Oseguera?s Offers Sweet Salsa (Business Lunch)

Oseguera’s
1100 S. 48th Place
Springdale
2 1/2 stars

Two words: Sweet salsa.

We liked the spicy stuff, and there’s just no getting around that. Latin food enthusiasts who enjoy the sweet variety should add a whole “star” to this review.

The menu is so extensive, and it’s likely that we could have ordered salsa picosa (spicy salsa) if we’d known better.

Oseguera’s staff is about as friendly and attentive of a group of people as we’ve seen. They even serve queso blanco (white cheese dip), which is by far the best of its genre. That alone means we’ll give the Hot Springs-based eatery a second chance.

The inside of the restaurant looks like a Crayola-filled piñata exploded, flinging festive colors from the floor to ceiling. Even the chairs are cool.

We’d deem this restaurant an excellent place for a kid’s birthday party or a junior high social studies class to get a feel for the Latin culture. We just weren’t bowled over by the food, and coupled with the salsa para niñitas (salsa for little girls) that whacked the restaurant’s rating like a steel-plated piñata pole.

Our lover of Mexican seafood dishes dove into the camarones al mojo de ajo ($16), a favorite dish of his at a very authentic local hideaway. The grilled shrimp marinated in a spicy garlic sauce didn’t measure up, and that was another blow. The accompanying rice and beans had a pretty presentation, but were otherwise forgettable.

Our eldest female reviewer went for the chef’s recommended carne asada Oseguera’s style ($12). She said the grilled chicken and beef sirloin mixed with pico de gallo salsa was average. To get the chef’s top tout, it was a bit of a let down.

That’s also a fairly “gringo” selection for the restaurant to hang its hat on. When we get out for a south-of-the-border supping, we expect the real deal and there’s a ton of other items on the menu that appeared better qualified.

Last in our party was a younger lady who stuck with a beef taco and about a gallon of the white cheese dip. She was in queso blanco heaven, and didn’t care if the rest of the menu consisted of fish tacos or fish sticks.

Incidentally, we were glad to see pescado (fish) peppered throughout the menu including in a couple of dishes that sounded interesting, such as the brochetas Oseguera’s con queso, ($16). It’s a combination of shrimp, chicken and beef mixed with grilled onions, green peppers and chorizo and topped with melted cheese.

Maybe we just ordered the wrong things.