Salsa Y Salsa turns up downtown Mexican dining heat

Like making a new acquaintance, first impressions about a restaurant are often telling. Sometimes, though, there are eateries that don’t look like much but exceed expectations, an almost-magical occurrence. Salsa Y Salsa (Seventh Avenue and 22nd Street) offers just such an experience. This restaurant masks a lab of flavor creativity with the décor of a third grade Cinco de Mayo party.

Salsa Y Salsa is much more ambitious with its flavors than it first appears. For appetizers, Salsa y Salsa offers traditional Mexican fare like nachos and tamales, but they introduce new twists on flavors while keeping an authentic Mexican taste. Mama Nachos, a tower of chips piled on with standard Mexican toppings, is nachos done right. It’s cheesy and smothered without being too greasy, and their homemade tortilla chips taste delicious. Tamales with shrimp feature delicious corn tamales topped with shrimp, sweet corn, pepper, and a sweet-roasted pepper and garlic shrimp sauce.

The tacos are typical, topped with normal fixings. Yet, the flavoring in their fillers make them original. Vegetarian tacos contain a mix of veggies stir-fried with lime and spices, while pork tacos provide filling marinated and cooked in a sweet chipotle sauce with pineapple chunks. Try the fajitas, each protein flavored with a different mix of spices. Served on top of sweet corn, pico de gallo, and a black bean sauce, each fajita contains a flavorful mix of Spanish onions and peppers. Salsa y Salsa’s burritos, however, aren’t noteworthy. Filled with chipotle potatoes and Oaxaca cheese, these burritos hover around average—but the marinades that come with them aren’t executed well.

The dishes at Salsa y Salsa incorporate elements of Mexican regional foods, like Yucatan or Oaxaca, with flavors from different cuisines. In the tamales, the most distinct flavors were cilantro and wine, but a Tex-Mex component emerged in the way the dishes were structured, like the standard sides of rice and beans.

The décor may not suggest fine dining, the prices are affordable, and the portions are generous. Don’t write this restaurant off as normal Tex-Mex fare or a Mexican wannabe. The restaurant doesn’t just try to be spicy, but strays enough from the traditional to give itself an original flavor. Salsa y Salsa is experimental without pretension.