DiningOut

The Solero Also Rises
After three years serving tapas to the cognoscenti, Solero restaurant finds Spanish-tapas are more than trendy, as is the rise of historic downtown by E.J. Arnell

Learned any new words lately? Eaten any ethnic food recently? As foreign food continues to grow in popularity, so does our food vocabulary: humus, dolmades, falafel, cannelloni, sushi, sashimi, tapas. These terms roll off the tongue with such ease and familiarity that one forgets these words are from another language, another culture, and really another time.

The Spanish word tapa translates into English literally as "lid" or "cap", as in a covering for something. A friend of mine from Madrid explained to me how the word tapas came to be associated with food. Hundreds of years ago when Spaniards visited their local watering hole and ordered a glass of wine, they would receive an extra little bonus. Covering their glass would be a piece of bread with a topping like cheese, tomatoes, olives, marinated fish, or meat. These were considered the lid to the drink and thus the name. It's just the way it was-if you ordered a drink, you got a snack. In Spain today, this old tradition continues with tapas bars all over the country, but like any tradition that is imported to America, it has changed and grown.

Arturo Boada, chef and part owner of Solero, has taken the concept of tapas and transformed it into something larger. Instead of getting only one small bite, there are several in each portion-which is great for sharing. Instead of only Spanish recipes, Arturo, inspired by his worldly experiences, includes spices and ingredients from many cultures in his creations. Examples of this on his menu are seafood bouillabaisse, tempura vegetables, mussels Prague, and grilled quail. If you're in the mood for a variety of unique and flavorful tastes, then grab some friends and head to Solero in the downtown Market Square Historic District.

Don't let downtown scare you. After negotiating a frustrating path through the one-way streets-currently crammed with construction pylons and detours-arriving at Solero is like finding an oasis.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Once inside Solero, the good vibes immediately begin to penetrate. Order a glass of wine from their selection of over 50 offerings and enjoy the scenery. The partially exposed original brick walls and the rough wooden floors allow the building's 19th-century personality to seep through and combine with the chic modern elements. The high ceiling magically pulls the buzz of the chatting up and away from your neighbors and pushes the music back down. At Solero it's easy to enjoy the pleasure of feeding your senses. The food will kick-start your taste buds and tease your olfactory zone. Settle in and talk to your companions.

When your friendly server arrives, ask a lot questions-the menu is not self-explanatory and can be intimidating if you don't know a lot of Spanish, and even if you do, the descriptions are limited. Monopolize their time until you figure out your strategy.

This restaurant is best experienced with good friends. By ordering the portion-sized tapas to share, all of you will get a buffet of tastes and have a great time moaning and laughing your way through double-dipping, spit-swapping, and finger-licking without inhibitions.

Last week two of my closest friends and I had a great evening at Solero. After each of us selected a glass of red wine, we courageously agreed to let the manager order for us. Shortly thereafter four tapas hit the table: cucumber salad, ceviche, shrimp pepperonccini, and something called Suhrid's Hot! Hot! beef tips.

My compliments to the chef for the best ceviche that I have ever tasted outside of South America. The combination of fresh red snapper with shrimp marinated and cooked in the acidic juices is unbelievably refreshing and tasty. It comes with a tiny amount of crackers, but this is where the basket of bread begins its important role. Tear off a hunk and dab it into the aromatic garlic and lime, then use a spoon to load up the bread with the fish, red onion, sweet bell peppers, and diced jalapeÒo. It's cold, it's spicy, it's tender, it's fresh. Zowie! Smack your lips and move on to the next item.

The beef tips were interesting because we were warned that they were spicy hot, so of course we proceeded with caution. The large chunks of beef sit in a white wine, olive oil, and garlic sauce with tomatoes, green beans, and habenero chilis. I was surprised. Initially, the beef tasted flavorful but not something I would consider hot. That is until I chomped into one of the hidden habenernos, and my head nearly exploded. This dish is deceptively, nastily hot. It's a masochist's fantasy.

I was incredibly thankful that the ignored-until-now cucumber salad was also on the table. I quickly stuffed several cool pieces into my mouth and found relief. The fresh cucumber sparingly coated with an olive oil and garlic vinaigrette is the ideal vacation for in-between spicy bites.

Interesting combinations of food always intrigue me, and the shrimp pepperonccini as a house favorite definitely qualifies. The shrimps swim in a creamy sauce with salty prosciutto and capers. We went through a lot of bread, dredging up every last bit of this dreamy sauce. Keep asking for more bread if you run out, and don't let the server steal away your sauces until you're ready to move on to something else.

Next we tried the award-winning paella. Solero's version has been severely altered from the original recipe born in Valencia, with the chef adding pork and chicken to the traditional shrimps, clams, and mussels. It comes straight out of the oven to your table and arrives piping hot and beautiful. The saffron-flavored rice is delicious-but I believe that a squeeze of lime unites and brightens the intensity of paella, so that I added on my own.

At this point we were ready to move on to dessert. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was all the silly talk, maybe we were just in the mood, but when our "Caribbean Banana" arrived we took our first bites a full five minutes later because we were laughing so hard. This is officially, without trying to be so, the most phallic dessert that I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Imagine a ripe banana rolled in walnuts and cinnamon, encased in a flour tortilla, deep fried, drizzled with caramel, then sliced in half and served with one dead soldier lying on his side and the other standing at attention beside Arturo's house specialty: homemade vanilla ice cream. The ice cream melts. The nuts stay crunchy. The cinnamon snaps. Simultaneously hot, cold, hard, and soft-what a grand finale.

Congratulations are in order for the brave owners of this tapas restaurant and bar. They were among the first to recognize the potential of Houston's badly neglected downtown and took a huge risk to offer a night-time destination for city workers and dwellers. When Solero opened in 1997 it was voted one of America's top new restaurants by Esquire, and the Houston Press chose them for best tapas. Fortunately, Solero's success has encouraged other entrepreneurs, and downtown is starting to swing. Go join the party.

Solero, 910 Prairie (between Main & Travis), 713/227-2665. Hours: Mon.-Wed., 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Thu.-Fri., 11 a.m.-midnight; Sat., 6 p.m.-midnight.