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Photo by Natalie Renee Photography
The way Eric Ho explained it, the transition from Deagan’s Kitchen to Solstice would be largely uneventful, with the new restaurant essentially picking up right where the outgoing one left off. As a longtime patron of Deagan’s himself, Ho identified the qualities that helped make that restaurant a Lakewood staple for nearly 15 years and sought to replicate but update them.
Deagan’s prospered because it tastefully plugged the gap between fast-casual and fine dining, offering many guests their first true gastropub experience. At Solstice, Ho and his partners aim to fill the same approachable niche, one that seems to be getting squeezed out of existence from all sides. It all feels very familiar, right down to the menu that divvies dishes into categories of small plates, greens and big plates. One of the most apparent updates is the proliferation of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free items.
On a recent Friday night, the enormous wraparound bar that gobbles up much of the front room was nearly full. Happy hour was always a big deal at Deagan’s and it’s nice to see the tradition carry over. From 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, the restaurant offers discounted beer, wine, cocktails and snacks to guests regardless of where they are sitting. To better keep pace with the demand for drinks, half of Deagan’s 28 beer taps have been appropriated for draft cocktails like negronis ($14), palomas ($14) and Hemingways ($15). Most of the batched cocktails taste freshly mixed, but some finish on the sweet side. Even greatly reduced, the craft beer list is stocked with solid picks from around the state and beyond.
Solstice gives small-plate fans a dozen reasons to snack the night away. Like most starters, the calamari ($14) arrives on a black, smooth and lipless rectangular plate. The crispy rings and tentacles are garnished with some greens and served with a tarragon-scented aioli. Crisp, airy gougeres serve as the buns in a trio of sliders ($15) filled with sliced speck, gruyere and pickled spinach. The challenge lies in biting through the ham without obliterating the delicate pastry.
Meat-free starters include light, fresh and summery crostini ($12) topped with diced mango, tomato, cucumber and red onion, which is affixed to the thin toast with a slick of creamy avocado mousse. Blistered and split jalapeno peppers are filled with a warm blend of barley, corn, black beans and fresh herbs. They arrive atop a pool of kicky mojo verde.
At Solstice, executive chef Cory Miess gets to flex his culinary skills in ways that he can’t at LBM, his other gig. His cassoulet ($24) manages to squeeze all the flavors and textures of the French classic into a budget bistro version. A braised airline chicken breast sits atop a hearty, smoky and creamy stew loaded with kale, white beans and lardons of bacon. Heat seekers will likely pine for more spice in the Trinidad curry ($22), an otherwise appealing vegetarian stew with chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes and basmati rice.
With LBM, Ho and his chummy coalition of bar and restaurant pals decided to open a cocktail bar. With Solstice, he upped the ante by rounding up six other industry vets with a combined 120 years of experience, including a longtime Deagan’s staffer. The predominantly female faction includes executive pastry chef Annabella Andricks, also of Dramatic Snax. Pastry chefs seem to be vanishing quicker than independent restaurants, so we should support them at all costs. That’s easy to do here thanks to sweet finishes like sweet potato creme brulee with shortbread, s'more tarts with bourbon marshmallow, and a silky-smooth dark chocolate chili panna cotta ($10) capped with a cloud of cream and served with salt-garnished chocolate sable cookies. Andricks also offers vegan ice cream and vegetarian sorbet.
Just as Ho and his handy mates had done with LBM, this crew took on the bulk of the renovation tasks themselves. Over the course of a couple months, the team refinished the floors, painted the ceiling, hung drywall, resurfaced the dining room tables, rebuilt the backbar and commissioned a festive mural. The space feels like Deagan’s after a day at the spa.
It’s no secret that restaurant employees loathe brunch service, which requires them to get up early on the weekend to serve sticky drinks to lousy tippers. Despite that immutable truth, Solstice recently launched Saturday and Sunday brunch, proof that when you’re working for yourself as opposed to an absentee owner, even the weekend morning shift is bearable.
Solstice
14810 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
216-767-5775
solsticelkwd.com
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