Sad salsa at El Barrio

By on July 30, 2010  |  Dinner, Downtown Grand Rapids, Lunch

Most ethnic restaurants have a go-to dish that you can order to get a real feel for how good the rest of the menu is going to be. In a Korean restaurant, you have to try the kimchi. In a Thai restaurant, a good barometer is the pad thai. At a greasy spoon, order the bacon and eggs.

At a Mexican restaurant, salsa is king. If the salsa is good, chances are the rest of the menu is going to shine as well. But if the salsa is bad, as I found at El Barrio Mexican Grill, a new eatery near Pill Hill in Grand Rapids, well, the rest of the menu is probably going to suffer. That certainly holds true at El Barrio, a well-intentioned Mexican place with an inventive menu that falls flat when it comes to execution. It is surprising since the restaurant is operated by the same folks who run the Beltline Bar, Sundance Grill, Bagel Beanery and Omelette Shoppe locally — all solid, if not spectacular West Michigan mainstays.

Since I made a point of it, let’s begin at the beginning. Diners at El Barrio are greeted with a basket of chips (red, white and blue) and three small salsa cups ranging from mild to hot. It is a nice touch and one that is expected at a Mexican restaurant (thanks to Chi-Chi’s, way back when). The problem at El Barrio is the salsa is terrible: The mild is watery and bland; the medium is green, but tastes sweeter than any tomatillo-based salsa I’ve ever had; and the hot tastes like tomato paste mixed with dried chili.

On paper, the menu looks great. There are inventive starters like Arizona Eggrolls, a Southwest take on Chinese classics with shredded chicken asado, roasted corn, tomatoes, black beans and cheese ($8.49). The rest of the menu is standard Tex-Mex stuff — carnitas, burritos, fajitas, enchiladas and tacos.

On my first visit to El Barrio, just after it opened a few months ago, I chose the All Grilled Steak wet burrito ($10.99) filled with steak, queso blanco, lettuce, tomatoes and topped “Bandera-style” with verde sauce, white Mexican cheese and red sauce. I found the red sauce and queso blanco cloying. The steak was flavorful, but extremely stringy and hard to eat. The three friends I brought along were equally unimpressed.

I chalked up my first visit to new restaurant jitters. So I visited again recently. The salsa hasn’t improved, unfortunately. And neither has the rest of the menu, if my lunch was any indication. I decided to order the Shrimp & Avocado Chopped Salad. It consists of chopped fresh avocado, seasoned shrimp, bacon, tomatoes, white Mexican cheese and mixed greens tossed in a sweet poppy seed dressing. I’m not a fan of sweet dressings, so I opted to skip the dressing.

The salad consisted of a large bed of romaine lettuce topped with generous portion of shrimp and avocado. El Barrio deserves credit for using green, crispy romaine instead of cheap iceberg lettuce. The avocado was tender and flavorful as well. There were many shrimp on the salad as well, but they tasted slightly like chemicals or cleaners as if the bowl they started in wasn’t rinsed enough. It was enough to ruin the dish.

My dining partners opted for the lunch special Traditional Mexican-Style Tacos ($6.99, with drink and chips included) and the Cheese Enchiladas ($7.99). Both liked what they ordered, but said they’ve had better elsewhere. And that is certainly a consideration when deciding whether to visit El Barrio — is there somewhere else I can go for Mexican in Grand Rapids that is better? I can think of at least 10 other places in town that are better for Mexican (including El Barrio’s sister restaurant, Beltline Bar).

That being said, as a proponent of a better variety of restaurants, I’m happy to see El Barrio there. It is a small stretch of Michigan Street that needed a Mexican restaurant and on my recent visit, it was busy with workers who had come over from the hospitals and other area businesses. Some restaurants are hopeless, but I don’t believe that about El Barrio. I think it can get better. It already does some things well — service on both visits was friendly and helpful. The eating area also is stylish and clean. Now, if they can just get the salsa right.

El Barrio Mexican Grill  ( Rating: out of 5 )

Where: 545 Michigan St., Grand Rapids
Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight, Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday
Ambiance: smartly designed Tex-Mex
How much will it cost you: Lunch specials from $6.99; dinners to about $14.
Credit cards: All major
Alcohol: Yes
Reservations: Yes
Wireless Internet: Yes
Contact: (616) 301-0010
Online: http://www.elbarriomexicangrill.com/

  • carlos

    Agreed; next time try El Granjero at Lane and Bridge

  • Rob Kirkbride

    Carlos, El Granjero is my favorite Mexican restaurant in town. They have amazing food. Though I wish they would get their liquor license back.

  • Will

    Rob,
    I ate at El Barrio a week ago or so. I wish I would have read your review before I went! I agree with most everything you said. The only thing I would disagree with is your description of their menu as “inventive.” I would argue that a Mexican menu with BBQ Chicken Wraps, Turkey Cuban Reubens, and Shrimp Skewers could be more aptly described as “off-base” at best, or “ridiculous” at worst. I do agree, however, that El Barrio can make a recovery (and I hope they do!). I think they need to stick to the basics and work to really knock them out of the park. Until there are major changes, I definitely won’t be back. Nonetheless, I’m holding out for a home run!

  • Mark

    El Barrio was hands down the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. It made Tex-Mex look authentic. I actually felt bad for our waitress.

    The give-away was that not a single Latino worked at the joint!