Old Town Mexican Cafe and Cantina, San Diego

This place is smack in the middle of a tourist spot, which is always worrisome (they even have people in the window making tortillas). The restaurant boasts of lots of awards, which seem legit, but it's still worrisome. Fortunately though, this place is pretty good.

I started off with the obligatory margarita (chips and salsa complimentary), followed by a ceviche starter, which wasn't bad, if a bit sour. The carnitas (the house special, BTW) were not as crispy or greasy as I remember them (crap - I just realized that I didn't order the crispy option - argh!!!), but oh do I still miss that taste (hey fresh salsa, tortillas, and avocado!). The chile relleno was par for the course, while the key lime pie was surprisingly tight and tarty.

Bottom line: even if this isn't completely out of this world, it's still worth going to for the freshness alone. Next stop: south of the border to Tijuana, Mexico!