ANNE BRALY: It always impresses me that, when there are Mexican restaurants on most every corner in town, La Altena continues to be busy. That speaks for itself. This eatery began as a small restaurant offering some of the most authentic Mexican food in the area when it opened back in the mid-1990s. Nowadays, you can find south-of-the-border fare that may be more true to its roots at small stands in Hispanic neighborhoods, but La Altena still packs ’em in. I’ve always opted for one of the huge burritos, so this time I really enjoyed the vegetarian quesadilla I ordered. The veggies were crisp-tender, not overdone, which was very nice. However, it was a little hard to eat. The two triangles of tomatoes, onions and green pepper encased in a thin tortilla were a little too large to pick up. And the tortilla was a little too thin to stand up to the veggies inside. Eating with a fork was messy but seemed to be the way to go. Altogether though, this was a good choice and not as heavy as a burrito.
HOLLY LEBER: A meal at La Altena always seems to offer no-frills good food at a reasonable price. I like that. It’s a fun place to pack into a booth with friends and have a low-key meal. And while Anne is usually the one to stick to the tried-but-true, this is one of the places I have a standby: the vegetarian taco salad with a side of sliced avocado. There’s a nice balance of shredded lettuce, beans and sauteed onions that creates a nice mix of flavor and texture. And it’s served in a taco shell bowl, so that has the potential for even more crunch, if you’re into that sort of thing. Mixing in the avocado adds some more flavor, but it actually throws off the texture balance, so take a lesson from me, fellow avocado fans, and keep it separate. Or maybe just try the guacamole.
ANNE: La Altena has some really good guacamole, and it was hard to resist ordering some on this visit. But they also have good salsa. Holly, you and I both agreed that we like salsa without a lot of chunks. This is it. Another plus: The server brings the salsa in a small pitcher, along with individual bowls in which to pour your own salsa. One bowl per person. That’s a great idea because there’s no problem with double-dipping your chip in your own bowl.
HOLLY: Yes, and the salsa is thick enough to actually coat the chip, not just get it wet. I’m a fan of the individual bowl aspect because most chips require serial dipping. Who wants to let half the chip get soggy while you chew the first bite?