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sola flair

What makes this new spot such a right-out-of-the-box hit?
By Chris LaMorte

It was only midweek, but securing a Saturday reservation at sola, the two-and-a-half-week-old North Center spot, was proving to be tougher than I anticipated.

"Sorry, sir, the earliest we can seat you is 9:30 p.m.," said the reservationist.

Really? I thought. Good reservation times (which, for me at least, means 8 p.m.) can be a pain in trendy River North, but c'mon; this is homey North Center. Sure, sola has some buzz, but it's holding back on seatings. Right?

Wrong! This place was packed. Really packed. And by the time I left, I knew why. sola's got the right balance of food, ambience and price.

It's a winnng recipe that, no doubt, chef/owner Carol Wallack helped to perfect while exec chef at Deleece before striking out on her own with this spot. And while this venture doesn't really resemble Deleece--Sola offers Asian-inflected, contemporary American fare (even treading into comfort food) and a more tailored, upscale vibe--it has a similar approach: Offer solid, occasionally stellar cuisine in an approachable space at a great price. Hey, why not line up for it?

From a $17 bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin to $28 dijon mustard-crusted lamb chops, the something-for-everyone menu doesn't try to make our heads spin with ambition but rather impresses with execution. My tender, savory braised short ribs ($20), for instance--served off the bone and paired with deliciously creamy mac 'n' cheese--will no doubt be a crowd-pleaser.

Of course, crowds here aren't the trendoid, what's-the-next-big-thing class of idiots who usually infect new spots. To my eye, the crowd seemed to skew toward middle-age. Yet I was entertained by at least one attractive, well-dressed, twentysomething couple engaged in some pre-Valentine's, post-dessert liplocking.

If it was sola's decor that inspired their ardor, my boyfriend, Rob, and I--to everyone's relief--didn't share it. sola is a good place to bring your parents and tell them you just got engaged, but not an ideal place for the proposal. Yes, there's a warm color palette, and the constellation of hanging pendant lights is striking. But the central room (there's a smaller seating area on the side) with a fairly noticeable noise level isn't cozy. The room's more stylish than super-sexy, sort of like the food.

The standout, believe it or not, was the salad. Yep, the quirky sea greens ($6) will impress even carnivorous he-men with sweet, tangy hoisin vinaigrette over mildly liquorice-y hijiki seaweed.

There were two shrugs of the night. First, the tuna tartare trio ($12): One was salty, one sweet, the last spicy. But each was outgunned by the accompanying tortilla chips and cucumber salsa. The other: Rob's pan–roasted grouper ($20), which offered a potentially interesting orange-chili sauce but needed more of it to give this dish spark.

There is one similarity to Deleece, perhaps more noticeable to dedicated elbow-benders like myself: sola makes a mean cocktail (there's even a dessert martini list). I was so impressed with the gorgeous strawberry-muddled Valentini ($9), I stole the idea for a dinner party we were throwing the next night. (For the record, mine was merely a muddled mess.)

Even the wine list ($7-$11) pops with plenty of personality: We liked the off-the-beaten-path selections like the $8 2004 Kuentz Bas, an Alsatian Sylvaner.

Speaking of off the beaten path, sola's address is on Lincoln Avenue, but the entrance is actually a few steps down on Byron Street, which we hear is causing a bit of confusion.

But if the crowd we saw there is any indication, people aren't having any trouble finding it now.