Flavor, efficiency, drips and din can all be found On the Border

LITTLE ROCK — On the Border, the chain Mexican restaurant with a west Little Rock outlet, has introduced a new menu, including a selection of "Fresh Grill" entrees, a couple of new salads and a couple of new appetizer options.

What isn't new at On the Border is the quasi-hacienda atmosphere, with plenty of purple and maize in the decor, nor the slightly cramped seating setup in the main dining room, nor the noise level, which, depending on how full the place gets, ranges from "enthusiastic" to painful.

And you still get quick, efficient service, although at a quick glance, practically nobody on the wait staff is old enough to be out that late.

Moments after you invest yourself at your table or booth, a waiter is there with a small bowl of salsa, a nice mix of tomato flavor and just enough heat to tingle without endangering your esophagus, plus a large basket of unsalted chips, which are more like halves of taco shells than tortilla chips.

That's a nice touch because these hold (or should hold) salsa and dips better than tortilla chips and because there are therefore fewer shards and crumbles at the bottom of the basket when you're done.

One third of the new OTB Dip Trio ($6.99) is actually worth dipping: the warm black bean dip, which is warm, made from black beans and pretty tasty.

Oddly, it is not available as a separate appetizer for some reason. Neither is the zesty avocado ranch dip, which is fairly zesty but kind of thin; it would make a really tasty salad dressing but it's kind of a wash as a dip.

The third component, the Original Queso ($5.09 bowl, $4.09 cup) a yellow cheese dip, is a little on the gummy side, enlivened somewhat by jalapenos, chunks of poblano peppers and a hint of cilantro.

Nonetheless, it is head and shoulders above the new Queso Blanco ($5.09, $4.09), a white cheese dip - or more accurately, perhaps, a cheese drip, because it's runnier than Richard Nixon.

A cheese dip doesn't have to be thick to be worthwhile, but it should at least stay on the chip. Ours sluiced off all over our fingers. Apparently, according to our waiter, that's the way it's supposed to be; our waiter commiserated about its runniness - he likes his to stay on the chip, too - but didn't offer any practical suggestions.

Down at the bottom we found a few stray bits of peppers and onions; swimming near the top are a handful of jalapeno slices. Spending an extra buck for "Carne Style with seasoned ground beef" added something to the flavor but nothing to the texture.

We tried and were pleased by two of the four new "Fresh Grill" options.

A decent-size plank of Mahi Mahi ($14.99) is seasoned in red chile and brushed with a tequila lime chile sauce, just enough total chile to give it a slight kick.

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp & Steak Medallions ($15.29) comes in two parts - three grilled shrimp tastily wrapped in bacon and Jack cheese and served on skewers, and three medallions of carneasada steak topped with a reddishbrown cascabel pepper sauce that were almost as tender as the menu promised.

Unusual for a Mexican restaurant, the side items were just as enjoyable as the entrees - a chunk of surprisingly moist jalapeno corn bread; tangy Mexican corn in a sort of tiny casserole; and especially the nicely flavorful cilantro lime rice.

Showing that the menu is still quite new, our otherwise knowledgeable waiter engaged us in a lively discussion regarding whether we wanted the black beans that supposedly come with the dishes or whether we'd rather substitute refried. Turns out these dishes don't come with beans at all.

The Ultimate Fajita ($15.49) turned out to be less than the sum of its parts: slices of mesquitegrilled steak; mesquite-grilled chicken; "seasoned, sauteed shrimp"; and pulled pork ("carnitas") on a hot, sizzling platter with hot sizzling vegetables.

We got more carnitas, marinated, shredded pork, than any of the other components, and it tasted the best, too. (We'd rank the steak second, the shrimp third and the chicken last, but ahead of the vegetables, which included onions and red bell peppers but also squash and zucchini, which we'd be even less likely to touch as part of a fajita package than we would as part of a vegetable medley side.)

The kitchen skimped on our shrimp, too - just three on the plate, which, considering there were four tortillas for wrapping, meant less than one shrimp per serving.

We also got a blob of sour cream, some very flabby pico de gallo and a choice of guacamole or shredded cheese (On the Border charges 79 cents for "extra" guac or cheese), plus a side of black beans (refried is an option), which were pretty good, and Mexican rice, which wasn't.

The waiters, whose job it is to swell their PPI (per-person average), will push appetizers and desserts, but neither of ours pushed particularly hard. Both were friendly and helpful even while being a bit overworked, and both brought drink refills long before we needed them. Our first waiter brought us unsolicited additional napkins; we had to ask for them the second time, and we really needed them to wipe up the Queso Blanco drippings.

The restaurant f ills up early and there are usually lengthy weekend (and even occasionally weeknight) waits. The seating host or hostess may try to steer you into the bar - which is, if possible, even noisier and more cramped than the dining room - even if the main dining room isn't full.

On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina Address: 11721 Chenal Parkway, Little Rock Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday Cuisine: chain Mexican Credit cards: V, MC, AE, D Alcoholic beverages: Full bar Reservations: No Wheelchair accessible: Yes Carryout: Yes (501) 217-9275