Salpicon

02/24/08

Horrendous, Awful, Terrible, etc.

by DiningAddict at Citysearch

Ever seen the 'Soup N*zi' episode of Seinfeld?! Just like that, but MUCH worse:

Very rude manager and owner, not accomodating to any request.

Very small and cramped restaurant. People always bumping into you or your table.

$25 per head if you cancel a reservation.

Very overpriced food that is mediocre and in very small quantity.

Screwed up a vegetarian order entirely, wouldnt even comp the dish.

Salpicrap...... in sooo many ways.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Too many for this small line

02/15/08

BAD!

by tomdan at Citysearch

THIS PLACE IS TERRIBLE. WE STARTED OUR NIGHT AT OUR FAVORITE MEXICAN RESTAURANT UNCLE JULIO'S HACIENDA, AND THE WAIT WAS TOO LONG THAT WE DECIDED TO GO ELSEWHERE. I WALK PAST SALPICON ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK AND WE THOUGHT WE'D TRY IT. FROM THE MOMENT WE STEPPED IN THE DOOR, OUR MOODS CHANGED. THE ARROGANT, UNGRACIOUS HOST COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE DISRESPECTFUL. SINCE WE DIDN'T HAVE A RESERVATION, HE LOOKED AT US LIKE WE DIDN'T BELONG THERE. EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE SEVERAL OPEN TABLES, HE "DID US A FAVOR" AND SAT US. WE WERE HESITANT TO EVEN GO ANY FURTHER, BUT YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER, HOWEVER IN THIS CASE THE COVER TELLS YOU EVERYTHING. WHEN WE DIDN'T WANT TO CHECK OUR COATS, WE THOUGHT THEY WOULD INTENTIONALLY ADD A LITTLE "FLAVOR" TO OUR FOOD. WE FELT LIKE WE WERE BACK IN JUNIOR HIGH AND THE WAIT STAFF WAS GOSSIPING ABOUT US IN THE CORNER. WHEN I PAY $7 FOR CHIPS AND SALSA, I EXPECT A LITTLE MORE THAN 6 CHIPS AND HALF A SPOONFUL OF SALSA. THIS IS A HORRIBLE DATE PLACE, BECAUSE NOT ONLY ARE YOU SITTING RIGHT ON TOP OF THE COUPLE NEXT TO YOU, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO PAY A FORTUNE TO FEEL CLOSE TO SATISFIED. I HAVE A GOOD JUDGEMENT OF GREAT FOOD, AND THIS JUST WASN'T IT. IF YOU CAN'T TELL BY NOW, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT TO EVEN MY WORST ENEMY.

• Pros: THE WATER WAS COLD.....
• Cons: EVERYTHING ELSE

02/11/08

bad bad bad

by daveygravey at Citysearch

I went at 5:30 on a week day. My friend and I were told that since we did not have a reservation that we could have a table but that if someone with a reservation showed up we would be asked to give up our table. There were maybe 4 people at this time dining and maybe 30 empty tables. The host or manager was so rude to us. We sat down and just the lingering attitude left a bad taste in our mouths. All we could talk about was how nasty he was. Then our appetizers came, lets just say they were not very good. We asked for our check and left.

• Pros: nada
• Cons: the food and the service

01/08/08

Best New Year's Eve ever!

by lds39 at Citysearch

Came here on New Year's Eve with my husband. Everyhing was perfect; from the valet service to the chocolate truffles with tequila)! My husband had the crabcake and I had the scallop app with bacon. Both were well-conceived and tasted fresh and yummy. For entrees we had the lamb chops and the filet with huitlacochi (sp)? sauce. The lamb melted in my mouth and my husband's filet was delicious on its own but was superbly matched with the huitlacochi sauce. For dessert I had the pear and mago tart with goat's milk ice cream (yum) and Jim had the chocolate espresso cake with vanilla ice cream Both tasted as good as they looked. Their wine list is extensive and very impressive and Henry, the sommelier, picked out a great bottle of wine for us that went well with what we ordered (I think it was an Australian Grenache). Our server Mark made us feel very welcome. We can't wait to return!

• Pros: excellent food, great wine list, professional service
• Cons: not close enough to our home!

