird for your home, but works here at Solace. This one reminded me of a blooming clove of garlic.  I came up with this deep and meaningful interpretation all by myself.  And I studied ZERO art in college!

This one I call “Good Medusa” swapping her sinister snakes for birds and flowers, but still being a cold bitch inside.

This collaboration tells the story of two alcoholics falling in love out west.  They were married for 4 years when she got drunk and drowned while swimming somewhere in the east. Her widower bought a truck and remains a drunken, sad bird.

I love the name “Solace & the Moonlight Lounge”, it’s tres chic. Sounds like a good name for a band, with “Solace” being the beautiful and eccentric lead singer. The upstairs bar has the cool vibe to match.

I really enjoyed the ambiance with the interesting art, twinkly lights and random photo of Jeff Bridges. NOT Chris Christopherson.  I had to ask.

Pretty similar though, right?

I was looking forward to a drink tonight, for I have heard Solace has some great cocktail creations. I am a horse lover at heart so anything horse/mule/zebra/donkey related in any way will always win me over.  A Grapefruit Mule it is! Not liking sweet drinks, this one hit the mark.  In fact, the combination of vodka, bitters and ginger beer made my mouth pucker.

Geoff was very excited to see WEIHENSTEPHANER on the menu. Say that 10 times fast.  Say it even one time and I’ll be impressed.  It is truly a wonderful tasting beer.

We decided to start with some homemade biscuits.  These are not the light and fluffy kind.  These bad boys are dense and rich.  Asking why they taste so decadent isn’t the question one wants an answer to.  They are very good, especially smothered in sweet butter and the smokey, savory jam that accompanies them.  Winner!

We also shared the Jerk Chicken Wings which had a perfect balance of sweet and spicy flavors.  They were super-duper crispy, sticky, and messy. They go really well with Mule.

Rick ordered the Seared Ahi Starter over a Meyer Lemon Creme Fraiche.  Seared perfectly, but a pricey nibble with not so much to it.

He paired it with a Warmed Spinach Salad with bacon and a fried egg on top.

Debbie ordered the Fall Salad with added Salmon. She enjoyed the candied pecans, but wasn’t crazy about the creamy dressing. The salmon was cooked perfectly.

I order the Seared Scallops with Crispy pork belly over a celery root puree. I am a sucker for scallops.  Scallops are one of my favorite things.  Not favorite foods.  Favorite things in life.  I’m not putting them in front of my kids and pets or anything, but not far after. To call these scallops heavenly is to do them a disservice.  I don’t know how the chef was able to get them so crispy on the outside, while leaving the inside so soft and creamy. There’s a genius at work in that kitchen.

Hubby wasn’t too hungry (and didn’t care for the menu prices) so he just ordered the Fall Salad. Hubby hates spending money on “fancy food” and is perfectly happy supplementing a turkey sandwich from the fridge when he gets home.  But he’s a good sport in taking me out, because he knows that I love it.  I forced my fork into one of my sacred scallop treasures and tried to put it on Hubby’s plate.  But my other hand refused to part with it! I love my Hubby, but is he really worth an entire precious scallop?  One hand clearly thought “no”!  But the good hand won, and Hubby quickly grabbed it before the evil hand came back for it. He did not need to tell me his thoughts on the scallop, his face said it all. He was in love too. I would have liked to add another scallop to his salad, but Evil Hand would have none of it.

At 7pm the band started.  Nena has a beautiful voice and the band started with some folky original songs.

But when they started singing “Another Long Goodbye”, I realized that this was going from folky Joni Mitchell into country music territory.  A place I do not visit often.  By “not often”, I mean never.  And country music isn’t exactly known for its light and cheery lyrics. The next song was literally about a break up and “needing to kiss you one more time but you’re gone.” This one was hitting a wee bit too close to home for our recently single friend.  I was worried that the next song may be called “Seeing you, Fluffy, on the other side”, so I suggested we head out.  I stuck a nice tip in their jar, the band has talent, just not exactly the cheer-up-our-sad-friends kind of thing we needed this night.

Bottom Line:

I really liked my Solace & Moonlight Lounge experience.  Too pricey to come here often, but just right for a special occasion, which can just be cheering up your friends.  I thought the prices adequately matched the upscale restaurant and quality of the food served.  Plus, there’s free live music for your entertainment every Sunday night!   They have dollar oysters from 4-6 every night, and a Taco Tuesday Debs and I will be back for.  Especially when the weather warms up and we can sit outside on their beautiful deck.   If you love scallops the way I love scallops, then you should have scallops too! Order them here.  Would you part with one for your loved one?  I’m not so sure!

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Join us next week, Sunday, January 13th at 6pm while the blog goes VEGAN at

EVE Encinitas

http://www.eveencinitas.com/