Salsateria

Here's the thing about Mexican and Latin food: we tend to think of the cuisine in terms of taco supreme, bottomless fountain drinks and, as with most "ethnic" foods in North America, it comes with french fries. How unfortunate it is for us that the culture's true flavours have been branded with something saleable by a yippee little dog. Well, to be fair, I have been known to binge at "The Bell" every now and again, but when it comes down to it and I really crave the flavours of a truly Latin inspired meal, it wont be coming from a drive through window. No, I need to delve a little further into the city's offerings and come up with something of an authentic nature; and this is where Salsateria makes its entrance.

The tiny three seater restaurant has been around since 2001, a very respectable tenure for any dining establishment. Over the course of their time in Guelph, the business has changed locations three times, including an attempt in 2007 at a larger, full 40-top dining room that had hoped to house live music and entertainment; however, and despite popularity for their cuisine, the venture didn't last too long and was shut down within the first month of operation; if you want the full story on why, then I can certainly offer it up, but suffice it to say that Salsateria went back to its roots of good, honest food.

Located on the corner of Wyndham and Macodnell, right beside Van Gogh's Ear, a staple in the community seems to be their infamous sandwich board out front; the red star of a logo and promise of great burritos has been enough to pull in pedestrians for years, and there's no sign of that stopping. The interior is small to say the least, with only three bar stools for the dine-in crowd, and even they seem cramped in the space; it is definitely intended and marketed as a take-out establishment and serves perfectly for lunches. Just around the corner from where I work, it has crowned itself as the hot spot for myself and many coworkers for that mid day meal, with hearty lunches selling for a mere $4.00. And with hours that carry on well into the early morning, it can be safely assumed that the after bar crowd has sought their salvation in the line-ups outside this store front on more than one occasion.

As I mentioned earlier, this cultural mix of food is not what media saturation has led us to believe as authentic. It has tapped into its roots of African, European, Native and even Asian influences and I can promise you that once you dig into the real deal, it will be a hard turn back to french fries and processed cheese. Their salsa picada, which, depending on who you ask, may also be referred to as pico de gallo* or salsa mexicana, is not only delicious, it is also incredibly fresh, loaded with cilantro and tops of the quesadilla with a fine stroke of genius. The burritos are a meal in themselves, loaded with fresh condiments and brimming with flavour; heed fair warning that these things can be a challenge to finish during that all too short lunch break.

*touch of interesting etymology here: pico de gallo, which translates into "rooster's beak" has derived its name from a rather debatable context. Some food researches and writers have stated that it is named this because of the resemblance it can have to chicken feed, which in this writer's opinion makes total sense. However, many other researchers believe and stand by the translation of the word gallo, rooster, which is the cultural symbol for masculinity, to mean the ability to handle vast amounts of heat. In other words, the more a man can withstand the heat of the dish, the more masculine he has proven himself to be; he is the rooster, which sounds a bit cocky to me (hehehe). Anyway, while the latter belief is, of course, just a tad bit sexist, it also assumes that all pico de gallo contains chili peppers, but this, in fact, is not the case at all, I've recipes to share if you like... And now back to your regular scheduled programming.

For as many times as I've been back over the past little while, I've yet to find anything I can call an upset. Granted, if you are looking for a place to sit down and have your meal served to you, then you've come to the wrong joint; but if it's good, quick, cheap, incredibly delicious and authentic food that strikes your fancy, well, you really can't go wrong. My personal recommendations would be the quesadillas and the bean burrito, but with that being said, the entire menu is fair game and I fail to see how you could possibly be disappointed. With options yet to explore, many lunches and many nights downtown, I can guarantee my return to this little Mexican haven.

Yo quiero Salsateria
-Phil

Salsateria
10 Wyndham Street North
Guelph, Ontario