Baja Streetfare Inspires SOL COCINA

March 12, 2016

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Sol Cocina decor – a darkened oasis in the midst of the noonday desert heat

(Gerry Furth-Sides) The best indication of SOL COCINA’s personality was already seen on opening nights when the restaurant pulled out all the stops — like offering a tray of tequila drinks as a guests greeting even before they stepped in the door. The third location of this Arizona based company offers a posh bathing hole in a specially build complex of restaurants and amidst massive new housing to highly paid, high tech staffers working at new neighborhood start ups. The concept paid off in a short time with these staffers headed to Sol Cocina for happy hour and staying the evening!

Even the menu is bound in rich, Mexican leather

Spunky, Executive Chef and partner in the SOL COCINA Playa Vista group, Deborah Schneider’s Baja cuisine makes a statement because is rooted in authentic flavors from her extensive research and work in the kitchen, and updated to include local, fresh ingredients. partner in the restaurant group, author of six Mexican cookbooks. Chef de Cuisine, Tia Baker oversees the kitchen here.

Sol Cocina’s Chef de Cuisine, Tia Baker

SOL COCINA’s Playa Vista boasts of a “naturally wonderful” naked guacamole” and a list of Margarita’s as long as your arm. There is something to please every taste. The jalapeño/cucumber margarita is spicy. Bubbles and Berries, composed of muddled strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, lime juice and agave with tequila, Cointreau and a splash of sparkling white wine is, of course, fruit forward and sweet.

The Chile frozen margarita, with a chile and salt rim stars at Sol Cocina

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The expansive restaurant has the room to make a mind-boggling array of ingredients to their make-your-own guacamole bar, including the unexpected to add to avocado, such as nopales, chile-dusted dried mango, pineapple, chipotle shrimp, raspberries and blackberries and pineapple.

naked guacamole at SOL COCINA

An outside window counter is perfect to set up the naked guacamole bar at SOL COCINA

The inside view of the outside window counter

As a paleo, it was thrilling to discover that SOL COCINA Playa Vista’s barbarcoa in in a class of its own.

And being a Baja style restaurant there are many seafood choices on the menu, including stunning seafood samplers, whole (!) fish, oysters, crab, shrimp, ceviche and more.

(photo courtesy of Sol Cocina)

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Desserts are rich and often chocolaty such as the dark chocolate banana bread pudding and flan. Along with the friendly service and elegant interior that seems to go on forever and grant everyone their own space, the festive desserts make Sol Cocina perfect to celebrate special occasions.