Stepping into this small restaurant, you're immediately greeted by the sounds of Latin America. Going with this theme, the lattice trim and white paint with contrasting wood floors solidified my out-of-world experience, sort of being in Cuba. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Even better? My food!
Instead of the standard bread on the table, fried Plantains were served in place of, with a spicy bean dip. VERY addicting. The spiciness of the dip hits you almost like a sudden thought and accompanied the plaintains nicely. We ordered from the prixe fix menu which was a great idea since we were in a big group. It turned out to be similar to a tapas bar where many small appetizers are ordered for everyone to share. I chose the Cubanito (Cuban sandwich), Yuca Frita (fried yuca with a garlic-type topping), Piononos (plantains with beef and monterey jack cheese), and Anticuchos (steak with chimichurri).
The Breakdown--
The Cubanito was spectacular- beyond words! It was excellent! I've only recently become obsessed with cuban sanwiches and this one was divine. The unexpected burst of pickle in your mouth is a nice surprise with the saltiness of the meat and cheese. If you've never had fried yuca before, you should try it. It is a root vegetable, just like potatoes. The starchiness of the yuca paired with the salty-sweet garlic was also yummy. It's an exciting twist on french fries. The Piononos were different, but I had to try it when I read it on the menu because I knew the flavors would be great. It was lovely- sweet, salty, and a nice texture combination. Who knew that a plantain would be a nice pairing with beef? Finally, I have recently become a big chimichurri (a parsley- based sauce often accompanying grilled meat) fan, so when I saw Anticuchos on the menu, I had to order it. It definitely was tasty, but unfortunately, I became too full to completely enjoy it. Don't you hate that?
The only complaint I had was the rice pudding I ordered for dessert. It was served with a caramel liquor which made it overly sweet (I tend to enjoy savory dishes over sweet ones).
Now, typically I don't comment on my drinks, but here I drank Sangria which was probably one of the best Sangria's I've tried. It was not too sweet and was choc-full of various fruits. Super refreshing! Also, they kindly served complimentary Mango shots, which were delicious (didn't really have any alcohol, but I did not care! Mango is one of my favorite things!).
My overall impression is that Salud is a bit pricey but definitely worth the trip to try something new aside from your general 'mexican' 'italian' or 'chinese' fare that many people seem to opt for these days.
