I haven't been to Salsa Tex Mex in at least 5 years. My girlfriend happened to run into someone and strike up a conversation about food and this person let her know that Salsa had hired away the GM of a Gloria's and made improvements in their food, service, and "everything."
What I can say is that Salsa now has salsa, chips and black bean dip just like Gloria's; yes, that iconic, tasteless black bean dip that could stand to have some salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, black pepper, Mexican oregano and onion added - you know... adobo!
Ambiance - basically a dirty school cafeteria. The floors have been stripped to concrete and the noise level is at a steady 80+ decibels. The chairs, tables and vinyl tablecloths ache for a good scrubbing.
Speaking of noise - one of the margarita machines was as loud as a lawn mower. Why? Well when a random server saw me staring at the machine and asked me if everything was ok, I said, "you know, I think if the side panel were put back on, that margarita machine would be much quieter." He looks at me and says, "yes, but then it would overheat again because it is too close to the other margarita machine. It was quiet when we had it on the other side of the bar, but the manager wants them together." Then he laughs and walks off.
Speaking of laughs, our server was a riot. We ordered a hamburger for our four year old. When ordered, I asked the server to bring mayonesa (mayonnaise) and not ketchup. She says, "ok, we don't have the mayonesa so you can have ketchup so that's ok."
I asked if she had any other salsas like a salsa macha. She said they have a habanero and a molcajete salsa and brought them to us. The habanero was fruity and not at all spicy. The molcajete had actually gone bad. It tasted rancid and smelled. I told the server and she said, " oh no. Ok." Then she walked off and didn't take the bowl and no doubt didn't tell anyone.
I ordered the Churrasco and my girlfriend the Rene. When our food arrived, the kids hamburger was placed on the table with a warning about the plate being very hot. Who puts a kid meal on a plate that is hot?!?! Also who puts a ramekin of chimichuri sauce on top of the steak? FWIW, the chimichuri was not even close to being chimichuri.
On the upside I stopped a bus boy and asked for mayo and amazingly, he brought some. The server came back and said, "oh, you got mayonnaise!" Then I asked (in Spanish) why she told me she didn't have mayo. She babbled incomprehensibly in a mix of English and Spanish that was a mix of lies and half truths. Who lies about mayo for a kid?
Our meals were unremarkable and tasted like Sysco foods TV dinners.
The only thing that I can tell has been improved is the prices - in Salsa's favor.
Salsa Tex Mex - do better. Hire staff that actually cares about your restaurant and customers. Train your wait staff. Improve your recipes, source higher quality ingredients, and simplify your menu. Fix your equipment and ambiance.
2 stars because at least the water glasses were clean, the margaritas were strong, we didn't have to wait long to check out. read more