Solo 1530

I'm new to the site, and thought I'd make my first post about a place I know fairly well, which hasn't received much (any?) attention yet. I'm talking about Solo 1530. The name comes from its location at 1530 S. State in the SOuth LOop. If you don't live nearby, there's nothing about Solo 1530 to warrant a trip. However, if you're in the neighborhood, Solo may be worth adding to your rotation of mid-week restaurants. I live about a block away and eat here maybe twice a month, for convenience more than anything else.

I'll start with the positives. The ingredients seem to be fresh and of high quality, the portions are generous, and the prices are pretty fair. On the down-side, service can be infuriatingly slow, especially during the weekend brunch, none of the dishes will blow you away, and a few are downright flavorless. Having now experimented with a variety of dishes over the course of about a dozen visits, and encountering as many misses as hits, I've concluded that the thing to do at Solo is identify a couple of things you like and order them regularly.

The dishes I've enjoyed are the following. Tangerine roasted chicken ($16), which is a crispy, skin-on double chicken breast in a mild citrus sauce (can't say that I'd recognize it as tangerine per se). It is served with "gingerale risotto cakes." Although I can't taste the gingerale and see only a family resemblance to risotto, these cakes are the highlight of the dish. Gooey, cheesey, just a little crispy on the outside, they are very tasty with the accompanying citrus sauce. Also included are glazed carrots, which are bland and monotonous. The dish is sometimes too oily, unfortunately.

The sandwiches (all but one $10 or less) are generally pretty good. The turkey burger is reliable. The cajun chicken sandwich is also nice, with onions, peppers, and swiss cheese.

They also have a rotating soup of the day. Sunday is "hot as hell chili" which is the only one I've tried. Not only is it not hot as hell, it's not even hot as heck. In fact, it's a little sweet. It probably wouldn't satisfy a chili purist, but I've enjoyed it both times I've had it. It's a bargain at $5 for a serving that could be a meal in itself.

A few things should be avoided here. My wife has tried several of the fish dishes, and found them all disappointing. The chicken and pear sandwich is also quite bland. The biggest disappointment is brunch. A beautiful looking frittata turned out to be utterly flavorless, served with equally bland roasted potatoes. This is unfortunate, because the brunch menu is filled with simple items that are overlooked at other placed in the neighborhood, like Orange and Bongo Room. However, with slow service and poor execution, I've crossed Solo off my brunch list.

So I end where I started. If you live in the neighborhood, and you're looking for a simple, mid-week alternative, Solo 1530 is worth a try. But don't make a trip for it.

Solo 1530
1530 S. State St.
312-567-9840

Welcome to LTHForum, and thanks for the post.

I visited Solo 1530 about a month after it opened and came to the same conclusions you have. They seemed to have a lot of promise, though, and I had hoped that the problems were just new-restaurant wobbles, so I'm sorry to hear that the service issues and menu hits-and-misses have persisted.

I have had a number of brunches here, but I have learned to avoid their savory offerings, and focus on the sweet - french toast and pancakes are generally good, and it might simply be a matter of my state when I am dragging myself into sunday brunch, but a damn fine cup of coffee.

I agree with the service issues, although in my expereince they have all been on the back-end (delivering and collecting the bill)

I wish I could agree with even your lukewarm review. Although it must be noted that I've gone only once, it should also be noted that I live in the building in which it is housed so I want to like the place.
The Tangerine Chicken, to me, was overcooked and tasteless and service, as all seem to agree is s-l-o-w and either uninformed or in a constant state of turnover. I don't remember what my wife ordered (and neither does she). I do remember it attained only the same level of edible-not-flavorful as my chicken.
With so many (continually expanding) choices not only in the immediate neighborhood but nearby (downtown, chinatown, etc), it's tough to keep trying a place only on the promise of it's poorly executed menu even when it's only an elevator ride away. I'd love to see some better reviews as evidence that I've given up too soon.