Fajita Coast: An alternative to fast food

The Four Corners area does not offer students much more than fast food and one or two small sit down restaurants. However, Fajita Coast, located where the old seafood restaurant Fred and Harry's used to be, is a sit down restaurant with fresh and appetizing lunch and dinner options.

Fajita Coast offers a combination of the owner's native Cuban cuisine and more typical
"Tex-Mex" food. The minimal decorations, which include a large Texas flag hanging behind the full bar and a mural of a beach painted on a back wall, emphasizes the openness of the restaurant, which is much more spacious than it appears to be from the outside.

A waiter with a warm smile and a basket of complimentary tortilla chips greets customers shortly after they sit down. The wait for ordering isn't long, but the chips are so good that you will be sorely tempted to ask if your basket can be replenished (which, luckily, it can).

Fajita Coast has a wide selection of the popular tacos and enchiladas, but the salads should not be overlooked as entrees are the salads. The Carlos salad combines fresh corn and black beans with tender marinated chicken, baby lettuce and spinach and is tossed in a delicious peanut dressing. The freshness of the ingredients truly sets this restaurant's salads apart.

The grill provides a perfect option for the carnivore's dream date: fajitas al carbon for one or two. Customers can choose one or a combination of succulent, charcoal grilled steak and chicken with fresh flour tortillas. If it's offered as a special, make sure to order the herb-marinated steak, which was described by a dining companion as, "the best steak I've ever had."

For those who can't decide what to order, Fajita Coast offers "Combinaciones Mexicanas." Priced at a conservative $8.95, this selection features multiple combinations of the restaurant's more traditional dishes, such as enchiladas, tacos and tamales.

For $10.95 customers can also enjoy chiles rellenos, two large, crisp poblano peppers stuffed with cheese or ground beef. Unfortunately, the batter tends to be thick and heavy and overpowers the tender peppers and mild cheese. Additionally, quesadillas offered at Fajita Coast should be skipped; the lukewarm cheese arrives congealed between two dry tortillas.

Most meals at the Fajita Coast are accompanied by Mexican rice, which is so delicious it is worth ordering á la carte. The seasonings provide an intense flavor and the vegetables incorporated into it complement the al dente texture of the rice. The meals also come with frijoles a la charra, pinto beans slowly cooked with bacon.

If possible, save room for dessert. An especially good choice is the sinfully luscious Cajeta, which consists of vanilla ice cream rolled in toasted coconut and topped with a homemade milky caramel sauce, more commonly known as dulce de leche. Though a pricey $5.25, the dish is large enough to share.

Best of all, the Fajita Coast provides something more than fast food for the Blair community. It's a great place for students, and teachers, to gather and enjoy some really good Cuban and
Tex-mex food.

Fajita Coast is located at 10110 Colesville Road Silver Spring, MD 20901-2425. To contact Fajita Coast call 301- 593-0015. Prices range from $6.95 to $16.50 for entrees. Parking available in the rear.