DINING OUT: Good Mexican food that’s affordable

At Poquito Mas in Burbank, the restaurant’s motto is simple: “We don’t serve fast food. We serve fresh food as fast as we can.”

The menu says they always use only the freshest ingredients — lean beef, chicken, pork and ahi right from the fisherman’s boat. They serve freshly made tortillas, salsa, chips, jalapeños, beans and more, and they prepare your meal in front of you.

Poquito Mas guarantees that you will always get friendly, courteous service, and that your food will be delivered within seconds after it is prepared, so you can enjoy your meal hot and savor the nuances of their Baja California style dishes. You’ll always get the food you want, the way you want it.

The restaurant promises it uses only ingredients that have zero grams of artificial trans fat. They use olive oil and canola oils in their cooking. When I arrived, no parking was available in their limited lot, but the residential area along the street had plenty of space.

The restaurant has a cramped ordering space in front of the single open cash register, which makes it congested during peak hours. The dining area was also small and offers a somewhat cluttered seating arrangement. There is also plastic covering where the windows should be, but the restaurant was surprisingly cool in spite of the sweltering heat outside.

Poquito Mas has all the traditional Mexican food, like burritos ($4.75 to $9.95), tacos ($1.79 to $7.95) and quesadillas ($5.75 to $9.95), but for the health-conscious, they make any of the items from their “Nature’s Grill,” ($2.35 to $6.75), which means they are made with grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, peppers and red onions).

Any of the tacos, burritos, tostadas and quesadillas can be ordered with ahi or shrimp for $5.25 to $9.95.

I decided to have my food to go because there was a sudden rush of people clamoring in behind me as I placed my order. I took home a pasilla burrito combo ($7.25) with extra mango and red onion salsa, and a medium Jamaica drink for myself, a World-Famous Tostada ($7.25) and a medium horchata for my wife, a quesadilla from the “Quids Meals” for my son and a shrimp San Felipe taco combo ($6.95) for a friend.

When I got home, I couldn’t wait to try the food because it smelled so delicious. I handed everybody their food and was disappointed to find that I didn’t get the extra mango salsa, which I paid for. I opened my pasilla burrito combo and saw that they cut my burrito in half and wrapped the individual halves in foil. When I unwrapped them it was a dripping soggy mess, and I ended up eating it all with a fork. The burrito was loaded with black beans, rice and chicken, but didn’t have as much mango salsa or cheese as I would have liked. Although the burrito was a little too salty, it was spicy, and the pasilla chili was a very flavorful addition to the dish.

My wife was very pleased with her tostada. It came in a flour tortilla bowl, much more like a taco salad than a tostada. The carne asada steak was very tender, and the guacamole was fresh and tasted marvelous. The rice and black beans were very tasty, and the tortilla shell tasted fresh and not at all greasy, which was surprising.

My almost-2-year-old son’s quesadilla was almost gone before I could get a taste, but I managed to coerce him into allowing me a sample bite in exchange for a promise that he could have some ice cream later. I was impressed with the flavor of grilled eggplant and bell peppers. They had no bitter charred aftertaste. The fresh flour tortilla really makes a difference you can taste as well.

The true surprise of the meal was the shrimp San Felipe tacos. My friend likes seafood as it is, but he loved the tacos. He added lemon and salsa was in heaven. I like salmon and occasionally lobster depending on where I’m eating, but other than that, I’m not a seafood fan, but I will definitely be getting the shrimp San Felipe tacos for myself. I’m not sure what they do to the shrimp, but surrounded by cilantro, onions, melted Jack cheese and fresh guacamole on a fresh-made corn tortilla — I’m hooked.

In spite of the initial start, Poquito Mas won me over with their good food and affordable prices.

?TOM GROVE is the former head chef for Nick Grippo Catering, and has worked as the personal chef for the curator of the Ennis/Brown House in Los Feliz. He can be e-mailed at tihmtahm@gmail.com.