Mediterranean Melange
Enter Glendale Marketplace from Brand Boulevard and hang a sharp right at the ceramic frogs. You’re at Sol et Soleil.
Owner Robert Simon, of Bistro 45 in Pasadena, faces a challenge here to win over the fish taco and Jamba Juice crowd. Luckily, Sol et Soleil’s soaring ceilings, cheerful, sunny colors and eclectic menu can be quite persuasive.
Reasonable prices also help. This restaurant shows that Mediterranean dishes need not be pricey. The small plates and starters (some of which are real meals) are all under $9; pizzas, pastas and grilled entrees are a few dollars more.
And there’s a fine list of midpriced European and California wines, such as Condado de Haza, from the Ribera del Duero region of Spain.
You start with a basket of bread sticks crusted with cheese and spices. One good appetizer is crispy calamari with whipped lemon aioli, though the calamari pieces are not as crisp as you might like. The skillet-roasted mussels are a bit dry and could use more seasoning.
I like the empanada trio (with chorizo, roasted pepper and Spanish ranch cheese fillings), but the portion is--unusual for this restaurant--a tiny one.
*
The same crumbly Spanish ranch cheese, similar to a Mexican cotija, works nicely as a garnish for a soup called caramelized onion hot pot (which really should have more broth if they want to call it a soup--it’s more like a moist onion confit). An eggplant puree with roasted garlic is flavorful but excessively thick. The country tomato and bread soup with pistou could be less acidic.
The pasta and risottos, though, rate higher marks. Penne with lamb ragout comes nicely stocked with braised lamb, pearl onions and braised tomatoes. Linguine mariniere, a Franco-Italian fusion dish, presents the noodles in a sweet garlic-and-chive broth with fresh clams. And my risotto with white mushrooms, pearl onions and wilted greens was beautifully textured.
From the seafood list, I’ve had a nice piece of grilled salmon, which I would have liked better without its sharp red pepper and roasted tomato sauce. But the daily rotisserie specials are a big hit. Especially good are Tuesday’s pork loin in a cracked pepper and mustard crust and Sunday’s beef tenderloin.
Dessert runs to custardy, all-American bread pudding, a wickedly rich chocolate praline torte and, bien su^r, frothy cappuccinos.
Hey, I like fish tacos as much as the next guy. But next time I head to the mall, I’m doing the Azure Coast thing.
BE THERE
Sol et Soleil, 110 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Full bar. Validated parking in structure. All major cards. Dinner for two, $26-$39. Suggested dishes: crispy calamari, $6.95; penne with lamb ragout, $9.95; pork loin, $12.95; rotisserie beef tenderloin, $18.95. Call (818) 244-4SOL.
