It’s a war zone out there — it’s just not a very obvious war. It’s hidden beneath every “Ho, ho, ho,” and skewered onto candy canes. Santa Claus is this war’s equivalent of General Patton, carefully positioning his squadrons of elves in the North American Theater of Operations.

We’re talking, of course, about the infamous War on Christmas, in which enemies drop egg nog, not napalm, and bon bons, not bombs. The media is delighted every year by this perennial non-event and we at sola have to admit to being amused by its insanity. We’ll stay out of politics, though, and leave the silliness to the talking heads. Instead, we’ll focus on what we know best: making short ribs, not war.

Executive Chef Carol Wallack and Chef de cuisine Bob Bagley continue to scour the delicate winter landscape for anything fresh they can find. It’s not always easy — we’re well past the harvest and freshness can be hard to come by, but find it they still do. Come reap with these curious culinary minds have sown this holiday season and devour sola’s Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/New Year’s greetings any night of the week.