chubby's tacos

Despite its name, there is a fair amount of health-conscious and vegetarian options at Durham's new taqueria on Ninth Street.

Chubby's Tacos opened last May, and with Cosmic Cantina and Blue Corn Cafe nearby, the opening of another Mexican place may have gone unnoticed.

Nevertheless, Chubby's stands out for its low prices and fresh take on typical Mexican fare. The menu has a wide array of options, from burritos and quesadillas to tortas (grilled sandwiches) and gorditas.

The torta was unimpressive and lacked any flavor, but the gordita, a sandwich on flat bread made with masa harina-a corn-flavored Mexican flour of thicker consistency-was vastly better. Mine came with a filling of tender chicken fajitas flavored with onions and a hint of cumin. The carne asada contained fresh cilantro, adding zest to the well-seasoned but somewhat dry steak.

Numerous tacos choices are also offered. Each taco alone is fairly small, but you can make it a meal for an additional $2. Although the rice and beans aren't remarkable, it is worth the upgrade for the chips and fresh salsas, one of which recently won the "Best Restaurant Salsa" award in the Bull City Chili Challenge.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of seafood and vegetarian options available. Unusual fillings like tilapia, tuna and tofu are worth a try. But one of the best items was a grilled vegetable quesadilla with a crisp carrots, broccoli and cauliflower filling.

The sweet quesadilla for dessert was nice in theory but fell flat in practice. The cream cheese stuffing was too heavy and lacked the cinnamon flavor it promised. The fried ice cream, however, might have been a better choice.

Chubby's also uses green and recycled products. The silverware are made from recycled potato scraps and the cups from corn scraps.