Aloha Sola - Dine Out Chicago

Loved the atmosphere here! Quiet and warm on a
cold Wednesday night!

My friend, McKenna and I decided to tackle a different restaurant every few weeks, and with the help of a great deal on Groupon, we decided to check out Irving Park's Hawaiian Fusion restaurant, Sola, for our first place.


When we arrived, we were greeted by the wonderful staff (it was the best service I've had in a while), and were immediately seated. The restaurant was small, but cozy, with a fireplace by the entrance. It had a warm and welcoming feel, and the ambiance was wonderful. It was a Wednesday night, so it wasn't too busy, which made it, I think, even better.

Our truffle fries with garlic aioli

We decided to order a bunch of appetizers in order to try more selections from the menu. To start, we got an order of truffle fries with garlic aioli. How could you go wrong? Although they weren't the best truffle fries I've ever had (I'm looking at you, BIG & little's), they were crispy and flavorful, and the garlic aioli was, of course, delicious.

Because they did not have any duck pot stickers that evening, which were one of our top choices, we chose the Waygu steak tartare for our second course. Atop the beef was a tempura soft-boiled egg, which we cracked, and let the yolk run over the steak tartare. On the side, was a wonderful green bean and arugula salad with a miso dressing with capers and notes of ginger. The little salad, alone, was fantastic, and unexpectedly so. For that type of dish, I expected the steak tartare to be the star, but the salad was wonderfully savory, and the acidity and flavor complemented the steak tartare beautifully. Getting a perfect bite with a little bit of the salad, tartare, and some of the egg yolk and crispy tempura made this dish special.

The Waygu Steak Tartare with the little tempura egg
on top and the delectable, savory green bean and
arugula salad

For our third course, we went our separate ways, as McKenna is a big fan of oysters (which might be one of the only foods in the world I actually don't like). She said that they were delicious, and they looked beautiful. Kimchi was served on the side, which I did try. The kimchi was good, not overly spicy as it can be sometimes.

I ordered the crispy mushroom salad. Although I was disappointed with how crispy the mushrooms actually were (they were almost indistinguishable as mushrooms--they were that thinly sliced and that crispy), the salad was refreshing. The crispy mushrooms were sprinkled over a baby arugula salad with thinly-sliced asian pears and a shallot and cider vinaigrette. It would be the most wonderful dish on a hot, summer day, although it was nowhere near the best salad I've ever had.

Dessert, though, is where this restaurant became extra-special. Known for making their own gelato, sorbet, and frozen yogurt, the menu selection of flavors was out of this world, with probably about 20 different selections available on the menu. We picked a sampler of three different types and ordered the house cookie special, which were a selection of four homemade cookies.

My crispy mushroom salad

Before I get to the gelato, I'll touch on the cookies. I can't remember all of the flavors, but I know that there was an anise sugar cookie, a molasses peanut butter (which was the best), and an apricot bar cookie. They were very good, but in reality, Sweet Mandy B's on Webster is the champion of the cookie world in my book. However, the molasses peanut butter cookie was creative and unique, and it is something that I can say that I've never had before that I really fell in love with at Sola.

The gelato, though was amazing. I'm thrilled by the fact that you can buy it by the pint! We ordered three flavors--Five Spice Salted Caramel, Cinnamon Anise Mascarpone, and Bourbon Butterscotch Pecan. Deciding which flavors to order was definitely the hardest part, especially with the extensive menu and some really unique flavor selections, but I am thrilled with our choices. The gelato was wonderfully creamy, which can be a rarity.

McKenna's Oysters served with with
kimchi 

The Salted Caramel was definitely a big hit, as is expected, and a combination bite of the Salted Caramel with the other two flavors was a flavor explosion. The Cinnamon Anise Mascarpone was very good, although cinnamon was the predominant flavor, while I wished it would have taken on a bit more of the mascarpone to give it a different flavor profile. The bourbon butterscotch pecan, which is basically my soul-mate in gelato form, was my personal favorite. The bourbon flavor was predominant and I love the texture of chopped pecans in my ice cream or gelato. The butterscotch flavor was much more mellow, which in this case, I enjoyed, because it let the bourbon take center stage. I would come back to this place just for the gelato.

Overall, our dinner at Sola was wonderful. Although the food was very good, nothing (except the gelato) really stood out as being the best thing I ever ate, although I would consider returning, especially for some of that amazing gelato. The service and unique selection of food at this place took it to the next level. It was a great night with good food, and of course, exceptional company. What more could I ask for?