Mango Salsa

I don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the country, but here in Santa Barbara, it feels like full on spring. We’ve got blossoms on the apple trees, high 70s in the afternoons, and sunny skies. I was not in the mood for anything but this fresh, spicy, mango salsa. I put it in a chicken quinoa wrap (coming Wednesday), ate it with chips, and it was gone in about 2 days. I’m a big fan of pico de gallo style salsa, with big chunks and less liquid, so that’s the style I went with for the mango salsa. I like my salsa to be part of the meal, not a watery sauce on top.

The mango and tomato are so sweet that the cumin and onion and jalapeño balance it out nicely. It would go really well with black beans too! Conveniently, there’s just a little chopping to do and the rest is really easy. You can have Mango Salsa in about 10 minutes!

After you chop the fruits and veggies, it’s super easy to put together. Just add diced mango…

diced tomato…

diced red onions…

Minced jalapeno and fresh cilantro…

Add more jalapeños if you prefer heat beyond mild.

Top with spices…

And mix it up!

Dip a chip.

Or face plant right in there. You won’t regret it!

How was your Valentine’s Day? Taylor and I were so happy because we got to resume a Valentine’s Day tradition that was halted for the 2 years that we were in Houston.

There’s an amazing Cajun restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara called The Palace Grill, and Taylor took me there the first Valentine’s Day that we were together. We decided right then and there to make it a tradition. The next year we were able to go as newlyweds, but the two years following, we weren’t able to make get back to Southern California. We tried to go to a chain Cajun place the first year. I tried alligator meat. It was weird. While it was still fun, the food and atmosphere just didn’t compare to The Palace Grill (an alleged favorite of Julia Childs and Wolfgang Puck). The next year, we went to Fredericksburg, Texas, which was also fun, but all about bratwurst and biergartens, not gumbo.

The Palace Grill has the perfect trifecta of a dining experience. Amazing food, service, and atmosphere.

The food is super authentic. We were blessed to get the chance to visit New Orleans, and the food we had there was the only cuisine I’ve tried that compares to The Palace Grill. No other Cajun food comes close.

The staff is really nice and a lot of them have worked there for many years. They’re really quick to tell you thier favorite menu items, and toast with you when you sing with the whole restaurant, “What a Wonderful World.”

Yes, that’s right! The whole restaurant sings, which brings me to atmosphere. Usually in the evenings, every so often, they’ll pass out lyrics and play the accompaniment to fun old love songs. The whole restaurant sings together, and the waiters go around toasting with everyone during the pauses.

On Fridays, they usually have a MAGICIAN that comes around to all the tables for entertainment. I know it sounds a little strange and tacky, but this magician blew our minds the first time we saw him perform. We spent the rest of the night analyzing his tricks and trying to figure out HOW he made them work.

We still talk about it every time we go there, whether he’s performing or not.

Valentine’s Day was even more of a fun night at The Palace Grill than usual, because they had chocolate at every table, heart shaped mardi gras beads to wear, and every lady left the restaurant with a rose!

Ok, I’ll stop talking about it, but really, if you have a chance to visit Santa Barbara, put The Palace Grill on your list of must stop dining experiences.

AND

Put the ingredients for this salsa on your shopping list! You need sweet, spicy mango salsa in your life!

Thanks for reading 🙂