Today is my Mom’s 69th birthday, and this must have brought us luck, because we also heard that the final agreement for our new house was signed this morning and we close the deal in two weeks.  I took Mutti to The Solano Grill and Bar (1133 Solano Avenue, Albany) for a nice lunch.  This is a good place where lunch seems to me to be a loss leader for dinner.  Many of the entrees are offered way cheaper for lunch and I have never seen a difference in the portion size.  Example:  the breast of chicken entree is $8.95 for lunch and $13.95 for dinner.  Since this is our local unpretentious fine dining spot, we eat here all the time and I have to say you really can’t go wrong.  The chef was trained at the California Culinary Academy and has a flair for Asian fusion, which is given quite a bit of airtime in that program.  If you have any specific questions you may, as always, email me, but I would probably tell you to get the chicken or the ahi tuna sandwich.  Everything is made from scratch, including the desserts.  If you go for the weekend brunch, you can get the best fried seafood combo ever for only $8.95.  This is a comfortable place where the staff is very nice.