Salsa a La Salsa

1420 Nicollet Ave
Minneapolis, MN
612-813-1970
http://www.salsaalasalsa.com/
A second location is in the Midtown Global Market

Category: Mexican

Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 8
Service: N/A (takeout)
Ambience: 7

Recommendation: Very Good. Reasonably priced authentic Mexican food on Eat Street within minutes of downtown Minneapolis.

Take-out food was the theme over Memorial Day weekend (we had friends visiting and with their 2 young boys, doing takeout was more practical). We were all craving Mexican and had to rack our brains for take-out options around downtown Minneapolis. A quick web search turned up Salsa a La Salsa and a quick glance at their menu made it our destination of choice for dinner. Some of the menu options were foreign to us…a true sign of an authentic restaurant. My friend and I (Nick) went to the restaurant which is located on the North end of Eat Street. It’s not very big but has a nice vibe to it, especially because of the live music that was playing on the Sunday night. We ordered our food and sat down to nibble on some chips and salsa. With the bar in plain sight, we couldn’t pass up on the Tequila selection and ordered a round of sipping Tequilas (Don Julio Reposado). Waiting for take-out was never this much fun – live music, good tequila, fresh chips and salsa (the pico was ok, but the Salsa Verde was awesome). By the time we were done with the first round of drinks, our food was ready.

Overall, we were quite impressed with the meal. The Plato de Carnitas ($10.95) was a favorite – the pulled pork was juicy and flavorful and the accompanying rice, beans, and corn tortillas were the right portion and stayed warm till we got home. We ordered a couple of different Popular Burritos ($8.95) and although they were good, we were a little concerned about the lack of consistency in the ingredients. The Vegetable Burrito had no sour cream while the Beef Burrito was loaded with sour cream and had no onions or cilantro! We would also recommend the Chicken Fajitas ($11.99) which were mildly spiced but didn’t dry out, even though they were sitting in the car for 10 minutes. Our only gripe with takeout was that we had asked for extra Salsa Verde – when we got home, we realized that we hadn’t been emphatic enough (we ended up with one small portion, definitely not enough for 4 people)! We’ll be heading back to Salsa a La Salsa soon – good authentic food at an incredible value.

$$. All entrees are less than $13. Metered parking on the side streets.

strong>Update (Mar 2009) – During our recent visit we decided to eat in at Salsa a la Salsa. The space is clean and inviting – lively and bustling is a good sign. The interior isn’t spectacular but you should check out the paintings that hang on the brick wall along one side of the restaurant. Vibrant artwork really brightens up the space.

Nick started the evening with a Margarita (with 1800 Reposado and served up, just the way he likes it). It went down quickly. For entrees, the Plato de Carnitas ($12.95) is a safe choice; a big helping of pork with plenty of sides. If you want to try something different, we’d recommend the Pollo Con Nopalitos ($12.95), chicken strips sautéed in a green sauce with cactus leaves, a very satisfying dish with mild flavors. The Carne Asada ($11.95), though wasn’t great; the meat was cooked well, but just wasn’t seasoned and tasted bland. Both desserts were fun. This is the first time we’ve had a Pineapple Tamale ($4.50)…the warm subtly flavored tamale paired well with vanilla ice cream and tart cranberry chutney. If you’re in the mood for chocolate, go with the Fried Chocolate Truffles with Vanilla Ice Cream ($6.95)…decadent and gratifying.