Waltham Brunch - Tapas

Moody Street in Waltham is well known for it restaurants. There must be a hundred on the lower half. My favorite ones include Bison County (super barbecue), New Mother India, and Solea - to which this post is dedicated. Note: I started a diet today, which might be why I am drooling on my computer while typing this.

Solea is a restaurant and tapas bar. Tapas are roughly defined as "small meals." They are generally in the price range of 5-8 bucks and one is probably not enough for a hungry person. The beauty of tapas, though, is that you and a friend or family can order a bunch of them and share. I do love variety (hence my weakness for the Olde Country Buffet) and tapas fills this need.

My ideal meal at Solea to share with another person for about 25 bucks would be:
Aceitunas Alinadas, An Assortment of Marinated Olives
Patatas Bravas, Wild, Hot & Spicy Potatoes
Ameijoas Bulhão Pato, Steamed Littlenecks in Garlic, White Wine & Cilantro
Vieiras al Azafrán, Scallops in Saffron Cream

Solea also gives you bread and this delicious spread gratis. The spread is made of mashed red beans, garlic, olive oil and who knows what else. It is SO GOOD!

Also, their sangria is pretty damn good. Just walking by the place makes me happy. On a nice day, the front windows are thrown open wide for everyone to see how much the patrons are savoring their wine, their food, and their time together. Solea is awesome. Go there!

Waltham Delicacies Part 1

Legend has it that the toasted ravioli had its humble beginnings in Waltham, Mass. The Chateau Restaurant (home of the toasted rav) is an old Waltham mainstay, though it also has several other locations around the state. It's definitely my sons' favorite restaurant in Waltham. No matter how full Daniel is, he always finishes off his meal with a hot fudge brownie sundae.

Insider's Tip: The fried seafood platter is to die for and is enough for two.

Also, the Chateau features some very interesting paintings (sit in the Gold Room if you're curious) of every famous Italian American over 55. Slightly unnerving at first, but charming once you're used to it.

Oh no! In doing some Wikipedia-ing, I just found that St. Louis claims to be the birthplace of the toasted rav. This definitely calls for some further investigation. Post to be updated........