Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/15710
LONGBEACHMAGAZINE.COM 47 "I don't know who came up with it, but you really do eat with your eyes before you eat with your mouth," said Louise Solzman, executive chef and co-owner of Delius Restaurant in Signal Hill. "Seeing someone's face – they look and their eyes light up before they've even put anything in their mouth. It's definitely so true." Solzman can see her patrons' reactions nearly every day in Delius' 30-seat Cellar Room, one of two prix fixe dining areas that define the restaurant's sterling reputation. The highlight of the room is the huge window overlooking Solzman's chef station, through which guests can watch her create their 10-course meals. While Delius features a more permanent menu in their á la carte dining room, the prix fixe menus change every two weeks, allowing for a bit of spontaneity in the details. "Sometimes [the dishes] are just what inspired me that day," she said of her muse. "Maybe I went to the Farmers' Market and found some heirloom tomatoes so then it's some sort of tomato salad. Or maybe I picked up a great melon and made a sorbet out of it." She describes her presentations as "more artsy" than your typical chef and each course is designed with the entire dining experience in mind. Solzman and her staff will test each course before it appears on the menu, a process that includes plating each dish to ensure culinary artistry meets real world practicalities. "We don't do the high stacked food, the big tall food, as it's really difficult to walk from the kitchen to the table without it falling down. And it's really difficult to eat too," she said. Solzman grew up near Cambridge, England, with a mother and grandmother who were wonderful cooks and the future chef was encouraged to decorate cakes and desserts for family gatherings. She met her Southern California-born husband, Dave, while working on a cruise ship then settled in the Southland a few years later. Delius first came on the scene as a 25-seat restaurant on Long Beach Boulevard in 1996 and moved to its current Signal Hill location in 2007. It is not surprising to learn that Solzman also has a background in photography, which helps to understand the stunning look of one of her favorite dishes – a blend of color and depth that only hints at its amazing flavors. "I put my pesto shrimp on quinoa cakes with ratatouille," she said. "I mixed the quinoa with the ratatouille then stacked two shrimp on top of each other with pesto cream sauce and micro-cilantro. It had good height and really good color. It was really fantastic." CHEF Louise Solzman OF Delius RESTAURANT AN EYE FOR COLOR