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| - On The Border saved my sanity (and someone's life). That's right, folks. You read it here first. Picture it: Charlotte in December. It was a Friday night. I got out of work, got stuck in ignorant holiday traffic, but finally made it home...about 30 minutes late. Working a 2nd job and taking a night class, this was my one free night to relax and have a nice meal out. I changed quickly and we were out the door, heading to PF Chang's. Cut to: the power-tripping hostess who didn't want to seat our party of 5 at one of their empty tables. (See PF Chang's review for details on that "fun" episode.) We left and headed toward what we thought would be a slower part of town. We got stuck in more ignorant holiday traffic and what should have been a 15 minute drive turned out to be about an hour. It was really turning out to be a great night. We finally reached a shopping plaza where there was a Macaroni Grille. We decided to pull in. An hour wait. I ran next door to On The Border. It, too, was supercrowded. "We can seat you right away," said the hostess. Really? Heck, yeah! Mexican it is! And we WERE seated right away.
The restaurant was supercrowded in the dining room, but somehow we lucked out. Our cheerful server came immediately to our table, brought mucho chips and salsa, and took our drink orders. After the way the evening had gone so far, mama needed some margarita. The chips were gone in no time and we were immediately brought more. With my Enchiladas Suizas (chicken and cheese enchiladas covered with green, sweet tomatillo sauce) came Margarita #2. We were SO pleased with the food and service that we left a nice, fat tip. Happy holidays to him!
After this exceptional experience, you may be asking yourself, "Why did he only give On The Border four stars instead of five?" And my answer would be because I consider Cantina 1511 a five-star Mexican restaurant and On The Border a four-star. On The Border's salsa and entree options can't compare to Cantina's gourmet take on Mexican. They're good...but they're no Cantina.
So now you see why On The Border saved my sanity (and possibly someone's life). The End.
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