Nestled on the first floor of Caesars Palace, just behind to its famous circular escalator, is the vibrant SOL Mexican Cocina. One can feel the warmth upon entry to the Baja-based eatery.
Understated tan/beige walls and dark tables impart an elegant, upscale vibe, with projected ferns on the walls and floor. Three large folk-art suns take up an entire wall in the dining room. Regional music adds an upbeat note to the already festive mood.
A large, leatherbound menu lists an extensive selection of drinks, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Knowledgeable servers can recommend ingredients to sculpt a meal to meet dietary restrictions or preferences. The friendly staff can match the diversity of its Las Vegas clientele, enhancing the restaurant’s welcoming vibe and international flavor.
While your humble correspondent is a carnivore, two other dining companions were not. Two were gluten free pescatarians (fish and seafood). Each of us was able to enjoy a variety of innovative flavors, beginning with the Margaritas.
The tequila-based cocktails were the star of the show on this day (February 22) National Margarita Day. With more than 10 to choose from, the table ordered four different variations: the smooth and refreshing House, its potent big brother the Cadillac, the tequila forward Watermelon (muddled with lime juice), and the swoon-worthy Frozen Mango (there’s a sinful puree in this one). No glass lid goes unadorned. Rims can be covered in sugar, salt, chili salt, or a combination of any two.
Appetizers, or Antojitos, consisted of Guacamole Granada, the traditional avocado enhanced by pomegranate pearls, cotija cheese, and red beet chips for ramped-up flavors that you wouldn’t expect to complement each other until you try it. Fried, whole corn tortillas are provided (plain or mildly spicy) to coat with salsa selections or guacamole for a texture fiesta.
The Chicken Tortilla Soup arrived in a surprisingly large bowl and had almost a stew-like consistency, with large chunks of chicken, avocado, carrot, onion, cilantro and lime. Slivers of tortilla grace the bottom of the bowl and are like a hidden treasure to discover and enjoy.
A sweet corn appetizer is shaved tableside and tossed with butter, lime, chiles and cotija cheese for a flavorful bite of roasted kernels that literally burst with flavor at first bite.
Entrees included the King Salmon Salad, an artfully composed platter featuring beet, mango, and yam chips, kale, spinach, and arugula with a salmon filet crowning the center. The chia seed dressing was a pleasant vinaigrette-like complement.
Taco Vampiro with carne asada was presented as a cheese-stuffed blue corn tortilla piled high with chopped carne asada, pico de gallo, scallions, serrano peppers, cotija cheese and chipotle sauce. Mining this small mountain of meat yielded a satisfying quesadilla-like base that was a pleasure to chew.
Goat cheese enchiladas, creamy and mild, stuffed with menonito cheese (a soft, white cheese similar to Monterey Jack) and covered by chunks of goat cheese, were covered in crema, salsa verde, and pico de gallo. Like the frozen Mango Margarita, this dish was swoon-worthy and surprisingly light.
It was almost impossible to think about dessert after such a feast. Almost.
A Blondie and a Tres Leches Cake walk into a bar… Actually, they appeared at our table, like enormous sugar bombs waiting to detonate. The Tres Leches Cake was as tall as the Blondie was wide, and both were covered in decadent confectionary bliss. The dense, chewy Blondie was bathed in cajeta envinada (a “drunken” caramel sauce)and served with white chocolate, pecans, and vanilla ice cream. A towering Tres Leches Cake (at least five layers) was a snowy white frosted cake adorned with toasted coconut and an internal infusion of no less than three different milks.
Leaving the restaurant in less of a straight line than when we arrived (thank you, tequila and azucar) your humble correspondent and companions, so different in dining choices, could agree at least on one thing: we’d be back.