And then, unexpectedly, some things were very good. The vegetable of the day, white asparagus, arrived hot and tender-crisp. A house-made ranch dressing that came with thinly sliced fried onion "straws" was delicious, and I don't particularly care for ranch dressing. The guacamole featured ripe, soft chunks of avocado and was perfectly seasoned.
As for the soup of the day, shrimp, chorizo and chicken filled the thick, just-spicy-enough Creole soup. (Somehow, Louisiana got in the mix.)
Si Salsa's signature dish, Mexican crab balls, may not have had lump crab meat as promised, but they were so good no one at the table was complaining. The tortilla crust gave the exterior a crunch that contrasted nicely with the soft insides, and they came with a lively jalapeno tartar sauce.
A salad of fried yellow tomato slices stacked with fresh red tomato was a surprising but delightful combination, while the accompanying Boursin and Parrano cheeses may make you rethink the de rigueur-ness of fresh mozzarella.
As for dessert, it's everything in excess at Si Salsa. That night there were three selections. The brownie sundae held no surprises. The apple dumpling had been reheated (in the microwave, I presume) too long. But the fried tortilla-wrapped banana and cheesecake (yes, they were both inside the crisp gold crust) defined guilty pleasure.
The waiter recommended all the entrees we tried, but I think we would have been happier if we stuck to some of the familiar Tex-Mex specialties. The Angus steak burger on a ciabatta roll sounded pretty good as well.
Si Salsa, by the way, is quite kid-friendly, with a children's menu. Now that the weather has gotten nicer, the back patio, which looks out over the woods, is a definite draw. The salsa lessons and dancing on Thursday and Saturday should help as well. But what the place really needs to do, if it's going to compete with the other restaurants in the area, is take a little more care with the food itself.
Si Salsa
Address: 1700 Reisterstown Road, Pomona Square, Pikesville
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily, Saturday and Sunday brunch
Contact: 410-484-4405, sisalsa.com.
Prices: appetizers: $5.95-$11.95, entrees: $13.95-$23.95
Food: ** ( 2 STARS)
Service: *** (3 STARS)
Atmosphere: ** 1/2 ( 2 1/2 STARS )
[Outstanding: **** Good: *** Fair or uneven: ** Poor: *]
