solstice kitchen

instrinsically delightful!. i have a l ot to say about this place.. first let me say amazing.. a true gem of a restaurant in a culinary wasteland calledcolumbiasc. now maybe thats not fair to say about the culinary landscape of south carolina's capital city but for the most part it's true. you find many good restaurants in the city scattered abroad in sandhills, harbison, five points, vista area's of columbia.

this place is amazing. first of all if you go ask for tyler as your server the guy could sell you a plate of half eaten chicken nuggets and you wouldn't even know the difference, he is that good. service was phenomenal..

if you have a taste for something wonderful might i make a few suggestions. the chef in the back is phenomenal, got a lot of creativity with low country cuisine mixed with classy food. try the foie gras it is a bit steep price wise for an appetite but tastes like this side of heaven let me tell you. also we got the duck breast special i wanted to cry.

i ordered the halibut over the jasmine almond rice with asparagus and we got a side of the smoked gouda mac and cheese. .you can't imagine you have eaten anything until you have eaten that. no mac and cheese can put a finger to it.. phenomenal,, and we were told by the waiter to go there if we wanted a burger instead of pawley's downtown, he said the burgers are way better.

anyway you have a gem here, anyone who gives it bad reviews has zero taste.

get there early and call for a table too!

very good!. new to columbia, have eaten here three times. each time, the service and food was great. inspired us to try out mr. friendly's which was also great (sister restaurant i believe). there is only a handful of good restaurants in thecolumbiaarea, this is one of them!

i'll address some of the previous reviews: good for solstice staff for not caving to the attitude that the customer is always right. stand your ground, and the next time i eat there i'll enjoy my meal even more knowing that this type of customer won't be there.

maybe the previous poster can pull that act at some chain restaurant where they bend over backwards to those who feel entitled. i'm sure this restaurant won't miss your business or your attitude! notice the guy complaining about the groupon has one review and signed up for urbanspoon that day. notice the same about the author of the "to the solstice dude" comment. coincidence? maybe. i'm sure it's possible that a complete stranger felt the need to defend their cause. that comment should be deleted per the urbanspoon tos.

i'm not affiliated with this or any other restaurant in any way.

one of my favorite restaurants with one large flaw. solstice kitchen is one of three restaurants in thecolumbiaarea that i consider truly worthy of "five stars" (the other two being mr. friendly's and ristorante divino). i've dined there about ten times since their opening a few years ago, and have never had a bad experience. as far as i know, they have the largest wine selection in columbia, with a list of over 650 wines by the bottle. the food is always amazing and their menu changes frequently to adjust to seasonal vegetables and availability (much of their product comes from local farms). the atmosphere is fairly casual and laid back (but not "shorts and t-shirt casual), and the dining room is accentuated with comfortable seating and a great atmosphere. i would suggest joining their mailing list, as the restaurant regularly offers some incredible wine discounts and specials for members of the list. we're always treated to an amuse-bouche from the chef before our meal, which looks like it was prepared with a lot of thought, rather than just throwing something together quickly like some other restaurants do. i realize restaurants don't make a profit by giving out an amuse-bouche, which is why it's so nice to see quality ingredients being used in their preparation.

diners should make sure to try the gouda mac and cheese, the table side beef or tuna tartare (if offered that night), and any seafood selection, especially with mussels or scallops. the only flaw with this restaurant is its location in northeast columbia. although it's really not much more than a 15 minute drive from downtown columbia, i would definitely appreciate it if it was closer. given the restaurant scene in charleston and even greenville, it is amazing thatcolumbialucked out with such an incredible restaurant nearby.

welcome addition to the northeast. if you live in necolumbiayou must eat here as much as possible. but even if you live in other parts of town it's worth the trip. the menu is more upscale than mr. friendly's, and heartier than cellar on greene's. yes, it's gourmet and so with better quality comes higher cost, but it's more than worth it. the menu is always creative. i recommend it for a delicious, memorable birthday meal.