Cafe Salsa: Nuevo Latino Cocina

Ay, CARAMBA! I actually have no reason to be shocked about the food at Cafe Salsa: Nuevo Latino Cuisine (I spelled cuisine in the title Spanish because it seemed appropriate).  I've learned that whenever a restaurant has "NEW CUISINE!!" (meaning that they've revolutionised the food or have done some sort of play on it) and it's in an area like Old Town Alexandria it's probably bad.  That was actually the first comment I made when I sat down and saw the menu but I decided to give it a try anyway.

It was a rather hot day and I had just biked 20+ miles with some friends so we got a bottle of Pellegrino and were given complimentary tortilla chips and two types of salsa.  The salsa on the left comprised of lime juice, salt, tomatoes, cilantro, and olives.  The salsa on the right was a simple tomato salsa with salt and lime and a bit of diced tomatoes but it comprised mostly of tomato juices.  The chips were actually very good.  They came warm and were very fresh.  They were a thick cut and had a great crunch to them.  The salsa though was a bit of a disappointment.  Both salsas were flavorless and did not compliment the chips.  The left salsa had an overpowering taste of olives and nothing else while the right salsa seemed to be left tomato juices from preparing another dish.  Both were very under seasoned.

The two sandwiches below are suppose to be different but were essentially the same.  I had ordered a Cubano sandwich while Jason ordered and Chicken Aioli sandwich (can you even tell a difference by looking at the pictures?).  Like the salsa for the chips, both sandwiches were very bland.  The biggest disappointment in my opinion of both sandwiches is that they were both served with french fries.  The restaurant was clearly Latin and emphasized this through the artwork, color, music, and furniture in the restaurant but they serve a Cubano sandwich with fries?  I know french fries are immensely popular in Latin America but so are yuca fries and plantain chips.  I would have liked a choice and it would have added much more character to the dishes.

Terro ordered a flank steak that was served with rice, plantains, and a side of beans. According to him it was not very good.  The steak seemed chewy and overcooked from the look of it.

The restaurant ambiance was decent but a bit cramped.  The owners seemed as if they were a bit ambitious in maximizing their space and put one too many tables in.  The servers were decent also and responded when asked for but were cold. Only the owner greeted and thanked us where as the servers all had a stone cold face.

The biggest issue I had with Cafe Salsa was their serve time.  We waited over 40 minutes for our entrees at 2 in the afternoon.  It was a late lunch so there was not too many people in the restaurant.  I'd hate to find out how long it would take if it were a full house.

With tax and tip my sandwich came out to be $15, which is a bit much for a mediocre sandwich and mediocre service.

I would say that most of my cooking has a bit of a Latin influence and sadly I think I could come up with a better tasting menu than Cafe Salsa.  I would not recommend this restaurant for anything.

Rundown:

Price: Moderate - High

Service: Mediocre

Food: Below Average

Restaurant Decor/Setting: Good

808 King St.

Alexandria, VA 22314

703-684-4100

www.cafesalsagrill.com