June 20, 2025—A fiery reawakening happens today, Friday, June 20, when one of 2024’s top three new restaurants begins anew.
Solstice will do that with a four-course tasting menu on the table (see below for menus) and its wood-fueled hearth at its heart.
The Big Sur spot made its debut last July, then closed for a winter and spring stretch of retooling and improving.
Meanwhile its coffee-shop sister kept brewing, and The Village complex it occupies sold to Monaco real estate mogul Patrice Pastor’s Esperanza Carmel, the latest in a spate of local acquisitions including Rocky Point.
A taste test about a month into Solstice’s first summer reaffirmed some things local appetites understand—to wit, chef Tim Eelman knows how to work with live fire and fresh fish, beverage director Matt Peterson gets how to show a table a good time (and range of wines), and proprietors Mandy and Patrick Orosco understand how to appoint a space.
It also furnished revelations, including smoked trout belly over Romano beans and peeled Coke Farms tomatoes; simple and superlative hot sauce, butter and bread done in house; and the fact Athena Peterson might be better at entertaining than her pops.
With the restart, much has evolved, including the coffee shop-bodega offerings, the lounge between that and the restaurant, and the decor.
More importantly Eelman’s passion remains intense. (And, per Solstice PR reps Suited Hospitality, the sale of the wider property will not affect the restaurant directly.)
“We are in an incredible community of farmers, fishers and purveyors, all with a commitment to sustainability and quality,” says Eelman, who transferred his career to Big Sur pre-COVID. “Community is the biggest part of hospitality.”
He goes on to describe his connection to a special place and its atypical inhabitants and inputs.
“Simplicity is beautiful and with such incredible local products, it lets us have the ingredients speak,” he says. “Surrounding yourself with people who are also passionate about their craft makes you that much better at your own.”
Hours at The Bodega, which will expand grab-and-go items mid-July, are 8am-6pm daily.
Reservations at Solstice are now open for dinner from 5:30pm Wednesday-Sunday through Tock; walk-ins are always welcome.
About the author
Mark C. Anderson, Edible Monterey Bay's managing editor, appears on "Friday Found Treasures" via KRML 94.7 every week, a little after 12pm noon. Reach him via mark@ediblemontereybay.com.
