What do you do with your free time?

By “free time”, I don’t mean the 2 minutes you have when you walk out of the office and to your car. I mean free time. When I think of the question, my answers are: explorations with my friends, boxing classes, watching I Love Lucy marathons, and eating at restaurants. I love blogging about restaurants, but eating so often can easily turn me into a member of The Klumps if I don’t work out. So I box as often as possible, especially before I go to a restaurant. That’s exactly what I did before I was invited to check out Solita Tacos and Margaritas in Valencia. I went boxing and then I prepped for a Mexican meal of epic proportions.

After I left the gym, picked up my friend Ajay, and drove about 30 minutes, we were in the shopping center where Solita sat. Only problem: it felt like everyone on the planet was there which made it almost impossible to get parking. After 20 minutes of car stalking, I put the car and park and we headed into the restaurant.

All of my frustration with the parking lot quickly dissipated when I saw the beautiful décor of the restaurant. The minute I walked inside I saw a caged in area that looked perfect for private dining or intimate parties. Across from that was a wine barrel, then detailed lighting, walls with beautiful patterns and textures and best of all the brightly lit bar. Plus, there was a merchandise wall selling the chef’s cook books. You know, if you think you can make their great food at home! It was all so beautiful that I had to snap out of the gaze so I could pay attention to the hostess. I think she may have been used to people entering the restaurant that way as she clearly was giving me a moment to soak it all in. After I closed my mouth and relaxed my eyes, she sat us in the outdoor area.

The general manager, Jaime, stopped by our table and welcomed us to the restaurant and introduced us to the menu. She let us know that every morning, the staff preps the food to ensure it’s fresh prior to opening. That’s when our waiter Tim came by with chips and salsa. I know what you’re thinking: “Everyone gives out chips and salsa!” True, but these are better than the other guys’. The basket of tortilla chips comes with a evil green sauce and a tomatillo sauce. The evil green sauce lives up to its name and is as spicy and hot as you would imagine salsa in Hades to be. The tomatillo on the other hand isn’t as spicy. Choose the latter if you can’t take the heat. The fun part of the chips is they have fried duros pinwheels. So no simple chip basket here folks. Jaime brought out a few of the pre-cooked duros so we could see their form and they were so cute. Put them in the oven and you have a badass chip in your presence. My suggestion, while they’re good, don’t devour too many of them as there is actual food on the menu.

Our drinks arrived while we tried to stop ourselves from finishing off all the chips. I ordered a Kiwi Strawberry Margarita ($10) and Ajay got the Watermelon Margarita ($10). I was glad Tim steered me to go with the kiwi strawberry because it was exactly what I wanted. It was sweet, tart, and light. Ajay’s margarita had a fun kick to it with the lime accent and chili dressing the cup. It was a definitely a feistier drink in comparison to mine.

Ajay and I were planning to order our entrée at this point, but Jaime suggested we order the Grilled Corn Elote ($3.75) first. I wanted to tell her that I’m trying to be skinny at the beach this summer, but she started to describe the elote. Whole corn roasted and wood-grilled with butter, California chiles, chipotle salsa, cotixa cheese, and green onions. Looks like I won’t be going to the beach in 2015, we ordered it. Watching her cut the corn in front of us piqued my appetite. Then finally, it was ready. With the first bite it was clear that it was absolutely amazing! Sweet, somewhat spicy, and full of flavor. We ended up fighting over it—and no I didn’t win. Ajaay got the last forkful!

In between devouring the elote, we ordered our entrée. I got the Carne, Spinach, & Corn Quesadilla with sides of Mexican Rice and Yucatecan-Style Refried Black Beans ($16.50). Ajay got the Beer Battered Shrimp Taco with sides of Yucatecan-Style Refried Black Beans and Solita Slaw with lemon cilantro dressing ($13.50).

Prior to ordering, Tim warned me that the portion size of the quesadilla was large. Did I believe him? No. Should I have? Yes, because he was right. The quesadilla is enough to feed two people—seriously, share it. The large flour tortillas were beautiful as one side was a vibrant red and the other was a calm brown. Packed in between the tortillas was oak-grilled carne asada, fresh spinach, Mexican cheese melted perfectly, corn, guacamole, sour cream, and a delicious chipotle sauce. It was ooey gooey, meaty, and full of an exciting flavor! It was almost addicting.

Ajay also enjoyed his beer battered shrimp taco. They were made with an in house spicy beer batter, fresh lime, and a special “hush-hush” sauce. Although they look small in size, they aren’t. Plus, the sides of tasty slaw and the hearty beans make it a full meal.

To end the dinner, we ordered dessert: the Adult Churro Sundae ($8.50) and Cinnamon Bread Pudding ($8). The grown up sundae was comprised of vanilla ice cream, a sautéed banana, chocolate and caramel sauce, a sliced strawberry, churro pieces, and sprinkled with brown sugar. Yet again, another amazing dish and full of sweet deliciousness that made the conclusion of the meal perfect. Oh and let’s not forget about the bread pudding. We ate the pudding made up of fresh berries, cinnamon, agave syrup, brown sugar, and whipped cream so quickly! The two together are a diabolical combo to end the night off right.

I really enjoyed eating at Solita! Jaime and Tim were so friendly, the food was delicious, and the décor was inimitable. I loved it from start to finish and can’t wait to go back again to enjoy a new dish.

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Address: 24201 Valencia Blvd., Suite #3470 Valencia, CA 91355
(Located in Shops on the Patio at Valencia Town Center)
Phone: (661) 291-1399
Hours: Monday to Thursday – 11:00am to 10:00pm, Friday to Saturday – 11:00am to 11:00pm, and Sunday – 11:00am to 10:00pm; Bar closes at 12:00am daily.
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