Solaz Mediterranean Cuisine, in Jersey City

When I heard that Solaz would open earlier this year in Jersey City, I was really excited for the simple reason that it is the result of the partnership between restauranteur Alexander Duran (Son Cubano) and Chef David Burke who I am a big fan of, his menu always being surprising. Solaz, that means solace in Spanish, proposes an exciting mediterranean menu, taking classic dishes to the next level in a beautiful setting. We went there for dinner and here is what we had:

For drinks, I tried their Prince of Persia ($18), made with whiskey, grappa, acid-adjusted passion fruit, and spicy tincture, an alcohol based pepper extract that gave a nice heat to the drink. I also tried their Sultan’s lemonade ($18), made with tequila, fernet menta, Supasawa, a sour cocktail mixer, honey syrup, charred lemon and mint. Both these cocktails were pretty balanced and showed some creativity.

For the meal, we started with saganaki ($18), where grilled halloumi cheese was topped with Calabrian hot honey, candied lemon, za’atar and served with a crostini. If you love this cheese and sweet and savory dishes, you will be in heaven. But what was most surprising was their baklava bites ($19), where mushrooms and Brussels sprouts are stuffed in a deep fried pocket (probably kataifi), and topped with goat cheese and harissa honey. I was not sure how the combination goat cheese and Brussels sprout would work, but in fact it was amazing, complementing well each over and I loved each bite. They also have crispy Brussels sprout ($14) as a side, that are prepared with hot honey and toasted almonds, that made me forget that I use to hate Brussels sprouts when I was a kid. Another side is their mushroom and leeks ($12) that I liked a bit less, finding the leeks a bit tough, while I loved the mushrooms. Of course, you cannot miss their mediterranean hummus ($15), served with feta, olive and tomato, and a delicious fluffy pita that I would not be surprised is homemade. All of these are great vegetarian options to which I would add their fattoush salad ($18), that is composed of mixed greens, parsley, bulgur, mint, pita crisps, and a pomegranate vinaigrette. Light and refreshing. But there were two dishes I really wanted to try: the first one of their paccheri lamb bolognese ($35). Why? Because it is made with mergez sausage, that I love and is difficult to find in the US. The bolognese itself was fantastic: it had a bite, was deliciously fatty and comforting, pairing well with some ricotta that tamed a bit the heat of the sausage. I just wished there was more meat and cheese. Still, it is a must have. The second one is their braised lamb shank ($49). This dish looks amazing and they are definitely not cheap with the amount of lamb on the plate! And that lamb was superb: it literally fell off the bone. It was served with Israeli couscous, mushroom and pomegranate. Another must have for sure that was packed in flavor.

Dessert was a bit disappointing though. I thought that the kunefeh ($14) was not as crispy as I liked and putting sweet clotted cream inside did not help in term of texture. I preferred their triple chocolate mousse cake with halva ($14) that was more decadent, being definitely rich and satisfying.

Overall, our meals at Solaz were delicious, and made me want to go back for brunch this time.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Solaz Mediterranean Cuisine - 25 River Dr S, Jersey City, NJ 07310

Solaz Mediterranean Cuisine, in Jersey City

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