The independently owned and operated Solare Ristorante and Lounge has officially opened its doors in the NTC Promenade area of Liberty Station.
Italian for “sunlight,” Solare is the creation of a husband-and-wife team, chef-owner Stefano Ceresoli and Roberta Ruffini.
The couple also owns Caffe Bella Italia in Pacific Beach. Solare fuses Asian influences with contemporary gourmet Italian cuisine and service in its 4,000-square-foot restaurant, which includes a dining area, lounge, outdoor patio, glassed wine room and private dining room.
A visible grill offers fresh seafood and a focus on hormone-free meat, capriccios and oysters. Italian-style thin-crust gourmet pizzas are fired from the stone oven. The glassed wine room is the focal point of the restaurant, which features a selection to emphasize the flavors from the menu. In the lounge area, tapas, wines and specialty drinks are served. The private room, Prana, seats up to 24 diners and will feature cooking classes for children and adults.
The co-executive chef is Mark Pelliccia, who brings more than 15 years of culinary arts to Solare.
“We’re interested in using only the freshest ingredients and newest technology to provide an evening that will excite the senses,” he said. “The menu will fuse world influences, slow cooking and gourmet sensibilities.”
Ruffini’s passion for aesthetics is on display throughout the restaurant, which was custom-designed with items hand-picked by her and her husband, a native of Milan. From floor to ceiling, the restaurant envelops diners in organic elements ” natural wood floors, delicate window fabrics, custom-made teak tables and chairs and a fountain imported from Bali. The organic elements are ensconced in the warm golden-hued walls to create a positive energy and an inviting atmosphere. Ruffini points to the spiral-shaped tie-backs holding the sheer curtain fabric. The shape, which represents the “O” in the Solare logo, symbolizes energy, she said.
Solare is the first restaurant to open outside The Marketplace at Liberty Station, which includes Vons, Trader Joe’s and 18 other eateries, coffee shops and restaurants. Other sections of Liberty Station include NTC Landing, with historic buildings; Harbor Square, site of two hotels and the future Nickelodeon Hotel by Marriott; NTC Park and Esplanade, a waterfront public park; Sail Ho Golf Course; and the residential neighborhoods of Admiralty Row, Beacon Point and Anchor Cove.
Solare appears to be the perfect accompaniment to the NTC Promenade. At the heart of the former Naval Training Center, the Promenade is home to two nonprofit artistic endeavors ” ARTS: A Reason to Survive, and the New Americans Museum and Learning Center. ARTS is dedicated to healing, inspiring and empowering children facing life challenges by providing innovative arts-based programs, education and opportunities.
The New Americans Museum and Learning Center serves as a resource to promote understanding between newcomers and native-born Americans while helping new Americans become proud and responsible citizens.
Solare is currently open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. A casual quick menu features panini, fresh fish sandwiches and healthful soups and salads. Through April 13 a Chef’s Gourmet Tasting Menu is being served at dinner. A four- course dinner with complementing wines is available for $50 per person (plus tax and gratuity), and a six-course meal is offered for $69. Beginning Monday, April 14 the restaurant will be open for regular dinner service.
Solare is located at 2820 Roosevelt off Historic Decatur Road. Free parking is available. For reservations or for information, call (618) 270-9670 or visit www.solarelounge.com.