Last week when I was at the Mustard Seed for dinner, the owner, Sal Parco, asked if I’d like to review one of his other restaurant’s new menu. Of course I was happy to oblige!
Monday night, Matt and I met Sal at Uno Más, the Dine With Sal Restaurant Group’s Mexican-themed restaurant. Uno Más’s menu contains some traditional Mexican items and other South of the Border dishes with a twist. Like all of the Dine With Sal restaurants, the menu relies heavily on fresh, local ingredients. Another positive aspect of Uno Más’ menu that differs from your average Mexican restaurant is the addition of lighter options, including several salads and vegetarian items.
In my opinion, one of the most important things a good Mexican restaurant must have is good guacamole. Good guacamole must use fresh avocadoes, not be over salted, and be a bit chunky, with a hint of lime juice. This guacamole epitomizes my perfect recipe. It is hands down the best guacamole I’ve had. I could have easily eaten it work a fork. Matt agreed that it was also the best he’s had. The portion, served in an authentic Mexican mortar is huge, to boot!
We also had a side of Queso fundido: Chihuahua cheese, fire-roasted peppers, and onion, served with tortillas. This was incredibly rich and creamy. 
A lighter appetizer option is the Uno Más Salad – avocado, tomatoes, red onion, fresh cilantro, lime, and sea salt. Again, the avocado was very fresh, as was the sliced tomato. I’d be happy with this as a meal!
One of my favorite items on the menu is the Grilled Shrimp Quesadilla with cilantro pesto, arugula, cheese, tomato, and avocado. I loved the arugula on top – there’s a nice twist! The shrimp, which were seared perfectly, were delicious. Qué sabor! 
The next entrée we sampled was a new addition to the menu. Here are the Carnitas: slow-roasted pork, cilantro, and onions served on corn tortillas with guacamole, tomato salsa, and salsa verde.
My favorite entrée of the evening was the Spicy Coconut Shrimp: red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chilies, an shrimp, simmered in a coconut milk over a crispy cheese grit cake. I thought the grit cake gave this dish a bit of Southern flair. We Southerners love our grits! 
Don’t think for a second that we didn’t take advantage of the excellent happy hour specials. What else would we wash all this food down with? The Happy Hour menu features $4 appetizer specials—your choice of guacamole, queso fundido, nachos, or veggie taquitos. The drink specials are bottles of beer for $2 and margaritas for $3-6 depending on the liquor.
We decided to try two cocktails. Shown below are the Cactus Pear: cactus juice, fresh lime juice, and a house made citrus blend and the Mojito Anejo: Bacardi 8 year, fresh mint, and soda. Guess who ordered the pink drink?
Matt did! How pretty is this cocktail? 
I, on the other hand, ordered the less frilly, but still delicious Mojito. Rest assured that the lethargic look on my face was due to intoxication by delicious food, not the beverage. 
Please also be amazed by the fact that there are no stains on my white shirt! I made it through the entire meal without spilling on myself. This is quite an achievement.
Our very helpful and attentive server insisted that we not leave without trying dessert. Per her recommendation, we tried the Churros topped with whipped cream and dulce de leche. Um, yum. They were very crispy and sugary! And cinnamon all over? Of course I loved it.
And because my heart flutters when I see a dessert with bananas, I had to try the Banana Walnut Torte with crispy tortillas, whipped cream, and honey. I immediately dug out all of the banana slices – you can’t see them, but there were a bunch in there!
If you are still reading (thank you!), I insist you give Uno Más a try. I suggest you skip on over after work for Happy Hour. The food and drink specials will take all your workday stresses away. And for your vegetarians out there, be sure to check out the Vegetable Quesadilla or the Spinach & Mushroom Enchiladas.
Thanks for having us, Sal! Big thank you to our server and manager as well! You guys were awesome.
