Solera - Minneapolis

After you hit the hottest joint in town, where do you go next? The hottest joint from a year ago, naturally.

Solera is a Spanish Tapas place. It's decorated with beautifully hand-blown glass and tile. Really rich.

My favorites:

• Scallops a la Plancha - do NOT miss this - my favorite of the evening!
• Pork Empanada - yeah, so it's fried...it's okay every once in a ... day.
• Roasted Vegetable Salad - phenomenally sweet and tangy - roasted brussel sprouts were surprisingly tucked in there. How did they know it was my favorite?
• Sobradas with cheese and honey - I never get sick of the perfect combination of cheese and honey.
• Octopus Ceviche - It came out looking like a terrine mold, which definitely raised the eyebrows of those at the table. But once you get over that, it's great.
• Ham and Cheese Croquetas - what's not to like? Fried Ham and Cheese balls. Yum!

We also had the Chorizo & Seafood Paella. After having eaten paella for 4 weeks straight in Barcelona, I was vaguely disappointed. Everyone else at the table was fine with it, but I found it to be slightly undercooked, yet mushy, all at the same time. Then again, it could possibly be that after several of the rockin' tapas, the paella just didn't stack up.