Baja Fresh Mexican Grill.Baja Fresh Baja Fresh is a restaurant chain of Fresh Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California, United States in 1990 by Jim and Linda Magglos. Categorized as a "fast-casual" restaurant, the quality and preparation time of its food is between that of a fast-food restaurant and a started--where else?--in California. But the chain, now owned by Wendy's, has 250 outlets in 23 states. Like other fresh-Mex restaurants, it's clearly a cut above fast food. McDonald's and Wendy's may be working on their salads, but fresh-Mex chains have more beans See JavaBeans. , more fresh grilled grill tr.v. grilled, grill·ing, grills 1. To broil on a gridiron. 2. To torture or afflict as if by broiling. 3. Informal To question relentlessly; cross-examine. 4. seafood seafood Edible aquatic animals excluding mammals, but including both freshwater and ocean creatures. Seafood includes bony and cartilaginous fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, edible jellyfish, sea turtles, frogs, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. and chicken, and more vegetables, from the peppers and onions On·ions , Charles Talbut 1873-1965. British philologist and lexicographer who was coeditor of the Oxford English Dictionary from 1914 to 1933. to the tomato-rich salsa and the avocado avocado (ä`vəkä`do, ăv`–), tropical American broad-leaved evergreen tree of the genus Persea of the family Lauraceae (laurel family). in the guacamole. That doesn't mean you'll do fine with anything on the menu, though. The sodium is still through the roof, and the calories can easily exceed 1,000. Take Baja's burritos. Nearly all have at least 800 calories wrapped up with 1,600 to 2,000 mg of sodium and 15 to 20 grams of saturated fat saturated fat, any solid fat that is an ester of glycerol and a saturated fatty acid. The molecules of a saturated fat have only single bonds between carbon atoms; if double bonds are present in the fatty acid portion of the molecule, the fat is said to be . That's roughly two Quarter Pounders The Quarter Pounder is a sandwich sold by international fast food chain McDonald's. Along with the Big Mac, it is one of McDonald's two signature products. Product description . Exceptions: On the lighter side, a cheese-free Burrito Mexicano knocks the sat fat down to three grams (chicken) or six grams (steak). On the heavier side, you can order any burrito "Enchilado Style," which means chips, melted cheese, sour cream, and salsa on the side. It also means an additional 930 calories, 21 grams of sat fat, and 1,760 mg of sodium. Most of the landscape beyond burritos is equally foreboding fore·bod·ing n. 1. A sense of impending evil or misfortune. 2. An evil omen; a portent. adj. Marked by or indicative of foreboding; ominous. . Whether it's taquitos (fried 1. (hardware) fried - Non-working due to hardware failure; burnt out. Especially used of hardware brought down by a "power glitch" (see glitch), drop-outs, a short, or some other electrical event. corn tortillas filled with chicken of steak and cheese, served with beans or rice, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa) of a tostada "salad" (deep-fried flour flour, finely ground, usually sifted, meal of grain, such as wheat, rye, corn, rice, or buckwheat. Flour is also made from potatoes, peas, beans, peanuts, etc. Usually it refers to the finely ground and bolted (i.e. tortilla filled with shredded shred n. 1. A long irregular strip that is cut or torn off. 2. A small amount; a particle: not a shred of evidence. tr.v. lettuce lettuce, annual garden plant (Lactuca sativa and varieties) of the family Asteraceae (aster family), probably native to the East Indies or Asia Minor, possibly as a derivative of the widespread weed called wild lettuce (L. scariola). L. , beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa, and--if you want--chicken or steak), you're still talking two Quarter Pounders. Chicken enchiladas (with rice and beans Rice and beans, "arroz y habas" or "arroz con habichuelas" "arroz con frijoles" or similar in Spanish, "arroz e feijão" or "feijão com arroz", in Brazilian Portuguese, "du riz a pois/haricots" in French, and "diri ak pwa ) are more like a Big Mac plus 200 calories. Should you stray Stray (1) Not a member of the participating party in the trade at hand; (2) not a meaningful indication of a customer's desire to take a sizable position or be involved in a stock. into quesadilla que·sa·dil·la n. A flour tortilla folded in half around a savory filling, as of cheese or beans, then fried or toasted. [American Spanish, from Spanish, diminutive of quesada, and nachos territory, McDonald's starts to look like spa food. A quesadilla is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich A grilled cheese sandwich, (also known as cheese toasty or toasted cheese sandwich) is a form of toasted sandwich that consists of two slices of bread and at least one slice of cheese melted in between. on a tortilla instead of bread, embellished with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and (if you wish) chicken, steak, of grilled vegetables. It may look innocent, but it adds up to roughly 1,200 calories, 2,400 mg of sodium, and 