Solaire
| Address: | 611 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA |
| Phone: | +1 831-600-4545 |
| Site: | hotelparadox.com |
| Rating: | 3.2 |
| Working: | 7AM–9:30PM 7AM–9:30PM 7AM–9:30PM 7AM–9:30PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–10PM 7AM–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 38
Reviews 6
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David Polzine
Okay, Ive known of Solaire for a while now but not about them, boy was I missing out. Located in the Hotel Paradox a former Holiday Inn that did a stint as dorms for UC Santa Cruz when dorm building failed to keep up with student admissions before a take over and complete rehab/restoration turned it into a boutique hotel with sophisticated eco meets mid-century modern aesthetic—the hotels front desk is a 40 length of a fallen 4 diameter redwood salvaged from a nearby forest floor. So, what kept me from trying it sooner, after all, they opened over a year ago? I mentioned it was a former Holiday Inn right? Then theres the fact that Ive generally found restaurants co-located in hotels to be on the pricy end of satisfactory. Finally, its on Ocean Street, a stretch of pavement many here view as the entrance to the Beach Boardwalk or on ramp to Highway 17 depending which way were driving. The menu a is small but inspired selection of American Comfort meets California Cuisine at the beach then re-imagined and manifested from fresh, locally sourced, largely organic ingredients... Divers scallops with chanterelle and celeriac puree, caramelized fennel & apple jus; Thick cut, medium cooked, pork chop with coriander glazed carrots and potato pancakes; Gnocchi, butternut squash, kale, brown butter, sage, & grana padano... Cooked to perfection with a presentation that complemented the decor, everything is wonderful! Throw in some flavor-forward original cocktails, attentively curated wine list and micro-brew assortment, all too tempting small plates and appetizers, and a health/diet-choice conscious menu that highlighs not only vegetarian dishes but also dairy and gluten free ones as well, and youve got nearly everything you need for a great dining experience save one, that bugaboo of Santa Cruz restaurants for as long as Ive lived here and bane of both restaurant owners and diners alike... service. Well, I saved the best for last, this is possibly the only time in Santa Cruz Ive had truly outstanding service. Living here for over 30 years Ive grown accustomed to the fact that our service staff is often under-trained, over-qualified university students or graduates— I know of at least two long time servers with graduate degrees in literature—working multiple jobs to afford the ridiculous rents in the area. Here, each of the staff we came in contact hosts, wait, bus and kitchen staff were friendly, to both diners and each other, well trained, and present... Id say "bright eyed and bushy tailed" but does anyone say that anymore? It was the sort of service you normally get only in a few big city restaurants or in Asia or Europe... The type where no one is hovering, or asking how things are just as you take a bite, but who magically appear just before you realized they were needed; The type where my plate is not whisked away before Ive finished savoring the last bite and my companion isnt asked whether shes "done with that" with half a plate left as shes just moving a bite from plate to mouth; the type of service where many of the staff not only knew some regulars by name, but remembered their pets name and asked about them out of sincere concern not obsequious gratuity insurance.
CA
Cassidy Samuelson
The Room Cleaners left a really dirty towel on my night stand which wasnt too bad considering I knew they tried to clean the room. After a night spent in the hotel my mother came over to take a shower while drying off she discovered a stain on the towel in which was used to whipe someones ass yes everyone it was a poop stain.... 0.o after we got that sorted unbelievably we were hungery so we decided to check out Solair the cafe in the Hotel, good thing we were still disturb from the poop stain that they were impolite about seating us because they had just had "a group of invisible people come in." With a crap load of empty table because we all know it takes 2 people to fill up 12 empty tables. However the room was very pretty if my bed didnt feel like a fat person died in it fue to the divit on the right side of the very huge king size bed I dont know about you! But I dont sleep on one side of a king size bed... Not only that but I guess a 19 year old with no car yes I have no life I was getting charged for parking when I have nothing to park which was 10 dollars a night and theres no PARKING!!
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Amy Buchen Camarillo
The food is great. Really nice servers. But, the atmosphere just doesnt justify the price (most mains over $30)! For SC, this is a very expensive restaurant! Need to dim the lights (way too diner bright), and maybe add some divider between the restaurant and hotel hallway and bar. Also, the waiters should lose the diner name tags, nice resto do not have waiters w name tags.
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Per Anderson
A $19 "braised" tofu entree consists of a block of firm tofu chopped up and soaked in plain soy sauce. Overwhelmingly salty. $29 scallop dish gets you four scallops. Kitchen lost our first order - 45min to have that straighted out. Mustard green salad: greens were tough, beets had no flavor. vegetable soup: mushy, tasted canned.
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Robert Wagner
The food was really great!! However, the prices are quite high and you should expect great food. The staff seems new and inexperienced but their attitude is good. Atmosphere is that of a hotel coffee shop not a high end restaurant, but I still would recommend that you try out the place. We enjoyed our dinner very much.
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Morgan Liu
Our server, Kristy, was absolutely wonderful and one of the friendliest people you can meet! The buttermilk pancakes and potatoes are also absolutely great if not a little bit pricey.
