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