Every once in a while you get something cool where it’s not expected. When we met Mike Lampros of Gunther’s Gourmet, we thought he might have gotten a little lost. You see, Gunther’s Gourmet is ostensibly a gourmet food company that features a line of marinades, vinaigrettes, and salsas that seem to trend more towards fine dining than more traditional chilehead staples. Based in Richmond, VA, this company that features a pair of Greek brothers has made a splash in the spicy foods world with the creation of a handful of new spicy salsas.

Ingredients: Diced Tomatoes, Cherries, Peri-Peri Chilies, Bermuda Onions, Red Bell Peppers, Sugar, Lime Juice, Lemon Juice, Fresh Garlic, Habanero Chilies, Salt, Spices and Herbs

Fiery Peri-Peri Dark Cherry Salsa – A non-traditional salsa that pulls the taste buds between subtly sweet and fiery heat in every bite. Tasty with pork and poultry, this is one of Gunther’s most innovative salsas.

First Impression: Nice, professional looking label and packaging for this salsa that will look great on the shelf before you even open the jar. We can’t say enough about manufacturers of hot & spicy food products who go the extra mile by using all-natural ingredients, and this product is no exception. There’s no indication that this would affect the shelf-stability, but then again who really needs an excuse to chow through a jar of salsa that much more quickly anyway, right?

Opening the jar, we revealed a medium-thickness salsa that has a mostly tomato-ish aroma with hints of onions and garlic. Despite the presence of some decently-strong peppers in the mixture, it doesn’t have a strongly spicy aroma at all. It spoons quickly and easily from the jar.

Taste: What a surpising taste from this salsa! Many salsa really smack your tastebuds around with one or more ingredients, but the subtlety of tastes with this product cannot be overstated. Despite its “fiery” name, it’s actually just a few baby steps out of the medium range in terms of heat…perhaps 5.5/10 without much in the way of cumulative heat for more consumption. All fruit-based salsas can struggle with being too sweet, but this salsa does a good job at balancing the chile pepper heat with the inherent sweetness of the tomatoes, cherries, and red bell pepper.

As for its uses, our first effort was with regular ol’ chp-and-dip munching and concluded that that is not this salsa’s strong suit. Yes, you CAN chow on this salsa with your nachos and munchies, but there are elements of the flavor that are lost or underappreciated that way. Whatever it may lack when used along side a bag of tortilla chips is more than made up for in its cooking uses. While we don’t eat a lot of pork, this salsa was AMAZING when served with some lightly braised pork loin and really accented the flavor of the meat quite well. The same can be said for chicken, although we admit to not being as imaginative with our uses as we could have been. For the kitchen gourmand, this is a salsa you can really find some good uses in your cooking.

Overall Recommendation: As a foray into the world of hot & spicy, we think this salsa has a lot going for it. Highly tasty, medium-spicy, and with some main-dish cooking uses, this salsa will be one you would be proud to share with your friends…even those who may not be as much into the hot & spicy stuff like many chileheads. While it may not be salsa you want to pour out into a jar to eat during your football Sunday gatherings, it is one certainly worth giving a try. Enjoy!