Time to give you the dish…on just one dish!

Right off the top, I’m a big fan of El Porton Mexican Restaurant. It’s five minutes from the house and we typically drop in every other week to get our Tex-Mex fix. Their reasonable prices, casual atmosphere, and quick service make it a family destination spot. Some dishes will blow you away (see chicken soft tacos) and others, like tonight’s beef fajitas for two, will leave you far less satisfied.

The dish is not completely hopeless, but some mishaps, like the tough beef and stale tortillas, are completely unforgivable. And with a hefty $21.95 price tag, the amount of cow on my sizzle-less platter was borderline laughable.

The good news…many of these problems are easily correctable. Ownership would be wise to add an extra ¼-pound of meat, along with twice as many refried beans and rice. Also, maybe spend a little more time tenderizing the beef.

Don’t get me wrong, this dish wasn’t a train wreck. The spicy and citrus flavors blended well together, and the partially stewed/charred tomatoes were a surprisingly nice addition. Finally, the veggies, although twice as plentiful as the meat, were grilled flawlessly.

I’ll give El Porton’s beef fajitas another shot in the future. But it won’t be anytime soon. Until then, I’ll stick with their chicken tacos and pork burritos.