Bajio Mexican Grill (July 25, 2007)

A new Bajio opened up right off of US 421 about a couple of months ago in a developing strip. The chain seems to be spreading around in the most random of areas in Indiana.

Looking at their website, the chain seemed to adhere to the "fast-casual" layout - order at a counter, follow your food and dictate what you want on it. However, the similarities to the fast casual "fresh-mex" players (Qdoba, Chipolte, etc.) end there. The menu at Bajio seems to take more of an authentic style much like Baja Fresh. Items such as shrimp tacos are found on the menu served as authentic as can be - in a corn tortilla with no lettuce/cheese with a slice of lime.

So just now, I decided to try the place for the first time. As I walked in, the decorating inside was very intricate and well-done. Beautiful light fixtures drop down over the dining area to create a very "old Mexico" feel complimented by the tones and murals painted on the walls. Much like Moe's Southwest Grill, a large menu is nailed onto the wall next to the counter. I spent a minute or two deciding what I would get until I eventually decided on the "Bajio Quesadilla."

I gave my order to the Counter Girl, who begins cooking the meat/chile mixture. She also warms up the quesadilla tortilla on a warmer device. She then sticks a very small amount of cheese (Monterrey Jack/Cheddar mix) and then combines it all together.

With every entree, you get a choice of rice and beans. These act as default sides. Since I'm not a big fan of beans, I decline any but am offered more rice. Two types of rice are served at Bajio - sweet rice and the traditional Mexican rice. I end up getting both, which was a significant amount of rice that I knew that I couldn't finish beforehand.

All of these contents are placed into a plastic tin bowl type thing that are usually used for leftovers in certain restaurants. I opted to have corn poured onto my rice, have hot salsa on top of it and a very small amount of sour cream on it. The finished quesadilla was placed into the big hodge podge mess of rice, corn, etc.

The price was a bit more than usual - $9.25 for the meal and a (large by default) soft drink. However you get a lot of food for the price.

First off, the food isnt prepared for eating with your hands; you must use a fork and knife. I didn't mind this at all; the whole mess in front of me actually looked kind of neat.

Though, eating this food was definitely something else. The chicken/chile mix in the quesadilla tasted a bit too sweet. The mix came off tasting like Chinese food of all things. It actually threw off the meal a bit. The tortilla then tasted like Naan from an Indian restaurant, the salsa tasted like pizza sauce. I was a bit thrown off by all of that. Though the rice/corn mix tasted alright, pretty standard fare.

Right off of the grill, the food is also not very spicy at all but the restaurant provides many bottles of hot sauces right next to the drink fountain. I opted for the Tapatio Salsa Picante and it managed to add an extra "kick" to the whole ordeal.

I finished the quesadilla but I was far from finishing the rice when I decided to throw in the towel. There was definitely a lot of food left over and I felt bad when I had to throw it away.

So my verdict is that I'll probably pay Bajio another visit sometime but I'll order something else. I'd like to try the regular quesadilla they offer rather than the "Bajio" one - the mixture was way too sweet and came off like the Burbon Chicken at Asian Chao/Panda Express. Not a very nice taste to have when you're craving Mexican cuisine.

Bajio can definitely hold its own in the fast-casual/fresh-mex market. It isn't nearly as bad as Moe's Southwest Grill though it's not nearly as good as Qdoba Mexican Grill.

But in the end, they're all for different tastes.