Unlike American cuisine from the colonial era, contemporary American cuisine emphasizes fresh, local ingredients, slow preparations, and minimal use of the Benjamin Franklin commemorative headcheese mold. Taste modern American flavors with today's Groupon: for $20, you get $40 worth of contemporary American cuisine during dinner hours at Solstice Kitchen & Wine Bar.

Solstice Kitchen owner and executive chef Ricky Mollohan takes pride in crafting creative seasonal menus while working closely with local suppliers to ensure ingredients are as fresh as possible. Start taste buds tingling with a table-side beef tartare served with parsley-caper salad, worcestershire, black pepper, red-wine mustard, and Manchester Farms quail egg ($14), before moving on to indulgent entrees such as olive-oil-seared wild salmon tamed with horseradish-black-pepper cream, wild-mushroom and goat-cheese risotto, port-wine reduction, and a salad made from friendly local herbs ($19). While Solstice boasts an expansive wine and cocktail list, guests who prefer a familiar libation are welcome to tote their own favorite potent to the restaurant's cozy yet modern dining room for a $15 corking fee, or the equivalent value in cubic zirconia. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sundays from 5:30 p.m to 9 p.m.

Reviews

Free Times readers picked Solstice Kitchen & Wine Bar as Best Restaurant and Best Service in 2010. The restaurant also received three diners' choice awards for Best Service, Most Booked, and Neighborhood Gem from OpenTable and reviewers give the restaurant an average of 4.6 stars. The State reviewed Solstice in 2010.

• The menu reads like a culinary adventure novel. – Deena C. Bouknight, the State
• Both the mahi-mahi and the duck breast/cassoulet combo were delicious. Each of the ingredients in the description came through but blended very well. Really tasty - and at a good price. – OpenTable.com reviewer who dined on 10/30/2010