Solas

One of you told me the other day about this place. You said it would be right up my alley. You were right! This place looks awesome! Solas, the new restaurant and Raleigh's sole rooftop bar, opened a month ago on Glenwood Avenue, in the heart of the action. You've got to check out the website. It looks ultra cool. Click here! It's even got virtual tours of each floor! Probably patterned after something you would find in New York, Miami, or L.A., it's a sharp looking spot, lots of silver, muted neon and very sleek. Each floor of the building has its own idea. The first floor, including an outdoor patio that wraps around the north side of the building, is the fine dining restaurant. White table cloths indeed. Upon entering the building, the bar is on the left, backlit with candlelight fixtures. A full height wine rack insets the back wall and provides a visual resting point from the bar. Most of the fixtures in the entire building are LED, and many are highly customizable. The material palate for the restaurant consists of natural elements, rich wood forms, brown leathers and rust colored fabrics. A dumbwaiter is installed adjacent to the kitchen and 1st floor bar for delivering food to the upper deck. The second level of the building presents a dance club/lounge atmosphere. The bar flips to the north on this floor, and the focus is on the DJ booth and glass dance floor, visible from some of the booths below. Private dining rooms are to the rear. Each portion of the building has outdoor space; on this floor, itÂ’s the balcony overlooking Glenwood South. The interiors selection includes grayscale with pops of red for accent and impact. The bar on this floor backs up to windows for a dramatic skyline view. If you are interested in checking out a very hip place, this is the one! I'll be there at 6:00 to grab a drink before dinner and experience that rooftop bar. Feel free to come a little early and join me!