36 grams of saturated fat (nearly two days' worth). That's three Quarter Pounders.... plus an extra half day's sat fat. It's like eating a New York strip Noun 1. New York strip - steak from upper part of the short loin strip steak beefsteak - a beef steak usually cooked by broiling steak, a Caesar salad caesar salad n. A tossed salad of greens, anchovies, croutons, and grated cheese with a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and a raw or coddled egg. , and a baked potato with butter. No one would confuse con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. nachos with diet food, especially when the fried corn chips are served with cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and (if you'd like) chicken or steak. But 2,000 calories and 40 grams of saturated fat seasoned with 2,900 mg of sodium is roughly four Quarter Pounders. It's a day's worth of food with two days' worth of sat fat. Don't get us wrong. Baja does have dishes for people who want to live past 65. Among them: * Ensaladas. You can get a Baja Ensalada salad with chicken, steak, of (breaded) fish. And last summer, the chain introduced two new Ensaladas--Mahi Mahi (on the West Coast) and Shrimp--as part of its Lighten Up Lighten up Selling some part of a stock or bond position in a portfolio to realize capital gains or to losses or increase cash assets. lighten up seasonal menu, which could become permanent if sales are strong. Most Ensaladas have about 300 calories (the steak has 460 and the shrimp 180) and no more than four grams of saturated fat (seven for the steak). And Baja's delicious fat-free Salsa Verde or Avocado Salsa dressing adds only 20 to 30 calories. But with more than 1,000 mg of sodium per salad (not including dressing), the Ensaladas aren't perfect. (Interestingly, the Lighten Up menu lists calories, fat, fiber, and protein for its seven dishes, but not sodium.) * Tacos. A single Baja Style Taco--chicken, shrimp, mahi mahi, steak, or breaded fish--keeps the calories in the 200s, the sat fat at two grams or less, and the sodium in the 300-to-500-mg range. A lone taco will leave most people hungry, but if you can get by with two, that's not a bad lunch. Baja's Lighten Up menu also offered a pair of Grilled Veggie Tacos, with 420 calories and three grams of sat fat. But there's no excuse for the 1,100 mg of sodium. * Taco Combos This article is about the snack food product. For other uses, see Combo. Combos, officially called Combos Snacks, invented in the mid 1970s, are a snack food created and distributed by Mars Incorporated. . All of Baja's Taco Combo Plates are reasonably low in saturated fat. Each comes with your choice of two tacos (chicken, shrimp, mahi mahi, breaded fish, or steak) plus rice, beans, and chips. The good news is that the beans are loaded with (a day's worth of) fiber. The bad news is that they've got 850 to 1,000 calories and roughly 2,000 mg of sodium. You can cut the sodium by almost 500 mg if you order a Tres Tacos Combo (because you're trading rice and beans for a third taco plus guacamole). As long as at least two of your three tacos are chicken or shrimp, the sat fat will be relatively low. But you're still talking 800 to 1,000 calories. * Bare Burritos. Last summer, Baja offered a tortilla-less Bare Burrito (chicken, rice, beans, grilled peppers and onions, pico de gallo Pico de gallo (Spanish for "rooster's beak") is the term generally referring to a fresh condiment made from chopped tomato, onion, and chiles (typically serranos or jalapeños). , and dressing) served in a bowl. The Vegetarian vegetarian /veg·e·tar·i·an/ (vej?e-tar´e-an) 1. one who practices vegetarianism. 2. pertaining to vegetarianism. veg·e·tar·i·an n. One who practices vegetarianism. Bare Burrito substitutes cheese and lettuce for chicken. Having no tortilla brings the calories down to the 550-to-650-mg range, and the sat fat to a rock-bottom-low two grams. If only the sodium were under 2,000 mg. * Baja Chicken Fajitas fajitas Noun, pl a Mexican dish of soft tortillas wrapped around fried strips of meat or vegetables [Mexican Spanish] without sour cream. Baja's fajitas--sizzling chicken, onions, and peppers served with soft flour or corn tortillas, with beans, rice, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa on the side--are far from perfect. The calories hover An option in Microsoft Internet Explorer that removes the permanent underline from hypertext links. The underline displays automatically and only when the cursor is placed over (hovers over) the link. Hover is available in Tools/Internet Options/Advanced/Underline links. around 1,300 and the sodium is off the charts (roughly 3,000 mg). But if you skip the sour cream and guacamole, the sat fat simmers down to two grams (if you get corn tortillas) or five grams (if you go with fattier flour tortillas). Baja Fresh Better Bite entrees and combos have no more than 5 grams of saturated fat (or 3 grams of sat fat for a single taco or mini tostadita). Except where noted, numbers don't include the chips that come with most items. If you get them, add the numbers for "Chips" in the Side Orders section. Within each section, items are ranked from least to most sat fat, then calories.
