Solera

 

What are you doing on Tuesday night? If you aren't going to Solera, then you should be! Solera has happy hour on Tuesdays from 4pm-9pm and it includes some of the small plates, along with the drinks. 

For the 21+ crowd, you can get a variety of adult beverages for $6, like the cold fashioned pictured below. 

But not only do you have drink specials, there are 5 small plates for $5! And the best part is that you could tell that everything had been made fresh and was made to order because it was all hot when it got to the table.  I'll be showing you all of those $5 plates (denoted by an * after their name), plus a few extra things that we just HAD to get. Which we were THOSE people who sat down and said, "We'd like all of the $5 plates", in case you were wondering how classy I am. 

Pan con Tomate*

First up on the $5 small plates, the Pan con Tomate. Full disclosure, I am not a fan of the texture of a tomato, so this was my least favorite thing that we got. However, if you like tomatoes, I'm sure it's fabulous. I ended up scraping the tomatoes off of my portion and the garlicy butter on the baguette was delicious. 

Croquetas*

Surprisingly, these croquetas ended up being one of my favorite things that I ate at Solera. They are creamy on the inside and have ham (which is another food I'm not a big fan of) but whatever they put with it made them taste so good. My only complaint is that only 3 came with the order and since there were 3 of us, I only got one. But at $5, I probably should have ordered another round. 

Papas Fritas con Manchego*

I know you may be saying "that's just fries" but y'all, they were SO GOOD! They were crispy and the cheese sauce with them was to die for! Honestly, I would say it's the best cheese sauce I've ever had. 

Calamares*

The citrus aioli that comes with the calamari is *chef's kiss* delightful. It brings a lightness to the dish that the marinara that I've had most places doesn't bring, which is a welcome addition to something fried. 

Piquillos*

This lovely plate is Manchego stuffed peppers on crostini with an infused honey. These were probably my second favorite of the $5 plates, but a very close second to the croquetas. The presentation was not what I expected when I read the words "stuffed peppers" and to be honest, initially I couldn't tell if they were stuffed....until I got a taste of the cheese. Delicious! 

NON-HAPPY HOUR SELECTIONS 

Of course, we could have stopped with the $5 plates and just kept ordering some of those, but so many things on the menu sounded too appetizing to pass up! So here are a few other items that my friends and I highly recommend. 

Patatas Bravas

Crispy potatoes, Manchego cream, and bravas sauce. These were a little spicy, but not too spicy, and absolutely delicious. You can also choose to get them topped with an egg, chorizo or both. I think that these topped with both of those would make an amazing brunch dish! 

Steak and Mahon Flatbread

10/10 will get this again! The steak was cooked to tender perfection, the mahon cheese is divine and the flatbread that tasted more like a puff pastry than a flatbread made this one of the best things I've eaten in Baton Rouge. 

BUT WAIT...THEY HAVE DESSERT TOO!

My only complaint about Solera's website is that the dessert menu is not on there. I also don't like how the dessert menu was not part of the menu that we got originally because I couldn't plan my orders appropriately to fully appreciate the dessert menu. So learn from me, and be sure to ask for a dessert menu!

Crème Brule cheesecake

This cheesecake has a top that is crème bruled, topped with some graham cracker type things and served with a blueberry sauce. While I don't like blueberries, I do like crème Brule and cheesecake. 

Affogato 

This affogato was truly the perfect way to end the night. I love a good affogato, and this will definitely be how I end the many future nights I plan to have at Solera. 

 Have you been to Solera? Do you like tapas? Do you like sharing food in general? If the answers to the last two questions is yes, then drop a note in the comments below and let's find a Tuesday to hit up Solera!