Reviews | Soluna & El Mira Sol
The San Antonio Express News
"Calvillo’s genius evident at El Mirasol"
The magic that Jesse Calvillo has worked on his new SoLuna restaurant on Broadway seems to have carried over to his Blanco Road restaurant, El Mirasol. A recent visit found the place energized, the servers in top form and the food the best we’d taste.
Calvillo is the culinary genius who opened the original La Fogata some 25 years ago, introducing a new type of Mexican food to San Antonio.
A week after tasting Crab Salad Avocado, I’m still haunted by the flavor. A creamy, yet tangy, crab salad was served atop lettuce, accompanied by fanned tomato and avocado served with dual vinaigrettes flavored with tomato and basil. Tacos al Pastor Style featured three double layers of small corn tortillas filled with flame cooked marinated pork fresh pineapple bits, cilantro and onion.
Guisado Ranchero is among the best in the city. Fork tender pieces of beef fajita were sautéed with tomato and onion, then cooked to perfect harmony. Stuffed into corn tortillas and topped with smoky roasted table salsa, the dish is unforgettable.
By Karen Haram Express News Food Editor
"El Mirasol"
A sun drenched patio, a melodic fountain, antojitos (Mexico’s “little bites”), and frosty margaritas-all are as suited to summer in San Antonio as the sunflower that lends its name to Jesse Calvillo’s restaurant. Rajas de chile poblano (poblano strips in a cream-cheese sauce), ceviches chalupas, and a wonderful cinnamon-laced pork carne adobada exemplify a true Mexican approach in the kitchen. Bar. 13489 Blanco Rd (210-479-8765) Open Mon 11:30-9, Tues & Thurs 11:30-10, Fri 11:30-11, Sat noon-10, Sun noon-9.Cr. $$
The San Antonio Express News
"Soluna brings back the magic"
It appears Jesse Cavillo hasn’t lost his touch. Some 25 years ago, Calvillo opened his first San Antonio restaurant, La Fogata, in a nondescript ion location on Vance Jackson. In his creative hands, the restaurant produce food unlike any served in San Antonio at the time. The tiny restaurant grew and grew again, to hold on to the bustling crowds-not topsy-turvy, but with style, earning the restaurant award for its beautification program, which featured greenery and flowers of all varieties, beautiful tilework and graceful statuary.
Calvillo left La Fogata in the 90’s and opened El Mirasol outside Loop 410 and Blanco Road. Although generally busy, the restaurant never seemed to capture his unique style. But now, in a spot off Broadway and Sunset, Calvillo has opened his newest restaurant, Soluna on Broadway. And it appears the magic is back.
On a recent a Friday evening crowds packed the restaurant, already a showcase thanks to an ambience that included an 11 member mariachi band, tortilla makers patting out mounds of flour tortillas lots of interesting art and walls painted in hot yellows, limes and oranges. The outdoor patio, filled with greenery, is equally welcoming.
Soluna’s signature salsa is like the original at La Fogata, charred reddish/brownish/black and classic in its simplistic combination of roasted tomatoes, chiles and salt. Crisp good chips good enough to fill up on accompany the salsa—but don’t dare do that . Far too many taste pleasures await.
For starters, theres Sevieche Mirasol, a piquant blend of fresh seafood, olives, tomatoes, and chilies in a vinegary sauce that’s served with saltine crackers.Hongos Flameados featured sliced mushrooms in fragrant broth, topped with white cheese. Tortillas are available so you can spoon the mushrooms inside, but the sauce was so savory we took a spoon to get every last bite.
The serving size of Rajas de Chile Poblano was small, to say the least, and was made more noticeable because of its flavor was such that you would have wanted such that you would have wanted more no matter how large the serving. A large bowl of tortilla soup was the kind to bring praise from purists—a rich, Chile-laced broth, devoid of chicken and other distractions, served with strips of fried corn tortillas, Mexican cheese, avocado and fried pork skins.
Enchiladas Nortenas were some of the best we’ve had. Tender bits of flavorful charred beef were mixed with grilled onions and packed into tortillas, topped with white cheese and gravy. A satisfactory rice, stunning borracho beans laced with bits of bacon, and an excellent guacamole salad accompanied.
Green enchiladas are no less satisfactory. A sharp tomotillo sauce and Mexican cheese accented the white meat chicken stuffed enchiladas be sure to take a bit of the accompanying in onion slices with each taste of enchilada. It’s there for flavor accent, not just looks.
Tacos a la Parrilla featured bits of tender beef shoulder, cabbage and cheese encased in crisp corn tortillas. Pollo loco, two juicy chicken thighs, was bright and lively, thanks to generous accents of lime and garlic. Guisado Ranchero, normally not something high on my ordering list, was the best I’ve had in the city. Ultra-lean beef fajita meat is sautéed with onion and tomato until fork tender, resulting in a taste quite unlike any other.
Tacos al Pastor were filled with bite size pieces of marinated pork, served on two overlapping tiny corn tortillas. A topping of fresh cilantro, minced onion and chunks of fresh pineapple added a riot of color and flavor.
If you have room, try the fired empanada de guayaba, which features a tender pastry crust wrapped around cream cheese and guava paste. Ice cream on the side is highly recommended.
Although prices are higher than at most local Mexican restaurants, we found the quality of the food worth the differences. Service, never a strong suit at a La Fogata under Calvillo’s ownership, was exemplary on all our visits.
This time, it seems Calvillo is making it all work.
By Karen Haram Express News Food Editor
Order Online today or for more information call 210.422.6604.
