El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill

I pass this little shop almost everyday, but have never given it much thought:

But I've always seen Police Cars and Post Office Vehicles in the parking lot. And you know what they say about Cops and Postal Carriers, well maybe not Postal Carriers......not that I have anything against the Post Office mind you, I love getting my mail, and living, and stuff. Well, before I make anymore comments that get me in trouble, let's proceed.

Doing this Food Blogging thingy has given me alot more courage, I finally gave El Portal a try. The first thing I did was read a little pamphlet that told me El Portal was one of those "Fresh Mexican Grills" that seem to be in every strip mall nowadays. You know,  grilled lean meat,  grilled chicken breast, no preservatives, no cholesterol, no lard, and many times, no flavor.

I ordered a Carne Asada Torta($4.15):

Expecting to be underwhelmed, I was rather surprised. I mean this isn't really Mexican food, but it was pretty tasty. A well toasted bollilo, a good amount of very well marinated and grilled carne asada(though I'm pretty sure it was heated up in a microwave), and the sandwich wasn't over-dressed. So many times I've had a torta that's just smeared in beans or mayo that it's a soggy mess. On the minus side, the guacamole was fairly flavorless, and what's with the one slice of tomato right smack in the middle of the roll?

I did enjoy the Caesar Pepita Salad($4.05):

Though a bit short on the Cotija Cheese and Pepitas(pumpkin seeds), the salad was well dressed and tasty. The dressing was not quite the usual Caesar dressing, being alot looser and tangy. But overall a pretty fair salad. BTW, I didn't take a photo of the chips that came with these dishes; but just let me say, they were really bad; dry and stale tasting.

About a week later I was doing some shopping at Long's Drugs in Mission Valley, and to my surprise El Portal had opened a second location:

In need for some sustenance, I walked in. No Police; this time it was the Highway Patrol, and one Postal Worker, with a UPS Guy thrown in.

I decided to try the Pollo Asado Torta(grilled marinated chicken $4.15):

Can you say B-L-A-N-D! This tasted like a sour cream and cardboard sandwich. Really not worth my time. But I was comforted by the tomato; I now knew that the single lonely slice of tomato is the standard.

I did manage to get a Carne Asada Taco($2.45):

Though a bit more expensive then what I'm used to paying for a taco; this was absolutely stuffed with, well "stuff". The Carne Asada was just as before, pretty good; but so was the tasteless pasty "guac", and the pico de gallo was the usual run of the mill type. Not a disappointment, but not really great, and pretty consistent as a whole; just what the masses love in a "fast-casual" type restaurant. If looked at in that way, El Portal is pretty good.

Some notes; El Portal is a prime example that "healthy" doesn't equate to "low fat". For example all Tortas have guacamole and sour cream. El Portal opens at 7am and has a large variety of omelettes and breakfast burritos.

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill
4101 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

5618 Mission Ctr Rd
San Diego, CA 92108

Comments

[Dylan]

Concerning tortas, i once had a greasy one, LATHERED with mayo. it was disgusting. i basically ordered mayonnaise with a side of bread and beef. it's been 3 years and haven't had a torta since then. The carne asada does look nice and tasty though.

[Rachel]

Hmm your right Kirk, it does have a very fast food feel to it. I'm sure it has its place in society as it seems to nourish San Diegos finest ;)

[Reid]

Hi Kirk,

I always envy you for having such a great selection of Latin American eateries to choose from. Here we have a lot of great Asian options, but quite often, I feel like something different. Make sense?

That said, too bad it wasn't as good as it looked. The prices seem quite reasonable when compared to what we pay here.

[Angie]

What's the point in getting a lowfat grilled chicken breast and then adding sour cream or mayo? It is funny that people go to a place for "healthy" food but then add sour cream for "flavor." Unless it is lowfat sour cream, I guess, but that's even worse.

Give me pork and lard any day. Or at least chicken with the skin and bones on it to give it some taste.

[Kirk]

Hi Dylan - The first torta I had was in East LA, and was really good, toasted bun, great balanced portions - but I've had some really bad ones.

Hi Rachel - It is pretty much this new type of fast-casual dining.

Hi Reid - Actually, I wish there were more "other" Latin types of restaurants here. There's mainly Taco Shops with a few Salvadoren places thrown in.

Hi Angie - I'll take dark meat chicken, even! Even though it might be low-fat sour cream, there's still "Guac" on it.

[Kristy]

Mmm...tortas. I like mayo but not when it overpowers everything else. I'm with Angie. Give me some fried chicken skin...mmm mmm good! Healthy? Low fat? Atkins? bleh! I say everything's good in moderation. :)

[Jo]

Yep, Angie & Kristy are right on. The Bible says "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". In Genisis it further states that ALL things are here for our benefit (with the possible exception of poison oak and oleander). I take that to mean that we need to concentrate on eating as many different things as possible (except, of course, poison oak and oleander! ;o)

[Kirk]

Hi Kristy - I don't know how I feel about mayo on Tortas - I guess it's ok so long they are like you say. Atkins is one of those words that is not in my vocabulary.....

Hi Jo - LOL!

[Beth]

My sis-in-law Lydia just came by the other night with a few To-Go items from this place. She just brought a big thing of black beans and their sweet corn meal mush. Both were great. But I haven't tried any of their entrees yet. I'll stay away from the cardboard chicken, though!

[Kirk]

Hi Beth - Wow, so I guess I need to try their black beans....

[sandra]

About the one tomato slice problem, you can always ask for extra tomato at no extra charge...

[Kirk]

Hi Sandra - Thanks for commenting! Let's put it this way, this is the first time you've bought the Torta, you aren't going to open up the sandwich to do an inspection at the counter, you don't know that there's just one slice of tomato in there until you get home and open it up. Maybe just adding another slice of tomato in the first place would make more sense?

[sandra]

I was made this comment, since there were two tortas ordered. I did ask for extra tomato the second time around.

I love the pepita salad, and the grilled fish. There is also a smaller and chaper version of the pepita salad, sometimes the "regular" sized is too much.

I also agree a bit on the chicken. It doesn't have much flavor. Love the carne asada though. I eat there often. Prefer El Portal than the other fast food places around