Selena Rosa Inaugural Review Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
The incredibly delicious Chicken Fajitas of Selena Rosa
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From the opening dip of our chip in their signature Guacamole en Molcajete made to order, it was clear that Selena Rosa is one of the best Mexican restaurants in Manhattan we've experienced. Opened in January 2014 by our friend Sammy Musovic, an Albanian from Montenegro, the concept for Selena Rosa is based on a town in Mexico he personally visited. Sammy suggested we start with their guacamole, and he was right. It's ideal and we like how it's served with authenticity.
The best Italian calamari we've had is at Denino's, however, Selena Rosa makes an entirely different version as it's Mexican and therefore should not be compared. This Crispy Blue Corn Calamari is the best Mexican version we've had and it's innovative and exciting. Perfectly soft and not overdone, this fresh edition is enhanced by both spicy tomato sauce and chipotle aioli, which we liked the better of the two.
We count five salad options here, and that's to be commended. We chose the Chopped Salad which is composed of romaine, cubed cheddar and pepper jack cheese, and red kidney beans. A citrus vinaigrette was put on the side as we asked and we added shrimp which arrived perfectly grilled warm (shrimp suggested by Maria, the friendliest waitress). It's artfully presented in a corn bowl.
For our carnivorous entree, we opted for the Grilled Chimichurri Skirt Steak, which was incredibly flavorful and medium as ordered. Angus beef will wow you especially when paired with their cilantro chimichurri sauce, southwest fries and sauteed baby green beans. This was our favorite edible of our Selena Rosa experience and we'd absolutely order it again and we'd encourage you to do the same.
Sammy's also involved in the community quite a bit and works in tandem with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney we understand and they together were part of the effort to open the Second Avenue subway on time. Sammy Musovic is President of the Second Avenue Merchant's Association, and we think it's great when a business owner is active in the community as well. Our second favorite item which on any given day could be the first depending on what we're in the mood to eat were the Chicken Fajitas. We opted for whole wheat over regular and not only was the chicken ideally grilled and juicy beyond belief but its accompaniments of sauteed onions and peppers with pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole were excellent.
Finally, our fish entree was the amazing Sauteed Garlic Chipotle Shrimp, which hit the spot. This and the salmon are Sammy's favorite fish dishes here. Cilantro scented rice and sauteed spinach in the Catalan style join these decadent little shrimps that you will love to delicately devour!
We're impressed with our initial Selena Rosa experience and we look forward to seeing what they do next!
