www.ontheborder.com
298 East Via Rancho Parkway
Escondido, Ca. 92025
Time for another review! This time my man and I went to "On The Border" in Escondido. Otherwise referred to as OTB. This was kind of an easy review to do, because we have actually been there many times. We already knew what we enjoy there, to eat, and what we enjoy to drink! Their Happy Hour (HH) is daily from 3-7, in the bar and patio only. They do stand by that one. Which is OK, even though we bring our 5 year old with us, we are still welcome in the bar area. Good to be able to take advantage of the HH prices with the family. The HH menu includes half price appetizers and I am not sure what the discounts are on drinks, but my 'rita was only $4. No matter what time of day, HH or not, thats a great price. I do not think ALL drinks are half price, but they still have a nice selection of HH drinks.
The list of drinks were nice, and extensive. Next time I go, I will venture out more to a choice other then the house 'rita. They also have a decent line up of beers. The BEST part of their beer service, is they always put your beer in a frosted glass. A total bonus for beer drinkers!
The margarita!
Lets talk about my 'rita. I ordered the OTB house 'rita. The tequila in this 'rita is Gold tequila. (Did not label a brand on the menu) Truth be told, this is my usual choice when we go. I kept true to my order, because I wanted to review it for you. The price during HH is $4. Not sure for non HH times, but I would definitely pay more. This 'rita came to me NOT separated! TOTAL bonus! However, if you take a walk by the bar you can see why it is perfectly blended, it does come from a dispenser! A 'rita from a dispenser is always a better consistency then it would be if it were made that moment by a bar tender, and it is ALWAYS the same, each and every visit. I always know how it will taste. Thats just the way it is. The down side, they don't "accidentally" bonus you up with an extra shot of something. Some times we need an extra something, know what I mean? The flavor of this 'rita is spot on. Not too sweet and surely not too "strong" ether. I found myself not needing the salt on the rim of my glass at all. It really is a perfect balance. However, I will still only give this 'rita a total of 4 out of 5 stars. Why? Because this 'rita offers a bit of a buzz, but the buzz does not last long enough, not at all! So close to perfect, so close. Also, the 'rita was not all the way full, they could have added another ounce at the top! :D
Note from my man,"This is often my complaint when the beer comes out. It looks like someone already took a drink out of it. Every ounce is precious."
The OTHER margarita!
Yes, the OTHER 'rita. My man, ordered a 'rita! For the first time ever. With me any way, he really is a beer drinker. However, he did not stray too far from home. He ordered the Margarona. The Margarona is an OTB house 'rita with a Corona sticking out of it, upside-down. As you drink away at the 'rita, the beer dispenses into the 'rita. Now would be a good time to allow my man to take over, for the review of the Margarona, "The beer really did not dispense naturally into the 'rita for some reason of physics I cannot explain. I had to lift up and let it burble out, leaving an unnatural ratio of beer to 'rita depending on how much burbled. Maybe I did something wrong, I don't know. The combination actually wasn't that bad. The only negative I came away with was the occasional brain freeze sensation from the frozen 'rita. Did not care for that, which reminded me why I don't usually order that drink. Overall, the combination of the two made the post-dinner traipse through the mall that much more tolerable!"
The Food!
The food here is OK. The honest truth is, I would not come here for the food. For me, its about the 'rita, else I am not interested. However, I have learned what I do like and do not like on the menu. What I had this time, was a single cheese enchilada. Between the chips/salsa and the 'rita, thats just about all I could consume. I did like the enchilada, but the 'rita was far better and its what keeps me coming back. The service was good too. Being in the bar and not in the regular seating, the service can be spotty, but on this night, the service was good. I really like their chips, yet they are rather large. The salsa is a bit on the tangy side, which is good when you consider the fact that salsa should NEVER be on the bland side. In my opinion any way! All in all, the food is not very especial, but the drinks are worth the trip and effort!
Note from man,"From the husband's perspective, the salsa is barely tangy, but I notice that the older I get, the less tolerant I am of spicy heat, so that's ok. The chips are unnaturally shaped. Traditionally, tortilla chips are tortillas cut into 4 or 6 triangles. These are tortillas cut in half - ONLY! That's right, half moon shaped. The chips are so big in fact that if I weren't with "immediate" family, I would have kept an eye out for double-dippers."
Thank you for reading my review on OTB, if you would like to follow me as I hit San Diego for some more 'ritas, you can do so on twitter, @SD_Rita.
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