Las Brisas: Flavor so good, it's almost criminal

I am guilty of a horrible crime. I have this wonderful platform with which I can steer you, the fellow members of my community, in the direction of worthy or quirky or just darn tasty restaurants. My crime is that, so often, I take for granted the places I visit the most and don't think to share them with you. That changes today. I am going to share with you a place that is close to my neighborhood and serves up food that is much better than fast food for an equivalent price and a speed that rivals many a fast food line.

You can visit a Las Brisas in Fruitland just north of Jackson, or Scott City, or Missouri towns Bloomfield, Pevely, Charleston, East Prairie or Malden, even Blytheville, Arkansas. Phew. This family is busy. But, I thought, does this qualify as a chain restaurant? I think it may, albeit a small, family-owned chain. I don't often cover chains, and yet, I eat here all the time because of convenience, price and taste, so here goes!

Las Brisas serves authentic Mexican food, with a bunch of options for those of us who don't want to eat authentic Mexican as well. The fact remains that when I go here, I want something from south of the border, so I will tell you about my two go-to dishes. I have been working my way through everything slowly, and so far, these are my favorite.

First up is a good ol' classic, the steak fajita. Served on a piping hot metal plate that is still sizzling and still delights me, finely sliced strips of beef have been stir-fried with onions, greens peppers, and tomatoes. On the side you will receive Mexican rice, refried beans, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and pico de gallo. You can choose between warmed corn or flour tortillas, whatever tickles your fancy. I always go flour because I like the soft smoothness of flour versus the more textured corn tortillas. I recently ordered this again and took it to the park to eat, and man, it hit the spot. The onions were nicely caramelized, the beef had that nice brown crust from the pan, and all the veggies piled up were fresh and crisp. I like to build a fajita towering high and stuffed with all the goodies. Fresh, beefy, hot and cold, bursting with flavor and texture, this may be the perfect food.

My other favorite from Las Brisas is the Chile Verde. When I'm ordering low carb, this is my favorite meal in the whole world. It starts off with a chunk (or chunks) of pork, cooked slow and so soft and succulent that you hardly have to chew it. The pork is topped with a green chili sauce made with tomatillos, a delicious relative of the gooseberry, which I find tangy and bright, almost citrus crisp and ever so slightly spicy but not enough to make my lips or tongue burn. Normally, this meal is served with rice and beans, like almost every other meal here. But I had a stroke of genius when I asked them to substitute a side of vegetables instead. Lots of broccoli, some carrots, and with added seasoning and some browning in a pan, these simple veggies became a more-than-acceptable alternative to the carbs. My favorite thing to do is to stir the whole mess together, and eat a huge plate of roasted pork and veggies. If you want to eat Chile Verde normally, you will also receive corn or flour tortillas to build your own pork tacos. I won't hold it against you if you do, but now you know that amazing low carb options can be created here.

A perfect day at the park, with a Grande Steak Burrito from Las Brisas and a light breeze.Submitted by Rebecca LaClair

Here's a bonus. My third favorite thing here is the lunch special. Every day of the week has a special dish sold for absolutely insane prices. You want to eat a home-cooked meal that someone else prepared for $5 or less? You can find that here. The Las Brisas in Fruitland also has a spacious patio seating area that will keep you in the open air, if that is your concern, and a to-go window has been added to the side of the building so you don't even have to walk in to pay for your call-in order. The service is good, the food is fast and fresh, and the price is right. I am grateful for my neighborhood Las Brisas.