There are so many Mexican restaurants in fact that each must do something to stand out from the rest. At La Hacienda Real that means hand-making all their tortillas from scratch. According to restaurant manager Erika Brambila, it makes a big difference in overall quality of the food.
"They are more fresh, more tasty," she said. "Everybody likes fresh."

The folks at Los Arcos agree. One of their tortilla makers told us, "It is important because everybody wants the best tortilla, fresh and soft and, well, just right. It makes everything better."

Another element that makes a Mexican restaurant stand out from the crowd is how authentic they make their food. This often comes from the variety of sauces they offer. According to Brambila, the big two are green sauce, which is spicy and made from tomatillas, and red sauce, which is mild and made from a tomato base.

Los Arcos offers mole sauce, which is slightly more authentic than some of the other sauces. Usually a rich, brown sauce, it brings a whole different blend of flavors than the other red sauces used. But even it has been "Americanized."
"The mole in Mexico is very different," Brambila said. "They use different spices."

In fact, much of the Mexican food found in American restaurants is different than what you would get on a trip south of the border, especially tostadas.

"They come with meat cheese and cabbage," Brambila said. "American tostadas have a lot more salad on them."

Mexican enchiladas are prepared by first frying the tortillas in oil, and then adding red sauce, meat, cheese and cabbage.

But tacos and quesadillas are very similar to what we're used to here, she says.

Another overlooked and more authentic subdivision of the Mexican palate is the tamale. Usually a shell of cornmeal wraps a morsel of meat, sometimes pork, and is cooked while wrapped in corn leaves so the shell of meal softens into a texture much like polenta.

According to the folks at Los Arcos, another ingredient very much worth trying if it's offered is chorizo, a Mexican-style sausage.

But Brambila says that most folks seem to stick to their favorites, such as fajitas and combination platters.

"To really get authentic Mexican food, you'd have to prepare it at home," she said.

Offering a fun, festive atmosphere is how Four Caminos vies for business. It offers only standard menu items, but they have a lively party atmosphere and offer an extensive drink menu.  

Hungry yet? Now is a great time to reacquaint yourself with the flavor of Salem.