NEW HAVEN — Buena. Sabrosa. Excelente. Fabulosa. La comida que…er…The food at New Haven’s newest Latin restaurant is so good patrons may have to grab their Spanish-language dictionaries to accurately describe it, says owner Franco Gonzalez.
Or, they could just mention the takeout restaurant’s name — Ay! Salsa — which says it all: tasty, flavorful, quick.
“It’s good. Delicious,” says Gonzalez. “We also have good service and good price. That‘s the things I think people like.”
Another customer draw to the tiny standing-room space at 25 High Street is the open kitchen, says Gonzalez.
“We’re making the food right in front of them,” he explains.
Ay! Salsa had its grand opening November 21. It’s located just around the corner from a Cuban restaurant and is within blocks of several Mexican restaurants, but Gonzalez says that did not deter him. His restaurant has distinguishing qualities that will attract customers, he says. Among them are the above-mentioned open kitchen and takeout service.
“The way people will come to this place, first we’re going to serve fast — we’ll have fast service. The price is also going to be reasonable,” says Gonzalez, adding, “Most of the restaurants around here, they’re [for] dining [in]. I’m a takeout [only].” Gonzalez says his restaurant will be an alternative for people who don’t want sit-down service, but prefer a quick bite while on the run.
That, along with the “delicious” food, will help build a loyal customer base, he says.
The fare is unusual in that it consists of a variety of Latin dishes rather than food from only one region, notes Gonzalez. They include arepas, a traditional Venezuelan and Columbian sweet-corn cake, as well as tacos, burritos, rice plates, empanadas and plantains.
“It’ll be more like a ‘Latin cravings’ menu,” he says, emphasizing that a complete meal will cost no more than about $10. “A fish plate will cost $8.50, a chicken burrito $6.50. It’ll be very reasonable.”
Gonzalez, who is from Mexico, operates Ay! Salsa along with his wife, Yanirabell Acosta, a native of Puerto Rico. Gonzalez’s brother Ernesto also will help with chef duties.
The trio started a Latin dish food-cart business, situated near the Yale School of Medicine, in June.
“It was very successful,” says Gonzalez, a former chef at the erstwhile Roomba restaurant. “People loved the concept. For that reason we decided to open this restaurant.”
He did most of the preparation work himself — painting and building three-tier display cases, for example — saving quite a bit in start-up costs that he estimates at between $30,000 and $40,000, he says. The family saved their earnings — Acosta works at Yale-New Haven Hospital — to pay for the restaurant. They also still operate the food cart during lunchtime.
Hours of operation for Ay! Salsa are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily except Sunday. Gonzalez says eventually he’d like to build on the concept.
“It’s kind of a concept that’s not around — takeout Latin,” he says. “If it’s successful I’d like to open more, make it like a chain. That’s the goal.”
— Felicia Hunter
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