chips & salsa (where's the best?)

I agree with Dave. Palo Alto Sol gives you three different flavors of salsa. A red tomato based kind, a green kind with tomato in it, and more "creamy" red kind. From what I understand they "hand" roast the peppers every day, and there are bits of charred peppers in there. That adds a bit of smoky flavor to it that I like. I also taste a hint of tequila in their red and green salsa. My wine tasting friend also tasted some tequila in it so I don't think I am dreaming. All are well balanced, not overly hot, and really full of flavors. -- Manabu

Some of the best chips and salsa I've had has been at La Fonda in San Mateo.   Their chips are usually thick and nice and crispy.  Looks like they really make them there from real tortillas.

They have two salsas.  The table salsa is a very nice, not too spicy one. And they have another in a small container on the tables --- it's nice and hot, possibly a chile arbol.

plus...

Bill G. wrote:
> Since this discussion started off with bashing Chevy's, I'd like to
> add my $0.02 about them.  The chips are uniformly good, but the salsa
> varies from day to day.  I don't care for it when it comes out with
> a brown color and contains "weird" stuff like pineapple, but I do like
> it when they do it in their basic style: a solid tomato base, plenty
> of onions, and just enough hot peppers to give it some zing.

Since I've had the "pleasure" of a weekly lunch meeting at a Chevy's for a few years now, I'd like to comment...

Their chips are often quite ok (not great, but much better than the Costco variety).  Sometimes they can be stale, sometimes overly salty.  But, that's true any where.

Their salsa does vary, but...  it is fresh.   Not a great salsa, just an acceptable table salsa.  Only one to choose from, so there's no variety. Just a decent plain salsa.

However, you CAN always do what I do.   Ask for some chopped jalapenos.  I use them straight with the tortillas instead of eating chips (much more on my diet than chips, and it helps to be munching on something for a half hour), on fajitas, and of course I throw lots into the salsa to heat it up.

Chevy's --- fair gringo versions of Mexican and Tex-Mex food.  When they have good fish, it's really nice to have some mesquite grilled fish fajitas.  Most of their "Mexican" dishes are very gringoized, but their rellenos are actually quite good.

Don L. wrote:
>
> Well, there have been plenty of burrito/pizza/bagel/etc wars
> on ba.food.  I'm on a quest for some of the better chips & salsa
> in the Bay Area.
>
> I like:
>
> - La Fiesta in Mountain View
> - El Paso Cafe, also in Mountain View
>
> I don't like:
>
> - Chevy's (chips are ok, salsa isn't great)
>
> Anyone know of places with particularly *hot* salsas?
>
> - dc

I am addicted to the salsa served by Red Pepper (good chips too). they are located at the Cupertino/Los Altos border, near Foothill Bvld.

Someone wrote:
: I'm on a quest for some of the better chips & salsa in the Bay Area.

Cancun in Berkeley has eight or ten salsas: red, green, some made with fresh chilis, some with dried, some with fruit, you name it. I haven't had a bad one yet. As for heat, some are hotter than my wife (a Nonya) can tolerate. For comparison, she sometimes eats chipotles straight just for the flavor.

The chips are a little thick for my taste but are fresh. I like them enough to make a meal of them, despite all the other good things at Cancun.

In article , [email removed] (Glenn
Mandelkern) wrote:

>Steve F. wrote:
>>Speaking of chips and salsa, is Rooh's still open anywhere in the Bay
>>Area? The one on Castro in Mountain View seems to be gone.
>Rooh's has a location in Santa Clara:
>Rooh's Cafe Salsa Restaurants 1171 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95050-5478
>Phone: (408)246-2455
>This is one block east of Monroe St., across the parking lot / post office
>area where Wilson's Bakery is.

>Glenn Mandelkern                     "Hee, hee, hee, hee!" -- Questor the Elf
>[email removed]
>San Jose, CA
>Games, GUI's and Entertainment
>1997 Computer Games Developers Conference Seminar Host:  "OO is so good!"
>Career Magazine Author, www.careermag.com:  The Candidate is a Human Being

and it's gone, disappeared, not there I think the owners of the building keep wanting to up rents. It's a loss leader for them as far as i can tell.

Rich

Steve F. wrote:
>Speaking of chips and salsa, is Rooh's still open anywhere in the Bay
>Area? The one on Castro in Mountain View seems to be gone.
>

Rooh's has a location in Santa Clara:

Rooh's Cafe Salsa Restaurants 1171 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95050-5478 Phone: (408)246-2455

This is one block east of Monroe St., across the parking lot / post office area where Wilson's Bakery is.

John D. wrote:
>
> Don L. wrote:
> >
> > Well, there have been plenty of burrito/pizza/bagel/etc wars
> > on ba.food.  I'm on a quest for some of the better chips & salsa
> > in the Bay Area.
> >
> > I like:
> >
> > - La Fiesta in Mountain View
> > - El Paso Cafe, also in Mountain View
> >
> > I don't like:
> >
> > - Chevy's (chips are ok, salsa isn't great)
> >
> > Anyone know of places with particularly *hot* salsas?
> >
> > - dc
>
> I am addicted to the salsa served by Red Pepper (good chips too).
> they are located at the Cupertino/Los Altos border, near Foothill
> Bvld.
>
> --
> - john

I like the ones at On The Border at Mc Carthy Ranch in Milpitas. Usually we already so much stuffed until dinner arrives ...

> >
> > I am helplessly addicted to the mango salsa served at World Wraps (in
> > Palo Alto, I know no other).  I'm the one in line ordering 4 orders of
> > chips-n-salsa to go.
>
> I can't believe all these suggestions for yuppie places and nobody
suggests
> the obvious....ANY Taqueria in the Mission District.
> >
> > LauraM
> > No really, I have these three friends, see...
> >
laura, i gotta agree with you there!  for ex. the chips and (esp) salsa at puerto alegre . . . mmmmmmm!

but as for the *best* - no contest.  the flour chips at juan's place, in berkeley.  god, i wish i had a car sometimes!

cheryl