Chef Deborah Schneider introduces new menu items with season’s freshest ingredients
Newport Beach, May 2012 – SOL Cocina Executive Chef Deborah Schneider introduces new items to her already celebrated menu of authentic Coastal Mexican cuisine with a fresh modern interpretation. With additions to both the lunch and dinner menus, we see the season’s freshest, most flavorful ingredients, from sweet potatoes and fresh berries, to seasonal fish.
“This is a great time of year to really showcase the season’s offerings, and my menu revolves around the philosophy that the freshest ingredients ensure the best tasting, most flavorful dishes,” said Chef Deb, who focuses her menu items at SOL on sustainable ingredients. “SOL’s menu stays true to the simple and fresh Baja style of cooking, with flavorful dishes built around impeccably fresh seafood, premium meats, and more than a dozen fresh salsas made daily.”
Among the new items featured on the menu:
Tacones (Lunch & Dinner)
A Tacone is a healthy, light ‘burrito’ made with salad instead of rice and beans inside. Ours is made with our mix of organic baby lettuce, Napa cabbage, and radicchio tossed with avocado Caesar dressing, Cotixa cheese, shredded carrots, radish slices, pico de gallo, creamy spicy salsa and sliced avocado, as well as your choice of delicious meat (or vegetarian options), all rolled up in a giant chipotle-flour tortilla.
Sol Cocina Tacone
Ultimate Burrito ‘Mar y Tierra’ (Lunch & Dinner)
The most amazing burrito EVER – this one can serve up to 4 guests! A large grilled chipotle-flour tortilla, with melted Jack & Oaxacan cheeses and black beans all topped with grilled filet medallions, agave shrimp, crisp bacon, sliced buttery avocado, diced tomatoes, onions, and a spicy salsa. Served open-faced with a steak knife, this is a surf & turf to remember.
Shrimp Salad ‘Esquites’ (Lunch & Dinner)
Juicy shrimp sautéed with extra virgin olive oil on baby wild arugula, tossed with warm grilled corn kernels (‘esquites’), fresh-squeezed lemon juice and pico de gallo, pickled jalapeno strips, cotixa cheese, and ground guajillo chiles.
Note: this is Wheat-Free
Sol Cocina Shrimp Salad Esquites
Mexican Onion Soup (Lunch & Dinner)
Sliced onions slowly caramelized with cumin, ancho chile and oregano and simmered with vegetarian stock, tomatoes and chipotle chiles. This moderately spicy soup is ladled hot over crisp-fried tortilla strips, and scattered with jack cheese, crumbled queso fresco cheese and chopped cilantro.
Note: this is Vegetarian and Wheat-Free; Vegan without cheese
Sol Cocina Mexican Onion Soup
Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos (Lunch & Dinner)
Shrimp in our house-made beer batter, deep-fried until crisp, served on a corn tortilla with avocado-cilantro sauce, lime crema, pico de gallo, and cabbage.
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Taco (Lunch & Dinner)
One of Chef Deb’s featured recipes from Oprah’s O Magazine! A delicious tangle of caramelized onion, roasted poblano chile, roasted sweet potato and black beans served on a corn tortilla with melted Oaxacan cheese, a drizzle of spicy chipotle salsa and pico de gallo.
Note: this is Vegetarian and Wheat-Free; Vegan without cheese and chipotle salsa
Mexx Chopp Big Salad (Lunch & Dinner)
A mix of organic baby lettuce, Napa cabbage, and radicchio tossed with avocado Caesar dressing, pico de gallo, cotixa cheese, black beans, diced nopales, grilled corn and sauteed almonds, topped with fried tortilla strips and diced avocado.
Note: this is Vegetarian and Wheat-Free; Vegan without cheese. Guests may top their salad with their choice of grilled lemon-mezcal chicken, carne asada, beer-battered or chipotle shrimp or vegetarian/vegan options.
