Another great night at Solera (not pictured, red wine sangria) including a free sample of the house paella. It was much earthier than I anticipated, the chicken and chorizo and even the mussels contributing to a deep, deep umami. Much more jambalaya-like than the one I had at Rouj Creole, but of course that one was mostly seafood based. The peas and asparagus and piquillos were nice touches as well. The Russian potato salad with peas and carrots and trout roe (who knew?) was excellent and very filling. When I go to Solera, I order my sangria, then one dish at a time. Waiting for the first one to get there before I order the second. That’s why I went with the cucumber salad next, the potato salad with the crispy toast was quite filling, so I wanted to stay light. The cucumber salad was almost pickled, a bit much for me, but I would definitely recommend sharing the dish with others. Then the bartender offered me a sample of the house paella, and I couldn’t refuse, even though it was too late in the evening for me to eat any meat so I worked around the chicken and chorizo and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was too much food, and I would have boxed it, but I was on my way to another event so I had to sadly watch as the bartender took it away while I finished my wine. Had a bit of time to kill so I walked over to see some old coworkers of mine slaving away behind the bar at the Bulldog. Great time catching up, and I also enjoyed the Bell’s Best Brown Ale. Nice to see a little brown ale in the season of Oktoberfests and pumpkin spiced brews. Give Solera a try. I’m sure they would love to see you in your Halloween gear