La Salsa
701 Capital of Texas Highway, Suite 550
(Loop 360 and Bee Caves Rd.),
306-9003
Sun-Thu, 11am-9pm; Fri & Sat, 11am-10pm
 La Salsa |
room for it on the USDA food pyramid. Here in Texas, the Mexican franchise is
regarded as one of the deadliest of the disease-ridden, pairing bad taste with
fat counts that resemble NBA scores more than recommended daily allowances. But
this prejudice may soon be cured with the arrival of La Salsa Fresh Mexican
Grill, a Los-Angeles based chain that serves up tasty Mexican basics that are
light on the grease as well as the wallet.
Among the restaurant’s best selections are its fish tacos. The Baja Style
($4.95) feature pieces of grilled mahimahi, shredded cabbage, and a savory
tartar-like sauce folded inside two double-layered corn tortillas and served
with a wedge of lime; the Sonora Style ($4.45) combine the same mahimahi with
two flour tortillas, cheese, and a distinctive tomato-red chile salsa. And each
pair maximizes flavor per calorie, weighing in at about eight grams of fat. On
the other hand, health-conscious carnivores can dig into the Mexico City Style
chicken ($3.35) or beef ($3.85) tacos for just under 18 grams of fat por
dos. The traditional plate of unadorned charbroiled meat and corn tortillas
is reminiscent of a Mexico City street cart offering, only without the
mysterious gristly bits or the fear of restituting the spirit of Montezuma
after two bites.
La Salsa also offers a variety of well-stuffed burritos (including two
vegetarian options), the majority of them as economical ($2.50–4.70) as they
are delicious. Especially ravenous diners can turn to El Champion, a
Duraflame-log-sized tortilla tube jammed with rice, black beans, cheese, sour
cream, guacamole, salsa, and choice of lean charbroiled chicken ($5.95) or
steak ($6.95) — a two-mealer for most mortals. Like the tacos, the burritos
are not exceptionally spicy, but the fresh chiles serranos and outstanding
salsas lining the restaurant’s tidy salsa bar provide ample fuel to turn up the
heat.
A major problem with franchise restaurants is that many of their preparations
tend to be rearrangements of four or five core constituents, the difference
between some dishes seemingly a matter of the order in which these staples are
laid on the plate. Although La Salsa does not escape this limitation
completely, the eatery does a good job of varying supporting ingredients to
distinguish many of its other dishes, for instance, the Quesadillas Grandes
($4.95) and the Carne Asada ($6.95), from its tacos and burritos. And La
Salsa’s basics of fresh, lean, grilled chicken, steak, and fish, lardless black
beans and rice earn them distinction as the only truly light Mexican restaurant
in Austin. The West Coast outfit even makes a decent Chicken Enchilada ($5.95)
— a task normally best left to a Texan this side of the border.
Chain establishments are also nefarious for their decor, and in this respect
La Salsa’s glaring white walls and formica-clad counters are no exception. The
lack of ambiance is partially compensated by a friendly staff, who give warmth
to the otherwise sterile interior, but there’s not much that can be done about
the dining room’s serious lack of space. Still, with its good food, economical
prices, and healthy attitude, La Salsa is proof that sometimes one must eschew
common wisdom to eat well. — Patrick Earvolino
This article appears in February 21 • 1997 and February 21 • 1997 (Cover).