Video: Salsa-Mar Mexican Grill & Seafood
CORONA - We all have our preferences when it comes to dining. We like Chinese food at one place and no other. We enjoy Italian at that little place across town. We only go to so-and-so for steaks and barbecue.
But there's a difference with Mexican food. Because there are so many great places, we tend to look at them differently: by specific menu choices. The burritos are really great at one place, the best carne asada may be over at another, and the fish tacos are dynamite someplace else.
I may have found a Mexican restaurant that has the makings of a favorite of mine for seafood, Salsa-Mar Mexican Grill & Seafood at The Promenade Shops at Dos Lagos in Corona, off the I-15 freeway.
Terry Pierson / The Press-Enterprise
Salsa-Mar Mexican Grill & Seafood owner Rosa Garcia emphasizes health in her menu for the Corona restaurant.
I expected Salsa-Mar to be like many other Mexican restaurants, a place with a couple of good dishes on an otherwise routine menu, pleasant enough service and reasonable prices. Given its location in a "destination" shopping area, I expected Salsa-Mar to be a good but not outstanding place.
OK, I was wrong.
Here's a fine dining (in the flavor sense) Mexican restaurant with an extensive menu that includes expected favorites like burritos, tacos and fajitas, as well as lots of soon-to-be favorites like Caribbean style salmon, swordfish marinated in tequila, and grilled shrimp in a chipotle sauce.
"We serve a more flavorful Mexican food, a healthier Mexican food. We don't use MSG, any preservatives or lard. We make all our own salsas, our own dressings. It's just a fresher taste," said owner Rosa Garcia, who also owns Corona's Salsa Brava restaurant.
I tried the Wachinango Veracrizana, $10.99, grilled red snapper Vera Cruz style, and topped with olives, mushrooms and a fire-roasted tomato sauce. It was perfectly cooked, moist and tender with a delicious spicy sauce. It was served with cilantro-garlic rice, choice of pinto or black beans and corn or flour tortillas. The rice was a wonderful change from the usual fare, moist and nicely flavored.
My son chose the Carne Asada Fajitas, $12.99, also served with cilantro-garlic rice, and tortillas, beans, sour cream, guacamole and cheese. He said the fajitas were among the best he's tried. My daughter said she really enjoyed the El Puerto Burrito, $11.99, grilled Mahi-Mahi, with a cabbage chipotle cream sauce, roasted tomato sauce and topped with cheddar cheese blend and served with rice and beans. We all commented on how fresh everything tasted.
House specialties at Salsa-Mar Salmon Caribeno, $14.99, seared wild salmon marinated with seasonings, topped with grilled pineapple-mango salsa, and served on a bed of cilantro-garlic rice and "char-roasted" vegetables. The Swordfish Cabo, $14.99, is seared swordfish marinated in tequila and seasonings, and served with sweet roasted corn-black bean salsa, cilantro-garlic rice and veggies.
The casual dining atmosphere at Salsa-Mar has a tropical theme. It's pleasant and comfortable, clean and uncluttered. We immediately headed to the patio, preferring the warm outdoors to hearing the speaker discuss living trusts and wills.
The patio was nice enough with large umbrellas shielding us from the sun, though the wire tables and chairs were not particularly comfortable. On busy shopping days the adjacent street leading into the Dos Lagos stores might get pretty crowded and noisy with cars.
Service at Salsa-Mar was very good. Our waiter was friendly and immediately brought an excellent tasting salsa and chips and took our drink orders. He brought our food in a timely fashion, refilled our drinks and quickly cleared away dishes when we were finished eating.
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