925 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN
612-333-9953
http://www.barriotequila.com/
Category: Mexican
Rating (Scale 1-10, with 10 being the highest):
Food: 7
Service: 5
Ambience: 8
Recommendation: Very Good. A mixed bag on the food – many stellar dishes but a few that were ho-hum, but this place sure knows how to mix up Tequila.
Barrio is a Tequila bar brought to us by the same people that are behind La Belle Vie and Solera, and that itself sets a high standard and expectati
on. Located on Nicollet Mall in a rather narrow space, you would surely walk by without noticing if it weren’t for the large crowd that fills this place nightly. The long bar and high tops fill the street level space, while the upstairs is a little more secluded but gives you a birds-eye view of the whole space and the bar patrons below. Chocolate and red are the primary palette and the dimly lit space gives it a romantic yet vibrant feel. Check out the impressive selection of Tequilas behind the bar and don’t forget to look to the sides to see the dancing puppets.
The menu is Mexican Tapas but it’s the drinks that will first catch your eye. We highly recommend the Enter the Dragon, a Passion fruit margarita with muddled pepper and cava…the flavor combination is exquisite, starting with sweet and fragrant and ending with a nice kick. If you want something a little less sweet, try the Macho Camacho, a blood orange Ancho 1800 Black Margarita with a stronger Te
quila bite. If you’re in the mood for a beer cocktail, the El Toro hits you with sweet, salty and sour flavors. Overall, the drinks were A+; complex flavors that any cocktail lover would appreciate.
The Tapas menu allows you to sample all that the kitchen has to offer. The Sugarcane Skewered Tequila Shrimp is served with a lemon-ginger mojo that really shines. We also thought highly of the Potato Sopes that were topped with tangy goat cheese and a spicy red-chili salsa. You can’t go wrong with the Black Bean and Chicken Tostada either. We thought the Barbeque Pork Sopes were good but nothing special, but really didn’t care for the Diver Scallop Ceviche. We had to send the Ceviche back because the seafood just wasn’t fresh and didn’t smell 
appetizing, and that’s too bad because the combination looked stellar. Barrio also has a nice taco selection. After we were done with our small plates, we ordered four different kinds. Twenty minutes later we were surprised when the server asked us if we wanted anything else…”huh, what about our tacos.” Our server had forgotten about our order and by the time he put it in, we were feeling stuffed and asked him to cut the order in half. The Grilled Skirt Steak taco was nice, tender meat served in a deep fried shell. On the other hand, the Mahi Mahi taco was fishy, but had all the makings of being amazing if served with fresher fish (the batter was light and the accoutrem
ents subtle enough to not take away from the fish.) Dessert didn’t impress us, although the Tres Leches with Scorched Bananas showed glimpses of awesomeness. The problem with that dessert was that the Chocolate Tres Leches was hard, not soft and spongy like we’ve come to expect from this quintessential Mexican dessert. We thought the banana flavor was amazing, the cinnamon flavored milk and malt balls floating in it an exceptional choice…if only the cake were different. We’d recommend skipping the Churros with Hot Chocolate – having been to Spain not too long ago we expected thick Spanish-style Hot Chocolate, not the watery 
concoction set before us. Let’s face it - it’s a lot more fun dipping fried dough in thick hot chocolate.
Service was average. Even though the upper level wasn’t packed it was hard to find our server at times, and the mix-up with the tacos, without a sincere apology afterward left us unsatisfied.
$$$. Entrees are $16-22, small plates $7.50 and tacos around $4 each.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Barrio
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. So
me 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 grea
t; 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.
