It’s pretty rare, but sometimes it’s good to break free of Mexican fast-food and slow, yet still greasy Mexican food. To make this jump, I went to the Border Grill in Santa Monica and attempted to class-up my Mexican repertoire.
They actually had a surprisingly welcome selection of unvegan options and I was torn between a few of the dishes. The steep prices may have ended up playing a role in my final selection, which was still pretty pricey at $15. This was one of their specials, the Chicken Adobo Quesadilla. Adobo is a great seasoning, so I figured I couldn’t go wrong. It came with manchego, panela and cotija cheeses inside, and mizuna salad, salsa fresca, guacamole and sour cream on the outside. I ordered mine without the mizuna salad and although I’m not entirely sure what “mizuna” means, I know it involved vegetables I didn’t want to eat.
When my quesadilla arrived, I was perturbed by the dilapidated greens resting upon my meal. Usually I can kind of understand that garnishings make foods look prettier, but whatever greens were laying atop my quesadilla made it look wholly unappetizing. I scraped these miscreants from my food and tried to forget about them as I ate my meal.
The quesadilla was quite good, especially topped with guacamole. There was also a nice selection of salsas on the table that I was able to taste with the quesadilla. Unfortunately, it was unable to live up to the $15 price tag. Maybe ten bucks would be doable, but considering all the cheap Mexican food LA has to offer, I won’t be dropping $15 on a quesadilla again anytime soon.
