Soley!

Tonight CB and I dined at Soley! (pronounced sole A). It was lovely. The initial impression was great. The raw brick and painted yet rough ceiling beams were offset by super shiny dark tabletops formally set with white dishes and fancily upright napkins. There were several occupied tables, but it wasn't a "scene". That may not be good for them, but it certainly makes for a pleasant dining experience. Our reservation was a bit early - 7:30 pm - and the place was filling up when we left. Our server was a tiny bit dingy, but adorable and sweet. We enjoyed a South African sauvignon blanc, which was nice. (I always prefer a New Zealand SB to one from anywhere else.) Each of us chose the onion soup for our starter. Delish. CB and I both love French onion soup. It is described on the website as: Lemony onion soup, Oaxaca cheese en crouton, avocado. I don't recall a bit of avocado, but the soup has some bite from jalapenos. I think we were full after the soup! But we persevered. CB ordered the red snapper, which I sampled from her plate. It was served over a jalapeno cilantro risotto and an artichoke broth with two artichoke heart halves. I ordered the chile en nogado. So did a lot of other folks. We sat by the open kitchen, and I watched lots of these fantastically glorified chile rellenos go out. The poblano was perfectly cooked to tender crisp. The breading was light, yet had a very slightly chewy texture. It was reminiscent of breading on some fried pickles I have had. (Do NOT dis fried pickles. They are darn good.) The really amazing thing about the chile en nogado was the perfect balance. The textures were diverse and amazing. Each ingredient was perfectly cooked - denseness to the mushrooms, chewy depth to the duck, the crunch of thinly sliced almonds. When I say perfect, I mean perfect. I cannot imagine how it was done so well. The flavors were varied and diverse, yet not a single one overpowered the others. This dish was a really artfully crafted piece of work.
CB's dish also was tasty, though I must say that jalapeno is definitely not my favorite pepper.
The sorbets sounded amazing, but we were STUFFED. But then we went to Veritas and drank more wine. As earlier posts here reflect, I love that place.