Food — Food Critic — Casa Salza — Sponsored by Friends of the Magazine
132 W 900 N, Spanish Fork Casa Salza feels a bit like Café Rio’s cool but non-conformist cousin, contemporary and fresh without trying too hard or going corporate. And that unspoken coolness has clearly been noticed by the crowds of high school kids who were grabbing lunch there when I stopped in. It seems the current generation of adolescents have raised their gastronomic sights a bit higher than the Taco Bell fare swilled down by the kids back in my day, and bravo to them for doing so! To be clear, Casa Salza isn’t exactly Mexican. It’s not even really Tex-Mex. But everything from the distinctly “Baja” signage on the building, to the color palette of the dining area, to the decorations on the walls, feels like a tourist cantina in Cabo. In fact, it’s REALLY like Cabo, right down to the inexplicable dance club soundtrack playing over the speakers. Normally I would call that bad taste, but somehow it fits. I guess Dorothy Parker was spot on— “A little bad taste is like a nice dash of paprika”. She would probably approve of the music and would definitely enjoy the food. So let’s dive right in, shall we?
Chips & Salsa – The chips are nicely salted, crispy and THIN! So many restaurants use regular taco tortillas for their chips, and they end up with thick, heavy chips that hit your stomach like a brick, not an appetizer. These chips are light and delicate. They also have that fresh corn flavor, which means they’re made from fresh tortillas. Every good chip needs a good dip, and the salsa steps up big time. It has a few chunks in it, but it’s smooth enough to dip well. It tastes wonderfully fresh and well balanced. It’s a little different from most restaurant salsas, because they add avocado. This mellows the typically sharp salsa flavor and thickens the texture. If I were to offer a critique, I’d say it’s a bit too mellow. I squeezed a little lime into mine and added a touch of salt and pepper and it made a world of difference. Some more garlic and hot pepper wouldn’t hurt either. But overall, very nicely done.
Casa Trio
Casa Trio – Tacos are my kryptonite, so when I see a variety plate of street tacos, there’s no way I’m passing it up. If you’re trying out Casa Salza for the first time, this is the plate I’d recommend. The meats are a bit overcooked and under-salted, but they had good flavor. The chicken is especially good, with clearly visible grill marks and great chargrilled
flavor. The beef, advertised as “steak”, has a texture and flavor more like chuck roast, but still tastes great in a taco. The sweet pork is nicely sauced, maybe a bit chewy, but very flavorful. The tortillas come on the side, so you get to build your own tacos as you like, which is nice. The beans and rice are decent. The beans were nicely salted, but could use some garlic and onion. The rice was a little overcooked, and needed salt and spices. Still, both tasted at least as good as the fare at most freshMex restaurants in the area. Casa Trio gets Enchiladas – I always take my enchiladas “Christmas style”, red and green. I got beef with red sauce and chicken with green sauce. The red sauce is great, and when combined with the chuck roast flavor of the beef, it comes across like a lighter, sweeter version of beef birria. The green sauce was a bit light on chili flavor, but this is compensated by the nicely grill-flavored chicken. Both enchiladas had plenty of cheese to drive it home. By way of critique, MORE GREEN CHILIS, PLEASE! And maybe broil the cheese on top just before serving.
Where should our Food Critics go next? Reach out at foodcritic@mycommunityutah.com We’ll give a full-page review of the most popular items. PLUS we will give a FREE master craft session with our professional food critics to benefit the restaurant.
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My Community - Spanish Fork
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