12/30/07

Won't be going back

by claracocinera at Citysearch

The food here was just "ok". It was nothing special at all. The prices were outrageously high for Mexican food though and I won't be going back because of this. The portions are just average and the service was good. The prices you pay are not reflected in the food or the atmosphere so I can only guess that customers are paying the rent. The host on the night we went was very rude. I think her name was Maria. There was only one other group in the place but she insisted on sitting us at a table that was too small for our group. The table didn't even sit level on the floor and when the last member of our party arrived there was no where for him to sit. Maria huffed and puffed about getting an extra chair, then when she did she just left it there without preparing a setting for the extra customer. He literally had to sit and eat on his lap. All this while there were only 4 other people in the place. Our waitress was nice and competent, but that didn't save the meal or the bad host.

• Pros: Nice neighborhood
• Cons: Overpriced, average food

12/14/07

Great place for Tequila drinks!!

by jodiewatleys1970 at Citysearch

I just went here last night with a friend who is a regular. The staff were great and let me use my Spanish :) I had a fun time trying new drinks. The decor was nice but the floor made me a little dizzy! j/k! The foods yummy. A little pricey but what can you expect for the neighborhood!! I plan to go back before the end of the year!

• Pros: Great Tequila! Fodds yummy!
• Cons: pricey but worth it!

10/01/07

Fantastic Mex!

by hipster99 at Citysearch

See previous review (forgot to star it) Should be 5 stars. Great dining experience! From the moment we arrived we felt like we were in good hands. Our server recommended 2 tequilas for our margaritas and they were both great (El Tesoro Blanco for me and Chinaco Anejo for my husband). We shared 2 appetizers; jalapenos stuffed with cheese and served with a black bean sauce and a KILLER crabcake made with jumbo crabmeat and serrano chiles and coated with panko bread crumbs and served with an avocado-habanero salsa. The crabcake had almost no filler; almost 100% crabmeat. With these we had a bottle of Riesling from Austria that was recommended by the sommelier. It was delicious. For entrees we had Lamb loin chops with a garlic pasilla sauce and Quail in an ancho chile sauce. Wonderful! We paired these with a bottle of Claredon Hills Grenache from Austraila. Great match. We opted to share a dessert; a crepe with mangos and raspberries topped with a goat's milk caramel sauce. Wow!! We can't wait to return to Chicago and dine at Salpicon. It's at the top of our list! We only wish we had one in Vancouver.

c

• Pros: Food with flavor, great wine & tequila lists, personable service
• Cons: too far from home (Vancouver, B.C.)

08/21/07

Terrible experience

by aloha68 at Citysearch

My first visit turned out to be terrible. Ordered three appetizers and received the first one quickly. After some time passed we received grilled shrimp and a special appetizer but they were both room temperature. The waitress came to our table and said they were supposed to be served that way. Then the manager arrived quite upset and asked us to pay our bill (for the food we ate) and leave the restaurant immediately.

08/04/07

Great Ambiance

by chapoy22 at Citysearch

Good food, not great! Not authentic Mexican cuisine. Portions are much more smaller than the usual Mexican eatery's. The decoration is fenomenal, great atmosphere. The romantic setting is perfect for "lovey dovey" couples. Desserts are delicious.

• Pros: Great desserts
• Cons: pricey

05/10/07

A nice dinner

by pjs2780 at Citysearch

My husband and I went to Salpicon for our anniversary (we initially wanted to go to Nacional 27 but they are closed on Sundays, so we were hoping that Salpicon would at least fill our need for Latin American food). We made our reservations through Open Table and mentioned that it would be our anniversary. When we arrived, we were wished a happy anniversary and seated at a table by the front. The view was nice, but the table was a little small and the nook felt crowded. I had the Salpicon margarita, which was very tasty and paired well with the food. For appetizers, we had the special squash blossoms, which were excellent, and the tostaditas de tinga which were pretty good as well. For dinner, I had the chiles dona queta which was just OK -- the flavors were not very strong, and the tomato sauce tasted more Italian than Mexican. My husband had the chuletas de borrego con salsa de chile pasilla which he enjoyed. For dessert, we had the pear crisp, which was delicious (but not complimentary on our special occassion, despite what other reviews have said). We will certainly be back, but mostly for the margaritas and appetizers.