SOL Cocina – Newport Beach shows off the healthy side of Mexican food in Newport, California, and 
NEWPORT BEACH, Ca. April, 2012 Since opening, SOL Cocina – Newport Beach has focused on Mexican cuisine that is made withfresh, seasonal and sustainable ingredients.
Executive Chef Deborah Schneider emphasizes real Mexican food is not about the sour cream and cheese dishes served in the US, but the fruit and vegetables. SOL celebrates authentic Baja coastal cuisine with a fresh, modern interpretation. Meat and seafood is grilled over mesquite wood in the open kitchen with salsas and sauces made in house. At the same time, vegan and vegetarians find much to choose from on the menu.
Chef Schneider shares her fresh corn and poblano soup with white corn tostadas, chorizo and mushrooms con queso recipes.
SOL Cocina – Newport Beach, with seats for 165, opened in Newport Beach alongside Newport Bay in 2009. A second SOL Cocina – Newport Beach recently opened in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“Scottsdale kills at lunch,” Deborah says about the area’s projected lunch business, although she also expects dinner to go well. Apparently the large retiree population favors lunch as the dining out meal of choice. Why Scottsdale as the second location? “Our investors are here and we got a shot at an amazing location in a great area. My partners are both from here and know the market.”
The new restaurant will have almost the same menu as Newport Beach tacos, ceviches and empanadas with the addition of hamburgers. Still, vegetarian and stealth health’ options are bountiful; the look is similar but more overtly artsy.
“I call this Spanish inquisition;” such describes the Newport Beach location’s white walls and wrought iron fixtures, sprinkled with playful paintings of animals to brighten the walls. The Scottsdale decor will include iron candle stands along with hand-painted Mexican tiles and stenciled lamp shades. Both restaurants feature open kitchens, though Scottsdale is larger with seating for 205.
Menu highlights
Vegan
White Corn Tostadas with Chiles and Pepitas (wheat-free) (These are complementary and a tasty alternative to chips.)
Borracho Black Beans (no cheese; wheat-free)
Spinach-Garlic Rice (wheat-free*)
Rajas Taco (no cheese; wheat-free*)
Corn-Poblano Soup (no crema; wheat-free*) $6.00
Vegetarian
Panuchos (wheat-free*)
Vegetarian Burritos $12
Warmed Goat Cheese (wheat-free*)encrusted with salted peanuts, with sweet/hot chipotle syrup and cilantro sprigs, served with tostadas
Chorizo and Mushrooms Con Queso (no chorizo; wheat-free) $12.50
Poblano, mushroom and corn taco – sauteed with epazote and garlic, toasted on the plancha
SOL Cocina – Newport Beach
251 Pacific Coast Highway
Newport Beach, CA 92660
949-675-9800
