SolBar

(3.5 stars)
Binky and I were really excited to try out SolBar because of its stellar reputation and glowing Unilocal reviews. Calistoga is such a beautiful area and we so anticipated capping the night off with a beautiful meal.
Walking into the restaurant, Binky and I were AMAZED at how gorgeous the restaurant/​lounge is. Many of the booths are designed in such a way that allows couples to sit next to each other while facing the restaurant/​fireplace (really nice, but it was a little awkward when I did sometimes make eye contact with other random couples facing us…). The restaurant was dimly lit with an added fireplace for additional light/​warmth. The restaurant is certainly something to behold — I can hardly remember the last time I’ve been in such a beautiful, stunning lounge.
Moreover, the waitstaff was PERFECTION. Our two (three??) waiters + busboy waited on us hand and foot. We hardly had time to pause in between finishing bread/​water before someone (…anyone it seemed) would check in on us to make sure we had been taken care of. Really, really impressed by the level of service at this establishment.
HOWEVER (and this is the part I hesitate to write but also, most definitely, the most important) — the food was… NOT good. Binky and I really wanted to like the food we were served, but after tasting several of their dishes, we concluded that the food was mostly WAY over seasoned and awkwardly paired.
Pumpkin/​Ginger tasting — First, the waiter brought us over a complimentary tasting of a pumpkin/​ginger «soup» — the soup was COLD, and very strange to eat. The walnut (?) garnishing tasted a little burnt and the mixture was not appealing. We ended up seeing the «soup» as a garnish on another one of our plates so I’m assuming the chef made too much and sent out the extra to the customers as «soup». While this was a kind gesture, I could hardly swallow the mixture as a «soup» .
Hobb’s Pork Belly — We ordered the Hobb’s pork belly as an appetizer. Binky and I both love a good pork belly as our families are both Taiwanese and frequently make/​eat Chinese pork belly. The pork belly was perhaps the best part of our meal, although the meat was a tiny, tiny little thing. It was soft/​chewy in the middle, however, I didn’t really taste the «compressed persimmon, pecan, and honey-​orange gastrique…» ??
Flatiron Steak — Binky ordered this as his main dish. The dish was plated beautifully, although the steak, itself, was unremarkable. My favorite part was probably the potatoes… but then again, my favorite part is ALWAYS the potatoes (…pretty much sums up why I should never go to a fancy restaurant). BEWARE, the horseradish in this dish is VERY STRONG.
Diver Scallops — I was SO excited for some delicious seared scallops and ordered this dish immediately. The pumpkin-​vanilla purée turned out to be the «soup» the waiter had brought us earlier. I was a little scared to eat the scallops sitting on top of the purée but it turned out to be BETTER with the seafood than as a soup. The scallops, unfortunately, were SO, SO, SO salty. I didn’t want to insult the chef but Binky (who has a higher tolerance for salt) agreed that the dish was TOO salty. I sent it back and asked for the chicken instead.
Mary’s Chicken — Luckily, the waiter was very accommodating, and immediately offered to bring out another dish. He did WARN me that the chef seasoned everything very heavily, and advised me to order the chicken without the salt??? I did, and the chicken was actually pretty edible — juicy/​tender. The rest of the dish was, again, very hard for me to eat because I’m not used to so many STRONG flavors competing on my plate (spicy mustard, pickled plum…). I just don’t prefer to eat particularly heavily seasoned foods so I was really fighting to finish my plate.
Because of the food, Binky and I decided against ordering dessert, although that had been our original plan. Binky and I still managed to have a very nice evening because of the ambiance/​service. I don’t know, perhaps the food simply wasn’t catered to our pallete. I hardly view myself as a picky eater and I truly wish I had been able to enjoy the food. Sadly, I can’t see myself revisiting this restaurant in the near future.

Broccolini, kale pasta, scallops, red snapper, deconstructed salad, asparagus soup, butterscotch rum pudding… tried all of them and loved them all. First two are especially unique and really tasty, but really — everything was great.
Lovely and romantic atmosphere, open, cozy, not too stuffy, but nice. It’s a great choice if you’re in Calistoga.

Went here for me and my wife’s birthday. We went with two other friends and our dog. They had outdoor seating which was nice, however it was cold outside (bc it was January), so they sat us next to the fire and brought out blankets. It was nice to have the whole patio to ourselves.
Did the tasting menu and loved every dish.
Doug was awesome as well as the rest of the team at Solbar. The service was outstanding. I was really amazed by it. The staff here consistently went above and beyond what was necessary of taking care of their guest. Everybody was also friendly and down to earth.
Highly recommended and would definitely revisit.