Balm not withstanding, getting home a day late is always a little weird. And it’s Cinco de Mayo today, too. One outside observer noticed that folks in Austin have tip jars up just about everywhere. While I was at the bank, I discovered a check which I had fished out of my mail box wasn’t signed. The teller kicked the check back to me and probably saved me five bucks in processing fees. In keeping with the apparent Austin tradition, I figured I should have laid a dollar on the counter for her. When I mentioned that, though, I don’t think she quite caught the heartfelt sentiment and sincere gratitude leaking through my sarcastic wit.
Just a little bit east of the trailer park, there’s a new “Mexican” restaurant called “Dos Salsas.” The last time I was in that location, it was an Italian place, and not much has changed except for very minor cosmetic coloring and a new menu. Any good? I’m just a day back from New Mexico, the land where chili is a way of life, There were some problems with my meal at “Dos Salsas.” The food was over priced. The tortillas are too small, look machine made, and not very remarkable. The ice tea glass is way too small. The food was called “Mexican” but it is, at best, merely Tex-Mex. There was one saving grace at the table, the name for the place is Two Sauces, and they serve two hot sauces with the meal, the traditional Red Sauce and then this creamy and hot Green Sauce. Of course, just getting back in from Albuquerque, even the Green Sauce isn’t that hot. By comparison, the hot Tex-Mex green is milder than the mild New Mexico Red. This is a welcome addition in the neighborhood, but I’m afraid they are going to find that the competition is a little tough.
