Prickly Pear Cafe

Prickly Pear which has been serving Southwestern grub since 1991. (Southwestern in this case means Tex-Mex plus.) Perpetually crowded, the cafe takes no reservations but will outfit you with a pager so you can stroll along Main Street until your table is ready. Many of the main dishes are familiar Tex-Mex items, such as burritos, fajitas, quesadillas and empanadas, which, as with all the entrées, come on a heaping platter full of tomato rice and baked black and pinto beans and salsa. Vegetarians will again be pleased with the nicely blended spinach and Chihuahua cheese enchilada while the empañada stuffed with chicken is enhanced with a toasted-pumpkin-seed cheese sauce. Nine Mexican beers, along with just as many from other countries, eight tequilas and, of course, regular and “gold” margaritas are what most sots select with their meals. However, the decent wine selections, many of which do not crack the $20 barrier, are another option.