Mystery Diner in Oglesby: Mr. Salsa’s barbecue nachos impress, go beyond expectations

Some of the best barbecue I’ve had in La Salle County was at Mr. Salsa’s in Oglesby.

Who would have thought a Mexican restaurant would feature some of the most superlative barbecue flavors?

My dinner companion and I decided to begin our meal with the barbecue nachos from the appetizer section of the menu. The dish presents nachos with carnitas, cheese dip, beans and barbecue. The flavor was incredible.

The carnitas provided the tender pork, and the barbecue resembled the Kansas City-style flavor profile. The cheese was perfectly slathered on, and the beans delivered complementary flavor.

Along with the usual tortilla chips and salsa (the chips were red, green and light-colored to resemble the Mexican flag’s hues), our meal was off to a great start.

Mr. Salsa’s has a sizable dining area with two different rooms and a full bar with televisions. Upon our arrival, we were ushered into the auxiliary dining room, and seated in a comfortable booth. Dinner time was busy.

My dinner companion ordered chili Colorado, featuring a choice of chicken or steak, and selected the chicken, which was served with salsa roja and onions, along with rice, beans and three tortillas.

I ordered the chori pollo, which served up a full grilled chicken breast topped with chorizo, salsa ranchero and melted cheese, served with rice, beans and sour cream. The chorizo flavor was noticeable in the dish, lending spicy and salty notes. This is a good dish for chorizo lovers.

We decided to top off the meal in grand style by ordering fried ice cream for dessert. The ice cream comes with the option of chocolate, strawberry or both sauces. We opted for the strawberry, which had real pieces of berry in it. The five dollops of whipped cream had good rich flavor. The crust holding the giant scoop of ice cream added cinnamon and sugar notes. The dessert feeds two to three people.

Items on the menu range from less than $10 to more than $30, depending on the entree.

Though we opted to pass on drink offerings, the bar offers a wide selection of beers (including Victoria, Corona, Tecate, Modelo, Dos Equis, Pacifico), margaritas, daiquiris, piña colada and wine, among other options.

Mr. Salsa’s in downtown Oglesby is casual dining. The restaurant can be a date destination, but also serves large groups from families to friends gathering together. The menu has the traditional favorites – from burritos to chimichangas and enchiladas to tamales – but also showcases a full offering of house favorites, seafood, burgers and chicken. A molcajete, which combines steak, chicken, chorizo, shrimp, grilled cactus, green onion, avocado and quesadillas, is one of the highlighted items on the menu, as well as the carne asada a la Tampiqueña (a skirt steak with red sauce).

With a wide variety of menu items and some dynamic tastes, Mr. Salsa’s provides plenty of pleasant surprises.

The Mystery Diner is an employee at Shaw Media. The diner’s identity is not revealed to the restaurant staff before or during the meal. The Mystery Diner visits a different restaurant and then reports on the experience. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a story.