FIRST LOOKDINING Sal-O Mon Authentic Mexican fare with posh wine moves to New Braunfels F resh ingredients and attention to detail are the foundation of the BY WARREN BROWN
The lynchpin of the restaurant’s service is a wine list meticulously curated by Gomez, who developed a passion for vino while living in Paso Robles, California, among dozens of wineries, he said. His fascination with wine began after he started visiting those wineries regularly and drinking a glass or two with meals at the suggestion of a cardiologist. His philosophy as a restaura- teur has been to make high-end wines accessible to his patrons, forgoing some of the staples found in other establishments to focus on high-quality bottles. “I am the opposite of most restaurants,” Gomez said. “My house wine is the wine that I feel proud of, so my house wine is $100 a glass.” However, Sal-O Mon does serve more a ordable wines, as well as more expensive ones, with prices ranging from $10- $800 a glass. Gomez also hosts exclusive wine dinners for regulars with an appreciation for vino. At these invitation-only events, he serves a prix xe menu with specially selected wines valued far above the price of admis- sion, he said. “I don’t want this to be like any other restaurant,” Gomez said. “I want to share my expe- rience with everybody else.”
family recipes Oscar Gomez serves at Sal-O Mon, which opened in New Braunfels in February after a relocation from Schertz, where it oper- ated since 2017. A stickler for perfection in his own meals when dining out, Gomez brings that expec- tation to the dishes at his own restaurant. Nearly everything is prepared from scratch and is made with traditional ingredients and recipes from his upbringing in Los Altos de Jalisco in Mexico. “It’s a little di erent than most of the Mexican places they call authentic. They change the way they present their dishes, or even ingre- dients, to accommodate the taste of the majority of people,” Gomez said. “I’ve got to keep my identity, and the identity of the food is this way.” Popular dishes include the ribeye ($29) and the Sal-O- Mon ($12), which is a shrimp appetizer served with cheese bread lled with chipotle sauce on a base of spicy avocado salsa. Traditional Mexican breakfast dishes, tacos and seafood also share the limelight on the menu.
Sal-O Mon owner Oscar Gomez stands with his son Angel. They relocated the restaurant in February.
PHOTOS BY WARREN BROWN COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
AUTHENTICMEXICAN FARE Sal-O-Mon owner Oscar Gomez uses ingredients and recipes his mother cooked with in Mexico’s Los Altos de Jalisco. Many of the ingredients used in dishes such as these are prepared fresh. SAL O MON $12
Sal-O Mon serves a curated list of wine.
Sal-O Mon 311 FM 306, Ste. 103, New Braunfels 210-451-0142 www.facebook.com/salomonfood Hours: Tue.-Fri. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., closed Mon.
Shrimp are served on cheese bread lled with chipotle sauce on top of spicy avocado salsa.
SALMON $22.50
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A grilled salmon let is served with a choice of two sides and a cheese quesadilla.
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • APRIL 2022
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