Chipotle Chicken ‘Desmadres’ (Dinner)
The translation of ‘Desmadres’ is “a big mess” – and this is one delicious mess. Thinly-pounded boneless chicken breast grilled with chipotles and fresh garlic, olive oil and chopped cilantro. Topped with wild baby arugula leaves and a big spoonful of chunky avocado-tomato salad.
Note: this is Wheat-Free
Sol Cocina Chipotle Chicken Desmadres
Guava Crème Brulee
Rich, luscious crème brulee spiked with tart pink guava and fresh raspberries, a burnt-sugar crust and powdered sugar.
SOL’s lunch and dinner menus feature Baja classics like Ensenada Beer-Battered Fish Tacos, Carne Asada Street Tacos (made with premium beef) and Cocktel de Mariscos. These are served alongside innovative creations that offer a twist on Mexican favorites, such as the Taco Vampiro; Hot & Raw Ceviche; Shortribs Barbacoa; grilled Fish Taco Zarandeado and Kobe Skirt Steak, as well as innovative guacamoles and many other unique items. Enjoy Panuchos stuffed with Mexican cheeses, epazote and zucchini flowers, topped with Borrracho Black Beans, or a savory Warm Goat Cheese with Piloncillo-Chipotle Syrup, roasted salted peanuts and cilantro. Everything on the menu is made fresh daily, from scratch, and the menu changes several times a year to showcase the best of the season.
Much of SOL’s menu can be made vegetarian and vegan-friendly and many items are 100% wheat-free. The ‘stealth health’ approach is geared towards fresh, delicious food that happens to be low-fat and healthful – though there are plenty of indulgences to be had as well, such as the Tres Pecados (Three Sins) – a rich dulce de leche flan with caramel, dark chocolate-almond bark and whipped cream. SOL is committed to using sustainable fish and beef and pork that has been humanely raised and sourced. Local and/or organic produce is used whenever possible. Full menus can be found online at http://www.solcocina.com/newport-beach/menu/.
ABOUT SOL COCINA
SOL Cocina is a unique restaurant and bar featuring Executive Chef Deborah Schneider’s bold, modern interpretations of traditional Coastal Mexican cuisine with a focus on fresh, sustainable ingredients. Designed to echo the expansive sea, sky, and desert of the Baja peninsula, SOL features old world charm juxtaposed with an urban comfort, including an open exhibition kitchen with counter seating for guests who like to see the bustling kitchen that mimics the Baja taco bar. To complement the dining experience, SOL’s bar creates spectacular hand-crafted-to order fresh fruit margaritas and cocktails inspired by the authentic, seasonal flavors of the menu. The restaurant offers over 70 artisan, premium and ultra premium tequilas and mezcals.
In an effort to preserve the timeless beauty of Southern California and Baja, whenever possible, SOL Mexican Cocina utilizes products and programs that we believe to be both environmentally and socially pro-active. In addition to offering a wide selection of vegan, vegetarian and wheat-free options, Chef Deb’s menu is ideal for those interested in sustainable dining options. Seafood is caught locally or from sustainable fisheries, as certified by MSC and Seafood Watch. SOL resolves to be as environmentally friendly as possible, making sure that everything that can be recycled, is recycled, and all takeout materials are compostable. SOL is a bleach-free facility that uses green ware-washing and cleansing products.
Located at 251 E. Pacific Coast Highway at Bayside Drive, on the Balboa Marina, SOL is open daily for Lunch (11:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), Dinner (Sun-Thurs 4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat 4:30 p.m. – 11 p.m.), Happy Hour (4 p.m. – 7 p.m. daily in the bar and patio), and Weekend Brunch (10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday & Sunday). In addition, guests may take advantage of Taco & Tequila Tuesday specials every week (Tues 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.), and Industry Hours with 50% off cocktails, beer and wine to those with proper ID working in the hospitality industry (Sun-Thurs 9 p.m.-midnight; Fri-Sat 11 p.m.-close). Private Room available.
For more information, call 949-675-9800 or visit http://www.solcocina.com.
