While the grand opening is still a few months away, Salsa Joe’s Tex-Mex Smokehouse in Belmont will hit the two-week mark Saturday.
But while the opening has been soft, the response has been anything but.
“We’ve been doing really, really well,” said owner and lead cook and creator Tom Strussion. “We’ve been open nearly two weeks and have had a lot more business than I thought this early.”
Strussion considers his menu non-traditional Tex-Mex. There are Tex-Mex menu items to be sure. But there’s so much more, and the story of that weaves with Strussion’s own.
A Bellaire native, Strussion spent seven years in the food mecca that is Texas, operating a TommyBoy Sausage Co. BBQ and Catering.
Now in Texas, you can close your eyes, spin in a circle and point and find a Barbecue joint. It’s that popular and prevalent. There’s business aplenty.
But when it came to catering, not everyone wanted barbecue for their events.
“I did a lot of catering, and people would say ‘I’d love to use you, but we’re just not doing barbecue’ for their event,” Strussion said. “I’d say wait a minute; I can do Tex-Mex or Italian, and that changed the conversation and we didn’t lose the client.
“I created something for them, and found I was doing just as much with the Italian and Tex-Mex as I was the barbecue.”
After seven years, Strussion returned home to be closer to his father and family.
He took what he learned both in flavor and variety, combined it into a menu he felt best suited the Ohio Valley and opted for a name change.
The outdoor smoker churns out tasty, barbecued meats, from brisket to pork and more. 
Salsa Joe’s is Born
Outside the restaurant, a large-scale smoker churns slowly, cooking the meat, including brisket and pork, to perfection.
Inside, Strussion serves as the master culinary craftsman, devising the recipes and tweaking the mixtures for salsas and sauces.
There is a pineapple salsa that pairs perfectly with pulled pork tacos. The barbecue sauce is flavored with bourbon and has a tangy kick. Even the marinara sauce for the cheese sticks has been painstakingly adjusted for maximum flavor.
“At 51, I’m still young. I’m moving and grooving,” Strussion said. “I’m the cook, and I designed the menu and created all the dishes. It’s what I do.”
That menu certainly packs variety. The more traditional barbecue options are still available. As are the Tex-Mex and Italian.
But in many cases, it’s the mash-up of styles that is most pleasing to the palette.
Take the Tacos Al Pastor, served with the pineapple salsa. It has the traditional taste of an order of carnitas, but the smoked flavor of the pulled pork provides that extra kick of flavor.
The salsa complements the flavor, but doesn’t overtake it. The meat is the signature piece in this dish.
Another big hit both locally and during Strussion’s time in Texas are his albondigas, or meatballs.
“That was an item that’s obviously more Ohio Valley, but I put them out in Texas, and we rolled through them,” Strussion said. “They were a hit.”
Want BBQ chicken? They have that. Itching for a lemon-butter chicken with a white wine caper? They have that too.
Even the full kids’ menu boasts variety for the most picky or adventurous of eaters.
“That’s what’s nice. You can get a big ole burrito or quesadilla, or enjoy a meatball sandwich or hamburger at the same time,” Strussion said. “We have variety.”
Did Someone Say Drinks
Salsa Joe’s menu is currently paired down while suppliers recover from the pandemic, and all menu options become more readily available.
But the restaurant also comes with a full-service bar and, what would a Tex-Mex joint be without an emphasis on margaritas.
“When people get chips and salsa, they want a nice margarita, and we have 16 signature drinks,” Strussion said.
There are beers on top and by bottle, both domestic and imported. There’s a selection of Mexican-style beers as well.
Strussion is eagerly waiting to obtain his supply of No. Juan tequila, which will serve as the restaurant’s lead spirit.
No. Juan is a company owned by comedians Ron White and Alex Reymundo and is a big hit in Texas.
“You can’t buy it in Ohio yet, so we’re waiting on that. That will be our lead tequila,” Strussion said. “But we have some of the older traditional stuff, including Patron, Espolon, Sauza.”
Salsa Joe’s has other signature drinks, including the Pink Pantera, named after the famed metal band that hails from Arlington, Tex.
Another popular item is the Mexican Holy Water, which is a classic margarita with a Crown Royal floating topper.
The bar menu also has the usual assortment of other spirits, ranging from well drinks to top shelf items, along with wine.
An order of Tacos Al Pastor, the sauce to the right of the plate is the pineapple salsa, a perfect complement to the smoked pulled pork tacos. 
Cheese sticks are one of the many appetizers available. The red marinara sauce is Tom’s own recipe.
Grand Opening Prep
While Strussion is readying his staff and menu for the official grand opening, he’s noticed the variety in his customers mirrors that of his menu.
“We’re seeing people come in from all over,” Strussion said. “It’s a great gathering place for basically everyone.”
The official grand opening will be toward the end of September, first part of October.
Part of that is the staff is still being trained on the extensive, full menu—a varied but modified menu is being utilized presently.
A lot of the decision has to do with the supply chain issues.
The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday presently, but as August rolls through, Strussion noted he will begin opening up for Sundays as well.
For more information, visit the Facebook page linked above or swing by. Salsa Joe’s is located heading west on U.S. 40, directly before former Jamboree in the Hills site on the same side of 40.
