Baja Fresh Mexican Grill

Oh how I missed eating Baja Fresh. Such a treat while visiting Florida. Come to Northern Kentuck please!!!!

I remember my California days when Baja Fresh was the "latest craze" and I recall how good it was every time I went there.  Jump ahead ten years later:  Driving to the SCUBA shop in Fort Lauderdale, I was surprised to see a Baja Fresh enroute!  (I had totally forgotten about this franchise since leaving L.A. for the Alaskan hinterlands.)  I knew I had to try it out, eventually....  After my first trip to Baja ended with a detour to Lime Fresh Mexican (see my review), second time was the charm -- or so I thought.  Decor is pretty much the same as I remember (white and clinical, and totally Americanized and de-Mexicanized), although (I'm told) some of the Bajas in California are (now) much fancier.  The Jamaican counter guy was about as unresponsive and bleary as one could be standing on two feet!  He was particularly rushed -- I could barely understand his "Jamaican-Jive English" -- never cracked a smile, and just had a whole "Yeah, whaddah ya wan'?" kinda attitude.  (A young, ill-educated punk.  But, that's the status quo for kids these days, huh?)  Anyway, I placed my order:  a Diablo Burrito ("Enchilado"-style) con carne con cerdo (pork).  (I'm practicing my Rosetta Stone Spanish.)  After ordering, I checked out the salsa bar:  it was relatively clean and had a modicum amount of condiments to choose from.  Nothing special -- sorta in-line with the Americanized decor.  The counter guy barely (inaudibly) called out that my order was ready; in fact, I just so happened to look over to the counter and he placed the tray down to the farthest end of the counter and gave me a "come-n-get-it" nod.  Okey-dokey....  The saving grace of this initially disastrous welcoming was the fact that the burrito looked beautiful and HUGE!  And, after a hungry bite full, it tasted just as good as it looked!  Unlike the last burrito I had at Lime Fresh, this burrito was fully loaded with delicious, garlicky pork strings; a small amount of rice; lots of fresh and tasty black beans.  (A small portion of shredded iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream came on the side.  The gratis portion of chips were also covered in tasty enchilada sauce and cheese, like the burrito.)  Even though I was full halfway through, it was so good that I ate the whole thing!  (Naturally, no doubt I'll pay for my insatiability, as I also loaded on the pickled jalapenos....  Bloop!)  As a coda to this evening's meal, a gal (dressed in nurse's fatigues no less) came into the joint and made a beeline to the Jamaican behind the counter.  A couple of minutes into her arrival, the guy came out from behind the counter, joined the gal, walked down a short hallway past the restrooms, opened the back door, and started "doin' their thang," leaving the counter completely un-manned!  Naturally, a group of customers arrived shortly thereafter, leaving the "back staff" person to come to the aid of the customers!  (An older gentleman joined the front counter to assist, while the Jamaican dude sauntered in a few secs afterwards and merely stood on the far side, cooling down from getting all hot-n-bothered from what I could gather.)  This, my friends, are the kinds of people who are being hired to give us so-called "customer service" these days....  Oy vey!!!  Food gets 4-1/2 stars; counter-guy gets a 1/2 star (for at least getting the order correct).  (I'm trying to be diplomatic here.)  Sad, Mon (as they'd say in Jamaica)....  :(

The food is ok but the employees Spanish talking gives me a headache when I try to enjoy my meal