Salsa Latina adds South American Spice to Central Avenue

Luis Uzhca and his family opened their restaurant Salsa Latina on Central Avenue because they wanted to introduce Albany to South American food, said Uzhca. The Latin American restaurant offers Mexican favorites, but also a mix of South American specialties, including treats from Columbia, and Uzhca's native country, Ecuador. "We wanted everyone to try our food and see something different."

The top-selling item on the menu, and also Uzhca's favorite, is Bandeja Typica. The dish includes grilled steak, pork tips, chorizo, fried egg, white rice, beans rancheros, avocado, and arepa, a thick bread made with corn meal, "a little bit of everything, so you can try it all," he said. The dish has been incredibly popular, especially for deliveries to Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's Hospital, and the DMV, Uzhca said. "I didn't think it would be a big hit, but it has been."

The other big hit has been the homemade bread, sold fresh from the bakery counter in the restaurant. Uzhca had such trouble finding good bread when he moved to Albany five years ago--"You can't find any Mexican bread here"--he had to pick up loaves in Boston and New York when he traveled. He decided to open a bakery in the restaurant for others who might be in the same position. The loaves range from 50-90 cents--that's right 90 cents, and right now, the restaurant is running a special--15 loaves for $10.

With its ceramic tile and the colorful tissue paper flags dangling from the ceiling, the Latin American and Mexican grill feels like an outdoor marketplace, and the tile roof that extends over the bakery case of homemade breads only adds to that atmosphere.

Uzhca likes the Central location, and has said surrounding businesses including WAMC, have been very supportive of the new restaurant. Lots of businesses are coming to the area, especially international restaurants, and Uzhca hopes Salsa Latina will benefit from this influx of customers. Uzhca was born in Ecuador and grew up there, before immigrating to Queens at 15. In 1998 he returned to Ecaudor to live, and then in 2003, he and his family moved to Albany to open Salsa Latina. Uzhca owns the restaurant with his cousin, who is a chef, and with another long-time family friend who was a professional chef in Manhattan before coming on board at Salsa Latina.

Visit Salsa Latina today at 315 Central Avenue and can be reached at 426-7050, or visit the website at www.misalsalatina.com