Tacos & Taquitos Calories Total Sat Fiber Sodium
Fat Fat (grams) (mg)
(grams) (grams)
[check] Baja Style
Taco (4 oz.) (1) 200 6 1 3 320
[check] Mahi Mahi or
Baja Fish Taco
(6 oz.) (2) 270 12 2 5 470
[check] Grilled Veggie
Tacos (2-14 oz.) 420 10 3 14 1,100
Taco Chilito (8 oz.) (1) 360 14 6 9 630
Taquitos (with
guacamole, sour cream,
and rice or beans)
(3-16 oz.) (1) 770 39 14 15 1,580
Burritos
[check] Bare,
Vegetarian (20 oz.) 560 8 2 22 2,040
[check] Bare (22 oz.) 650 7 2 22 2,410
[check] Mexicano,
Chicken (18 oz.) 830 13 3 20 2,110
Mexicano, Steak (18 oz.) 920 20 6 19 2,120
Bean and Cheese (14 oz.) 870 31 15 20 1,640
Bean and Cheese,
Chicken (78 oz.) 1,000 33 15 21 2,080
Grilled Vegetarian
(18 oz.) 830 32 16 16 1,730
Baja (16 oz.) (1) 870 39 16 10 2,000
Ultimo (17 oz.) (1) 970 39 18 9 2,060
Bean and Cheese,
Steak (18 oz.) 1,100 41 19 20 2,090
Dos Manos (33 oz.) (1) 1,590 49 21 27 3,730
Dos Manos, Enchilado
Style (62 oz.) (1) 3,370 157 63 43 6,230
To make any burrito
(except Dos Manos)
Enchilado Style, add ... 930 55 21 10 1,760
Salads
[check] Baja Ensalada,
except Steak
(20 oz.) (1) 280 9 2 8 1,120
[check] Side-By-Side
(14 oz.) 320 6 2 6 1,300
Mini Tosta-Dita
(12 oz.) (1) 600 20 5 13 1,560
Baja Ensalada,
Steak (78 oz.) 460 18 7 5 1,250
Tostada (27 oz.) (1) 1,130 54 15 29 2,290
Dressing (4 Tbs.)
Salsa Verde 20 0 0 0 290
Avocado Salsa 30 3 0 1 200
Ranch 220 19 4 0 440
Olive Oil Vinaigrette 230 25 4 0 230
Nachos & Quesadillas (with guacamole and sour cream
Quesadilla (20 oz.) (1) 1,230 72 36 10 2,430
Nachos (30 oz.) (1) 2,000 107 39 33 2,890
Enchildas (with rice, beans, and sour cream
[check] Verano (21 oz.) 580 9 3 21 2,140
Verdes, Vegetarian
(23 oz.) 750 25 12 21 2,480
Verdes, Chicken (22 oz.) 800 26 12 20 2,660
Chicken (21 oz.) 810 28 12 20 2,370
Steak (23 oz.) 920 36 17 20 2,560
Verdes, Cheese (20 oz.) 870 38 19 19 2,470
Cheese (20 oz.) 880 40 19 19 2,340
Side Orders
Chips (1 oz.,
about 12 chips) 150 7 1 2 40
Rice (6 oz.) 280 4 1 4 980
Black or Pinto
Beans (11 oz.) (2) 340 2 1 24 980
Guacamole, small (3 oz.) 110 9 2 6 280
Pronto Guacamole with
chips (6 oz.) 550 30 4 11 380
Guacamole, large
(8 oz.) 290 25 5 16 750
Baja Fajita Combos (with sour cream, guacamole, rice, and beans, unless
noted)
[check] Chicken with
3 corn tortillas, no
sour cream or guacamole
(29 oz.) 1,000 13 2 30 2,430
[check] Chicken with
3 corn tortillas, no
sour cream (32 oz.) 1,110 22 4 36 2,710
[check] Chicken with
4 flour tortillas, no
sour cream or
guacamole (30 oz.) 1,160 21 5 26 2,960
Chicken with 3 corn
tortillas (34 oz.) 1,200 29 9 36 2,780
Chicken with 4 flour
tortillas (34 oz.) 1,360 37 12 32 3,310
Steak with 3 corn
tortillas (34 oz.) 1,370 42 15 33 2,830
Steak with 4 flour
tortillas (33 oz.) 1,530 50 18 30 3,350
Taco Combo Plate (2 Baja Tacos with rice, beans, and chips)
[check] Taco Combo Plate
(20 oz.) (1) 920 26 4 25 1,840
Tres Tacos Combos (3 Baja Style Tacos with guacamole and chips)
[check] 3 Chicken
(15 oz.) 790 28 3 18 1,160
[check] 3 Shrimp
(16 oz.) 790 28 3 15 1,280
[check] 2 Chicken or
Shrimp & 1 Fish,
Mahi Mahi, or Steak
(17 oz.) (1) 840 32 4 17 1,280
[check] 2 Mahi Mahi,
1 Chicken (23 oz.) 930 38 5 22 1,460
[check] 2 Mahi Mahi,
1 Shrimp (23 oz.) 930 38 5 21 1,500
[check] 1 Chicken,
1 Fish, 1 Mahi Mahi
(20 oz.) 940 41 5 19 1,480
3 Mahi Mahi (26 oz.) 1,000 43 6 24 1,610
3 Steak (15 oz.) 880 34 8 15 1,130
3 Fish (18 oz.) 1,030 52 8 15 1,670
[check] Better Bite. (1) Average of the entire line.
(2) Average of the item listed.
Daily Values (daily levels for a 2,000-calorie diet): Total Fat: 65
grams. Saturated fat: 20 grams. Fiber: 25 grams. Sodium: 2,400 mg.
Source: Baja Fresh Mexican Grill.
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