18555 Jamboree Road
Irvine, CA 92612
To clarify, I have never worked in the restaurant industry, so take what I'm about to say next with that in mind. I think restaurant people are some of the best people. I've been writing reviews and going to food festivals for the last 13 years, and I can not think of a time we walked away from a chef, server, general manager, or restaurant owner with any ill feelings.
I bring this up because one of my favorite restaurant people is Katie Pavkov. We met her seven years ago when she was the general manager of Del Frisco's Grille at the Irvine Spectrum, and we had an instant connection. Over the ensuing years, we visited with Katie on numerous trips to Del Frisco's, and we were sad to hear that she had left there and were curious about where she had ended up. Finally, we tracked her to her new endeavor, Soltice in Irvine.
Solstice is located at the recently completed office building known as the Boardwalk, situated at the corner of Jamboree and Dupont Drive. They opened in early March and are brought to us by the Captivate Hospitality Group. Until recently, there was another location in Newton, Pennsylvania, but that spot closed its doors for good in June, primarily due to pandemic issues.
This new Solstice also had pandemic problems. Their opening was delayed due to supply chain issues for six months. Still, they are moving full steam ahead with a culinary team that includes Demitrio Zavala, the culinary director and chef. Also on board is Brittany Valles, lastly at the Fashion Island Hotel, serving as their executive chef. Add Katie to the management team; this sounds like a can't-miss restaurant success story.
Solstice is very much a seasonally inspired restaurant. In fact, that's what has brought us here this past June 20th, also known as the day before the Summer Solstice. It's when their menu changed from spring to summer, and they had a prix fixe event that we had to reserve and pay for beforehand. The cost was $65 per person, including three courses and a glass of champagne upon arrival. We arrived at a very full restaurant, and from our vantage point, it appeared that almost everyone was taking advantage of this one-day preview of the summer menu items. So let's see what they had cooked up for us this evening.
It's been a while since we've had any sort of amuse-bouche at any restaurant. I guess we have had way too much takeout recently. This bite-sized little starter was a dab of ricotta with watermelon rind. Not a combo that I would normally partake in, but it was got me excited for what was to come.
From what I've been able to tell from the menu at Soltice, Parker House Rolls ($7) are on their menu all the time, but they top them with something different depending on the season. They went with a plum glaze and a citrus ginger butter for summer. The rolls were nice and fluffy, and the plum glaze added a subtle sweetness. I did not get too much in the way of citrus with the butter, but it was very creamy, which is what I really wanted the most.
Our first course was up; for Katie, that meant the Heirloom Tomato Caprese ($15). Katie is a big caprese fan, and this salad did not disappoint. This brightly colored salad contained sliced tomatoes, pickled shallots, whipped ricotta, radish, and Thai basil with a passionfruit vinaigrette. Katie felt that each forkful of this salad was a celebration of summer. The fresh tomatoes with the light vinaigrette were refreshing, but the shallots made this salad for her, which tied everything together expertly.
Summer is not really soup time unless it's chilled soup. That's precisely what Soltice had in store for me with this Cantaloupe Gazpacho ($8). I'm not a big cantaloupe fan, but I found this soup refreshing, and the cantaloupe flavor was cut with smoked cashews and caramelized citrus honey that added a bit of sweetness to this. I'm still not a cantaloupe fan, but I enjoyed this more than I thought.
One of the most artfully constructed side dishes you will ever see, this Roasted Eggplant ($10) was another surprise addition to our meal. I usually find eggplant too bland, but with the basil whipped ricotta, garlic confit, and the drizzle of citrus honey joining it, this was a better version of this bulbous purple fruit than I've had in a while.
Our entrees were out next. Katie was intrigued enough by this Sweet Corn Ricotta Gnocchi ($24) to try it. The gnocchi was nicely done and quickly deemed hand-made on the premises after her first bite. These little potato dumplings were accompanied by two kinds of sliced mushrooms and a sauce made up of garlic, truffle butter, herbs, and dashi, a broth used in Japanese cooking. It was finished off with four thin strips of pecorino. She enjoyed this dish's richness, but she would probably opt for one of the two pasta options with meat the next time we visit Solstice.
Judging by the Solstice Yelp page, this Malbec-Braised Wagyu Short Rib ($34) might be the most popular item on their summer menu. Judging by the number of photos posted online. This good-sized hunk of meat was predictably tender and flavorful. It sits atop a mashed potato puree and wilted greens, then topped with a dusting of herbs and garlic. It was then finished with a rich bordelaise sauce that encircled the beef. Not a bad bite in the bunch. This plate did not scream summer like the others, but I would not hesitate to order this whatever season it was offered.
Dessert, of course, would be our last hurrah this evening, and we strategically got two different ones to try. Both disappointed. The Brown Butter Fudge Cake ($10) was a total miss for me. The cocoa crumble was covered by a passion fruit sorbet, almost served at room temperature, which I was not expecting. The fudge rectangle was fine, as long as I dodged the way too tart passion fruit gel dollops topping it. I had higher hopes for the Peach Butter Cake ($10) since this is one of my favorite desserts. Unfortunately, the butter cake was not as sweet as others, and it was denser. The peach jam did not speak to me, and there was not enough honey vanilla gelato to sweeten things up here.
Except for the desserts, we really enjoyed our maiden trip to Solstice. This special prix fixe menu celebrating the summer solstice was a great way to experience their summer menu. I was hoping they'd do it again with their recently debuted fall menu, but maybe because it was an equinox instead of a solstice, they chose not to do it. I know I did not get this review out promptly, as these dishes are unavailable now. However, perusing their fall menu, it looks like they make some tweaks to these items based on what is in season at the time. Like they substituted apple for peach on the butter cake, and they forgo the tomatoes in the caprese, instead going for more of an autumn feel by adding pears. The service was wonderful, and the dining room is light, breezy, and sleek. White walls, floor to ceiling windows across two sides of the restaurant allow the natural light to pour through, and the glassed off kitchen grants permission to spy the interworkings of the busy kitchen. It all adds up to another winner for our good friend Katie, and we look forward to return visits soon
Out of five catcher's mitts, (because in Alaska they celebrate the summer solstice by having a 10pm baseball game, with no artificial lighting needed), five being best to zero being worst, Solstice gets 3.5 catcher's mitts.
To keep up with all things Solstice, head to their website by clicking here: https://dineatsolstice.com/
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