Prickly Pear

On Saturday I woke up with every intention on finishing my 15-page research paper. I turned on my computer, ready to pick up where I had left off the day before, to find that somehow a file on my computer had become corrupted and Windows could no longer boot up. I spent about 5 hours trying to fix the problem, but I eventually had to admit defeat. And by admit defeat I mean to say that I ate my stress away with chips & salsa at the Prickly Pear.

After my last post several of you mentioned that I needed to try the Prickly Pear. I have often walked by the restaurant on my many journeys to Main Street but I always assumed that it was Southwestern – style food and not actually Mexican food. There is, in fact, a difference between the two. But I decided to give it a shot. My friend Aghogho was visiting me on Saturday so I dragged him along with me on the journey.

While Prickly Pear doesn’t have the same sense of community as  La Plaza, it’s definitely a comfortable atmosphere. The high booths provide a sense of seclusion and intimacy at the table which is nice, and the lighting is very calming (definitely the environment I needed to be in after losing 8 pages of my 15-page paper). I wanted to order the margarita pitcher, as someone had suggested to me in my previous post, but since I still had alot of work to do that evening I decided to go for the frozen lemonade instead. These were actually REALLY delicious. So delicious, in fact, that I would probably return to the Prickly Pear simply for a frozen lemonade.

Aghogho stares lustily at our frozen lemonades

The chips and salsa were also pretty good, although I would suggest to them to make their chips a bit warmer. There’s something about warm, slightly salted tortilla chips dipped in a cool refreshing tomato salsa that just can’t be beat, and Prickly Pear was definitely lacking in that area. The menu was a bit pricy, but Aghogho and I decided to split the Fajitas for 2, which was $20. From an economic standpoint, this is probably the best decision to make if you are a student living on a budget.

Chicken Fajitas for 2

While the food was good, it felt like there was something missing. Maybe I was searching for it to be a little spicier, or maybe I was missing the lovely queso sauce served at La Plaza. My friend Aghogho, though, believed it was very good and so maybe he is a better judge since he doesn’t have the same prejudices I do when it comes to Mexican food. Either way, the Prickly Pear is definitely worth a visit, just make sure to bring along a little extra cash. After tip, my bill ended up being $17.00, which is a little more than I am typically use to spending. And if your over 21, order a margarita for me and let me know how it  tastes.