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Photo by Sam Yu
Three of the menu items available at the Santa Rosa Salvadoran and Mexican Restaurant are, clockwise from bottom, Carne Asada, which is a New York strip steak; a beef burrito served with beans and rice; and chicken enchiladas, also served with beans and rice. |
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When craving Mexican food, my fiance and I usually make a run for the border ... fast food near our apartment. However, we might not be making that run as often now. Recently, we found a wonderful new restaurant conveniently located off the Golden Mile beside Hard Times Cafe. Santa Rosa Restaurant is a good bet for those who want to experience good Mexican and Salvadorian food. On a Tuesday afternoon, my fiance and I went to the restaurant during lunch hour. Since we had never been there before, we did not know if we should just sit down anywhere or wait to be seated. We were quickly greeted by the waitress/hostess who allowed us to pick our table. As we perused the menu, our waitress brought out free chips and salsa. The chips were served warm and the salsa was hot, but not too spicy. We ordered two Cokes ($1.59 each) as we continued to look at the menu and eat our chips. Besides soft drinks, the establishment has an assortment of beers and non-alcoholic beverages from which to choose. We noticed several people drinking a coconut drink. The appetizer menu has a lot to choose from with items ranging from $1.50 for a corn tortilla filled with pork or chicken to $18.99 for the Bonta Santa Rosa, which features a plate full of beef, chicken, shrimp, tomatoes, cucumbers and radish. We considered the Nacho de Pollo (chicken nachos) and the Nacho de Carne (beef nachos). We decided on Nacho de Queso ($5.25) -- otherwise known as cheese nachos. As we waited for our appetizer, we watched the two televisions located on opposite sides of the restaurant. They were both turned to the same Spanish language channel. I had four years of Spanish and I still only caught half of what they were saying. In between watching Shakira and Jennifer Lopez shake what their mothers gave them, and watching Thalia promote something, we listened to the all Spanish-language radio. The restaurant does not have a lot of decoration but that is a part of its charm. You are not overwhelmed by sombreros, Mexican flags and red peppers the second you step in the door. There are a few decorative accents on the clean, white walls, however. The restaurant is small and only has about 10 tables for patrons. When we were there, only one waitress, who also doubled as the hostess, was on duty. She did a great job even though she had seven other tables. We were never out of drinks and our food was served hot. We received our cheese nachos promptly. They were neatly arranged in a circle framing the blue plate. The cheese was melted to the chips and they were accented with jalepenos. After chips and cheese nachos, we waited for the main course. We both ordered something from the Mexican menu. I chose the chicken enchiladas ($9.99) while my fiance decided on chicken chimichangas ($9.99). Both came with beans, rice, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo. My fiance, who is a kitchen manager/executive chef, felt that it was a lot of food for good price. We fully enjoyed both of our dishes, which were not too spicy but seasoned enough for our tastes. The portions were generous with the meat fillings, and the sides fresh. Besides our dishes, the Mexican menu also includes fajitas, tacos and burritos. The Salvadorian menu features a variety of dishes that all come with rice, beans, salsa and two tortillas. Typical Salvadoran fare includes pupusas (corn tortillas with a fried pork and cheese filling) and pastelitos de carne (little beef pies). Both menus have items between $7 and $13.99. The restaurant also offers soups, salads, combination items, side orders, and a children's menu. There are only two desserts on the menu -- tres leches and Spanish custard. We were too full to sample them this time. Our total came to $29.83. Since our waitress did such a good job we tipped her 20 percent. Our final total was $35.83. For those looking for authentic Mexican and Salvadoran food, skip the border and try Santa Rosa Restaurant. -- Gina Gallucci ggallucci@fredericknewspost.com In Good Taste reports on an unannounced dining experience and is not meant to be a critical review.
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