UPDATED On the Border Happy Hour

Well, it seems as though that Happy Hours are springing up all over the place now and that includes New and Improved Happy Hours. Take On the Border as one. I hadn't ventured in here for a while, but to my surprise, they now have an extended Happy Hour that totally lowers the price points again. This makes everyone a very happy camper!

Available from Sunday through Friday (so no Saturday), 3 PM to Close, there offerings are anywhere from $2 to $4. Las Vegas only has one On the Border location and that's in Centennial at 5630 Centennial Center Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89149. It sits in between Panda Express and Cane's Chicken!

$2

Cup of Queso (Their traditional cheese queso dip is good.)
Cup of Black Bean Dip (Haven't tried this yet so people report back!)
Guacamole Appetizer (Haven't tried this either.)

2 Empanadas: Ground Beef or Pulled Chicken (These are good and what's nice is that the regular appetizer platter of Empanadas can almost be too much and having the small portion option is perfect!)
5 Avocado Fries (When there's avocado, it begs for me to try them! They came out nice and crispy and hot which means that the avocado melted in your mouth. It had a little bit of a spice coating to it. I think they were good, but if you've been to Kona Grill and had their Avocado Egg Rolls - nothing can quite compare to that!)

$3

Cheese Quesadilla (Well, who can really mess this menu item up? I haven't had it but I have had their Chicken Quesadilla before and it was good!)
4 Mini Chicken Flautas (I don't eat flautas too often, but they are crunchy filled rolls that are deep fried.)
3 Mini Crispy Tacos (When I eat tacos here, I just go for the regular sized ones. I saw them come out on a plate and they are kind of small. If you like their tacos, go there on Tuesday where tacos are a la carte at $1.25 each! Yum!)

3 Stuffed Jalapenos (I vaguely remember trying these eons ago, so I can't vouch for them today. Although I've rarely had a stuffed jalapeno that wasn't good. Enough said.)
2 Mini Chimichangas (OK, I've never tried these.)



$4

Queso/Guac Duo (Well, I imagine that it's just a combo of the two items.)
Bean & Cheese Nachos (I'm not a fan of their nachos because they aren't like the typical platter of chips topped with toppings. Their nachos are individual chips, each topped on their own. It makes for more of a soggy chip nacho and I don't dig that.)
Cantina Nachos (I think these might be the traditional type of nachos. I haven't had them so I can't vouch for them. However, the description does say "piled high with all the fixings".)
Crispy Corn Quesadilla (Hmmmm....not sure about this one!)


AND

Add Rice, Beans or Fries for just $1!

On the Border Part II: Happy Hour

This is On the Border Part II (OTB) as promised in the last post. As a restaurant in the suburbs of Vegas, specials are a must and having an affordable Happy Hour is definitely a must employ strategy. While I do wish that OTB stayed open at least an hour later, perhaps their numbers don't warrant it.

Monday-Friday, OTB has Happy Hour in the bar and patio from 3-7 PM and late night Happy Hour from 9 PM-Close which is a short time frame since last call for food is around 9:30. The restaurant actually closes at 10 so drinks are still available until that time.

Happy Hour consists of both food and drinks specials. It's half off select appetizers and I have tasted most of them. Now, OTB isn't for the dieter or for those that want a moderately healthy meal....on Happy Hour that's next to impossible. So, for half the cost, for a snack, take OTB for what it's worth.

I have always liked their Chips and Salsa which are served free to everyone. I like their salsa because it comes out cold and has a loose consistency with a little kick to it. They give you salsa in the small little blue dishes but I typically request a bowl because I use a lot of it. The chips - when done right - come out nice and hot. If they come out kind of cold and stale, don't hesitate to ask for a new batch. It's your money, get what you want and you deserve it.

Some of the items on the Happy Hour menu:

Empanadas:
Fried dough pastry shell (like a mini-pie) stuffed with meat (chicken or beef). You get five of these and they come with cheese (queso) dip. I think these are quite tasty, however, you definitely want to share this plate with two other people. If you eat five of these by yourself, you are going to feel like a greaseball mess and your stomach is going ask you why you just did that. Eat one or two at the most and consume some other items.

Firecracker Stuffed Jalapenos:
Again, this is a dish to share with others. Don't eat the whole thing by yourself or you will feel like a greaseball mess. Just have one or two and share with others. This is a typical stuffed Jalapeno where it's filled with cheese and then fried. It's hard to mess this one up.

Texas Wings:
These are kind of bready, but not bad. One bartender suggested that we dip them in some queso dip and it was a nice complement to the wings.

Fajita Nachos:
Now, these are not like the nachos that you are accustomed to because it's not a pile of tortilla chips with meat and cheeses and toppings sprinkled all over. Each chip actually is topped on its own and then baked so the cheese is melted on it. I personally wasn't a fan of these and maybe it's because I was expecting one thing and got another. Plus, the chip gets soggy the way it's made. Fair warning to you if you want to get them.

Queso Dip:
This is your typical cheese dip and it's always best when you request it "piping hot" so it's bubbling when you get it. Otherwise, it's just not the same.

Chicken Flautas:
These are like your typical flautas except I like them better without the sauce they drizzle on top of it because it gets the flauta shell soggy. This is a sharing dish, once again, because you don't feel good if you eat the whole thing by yourself.

Drinks specials are about $3-4 and include Dos Equis and Margaritas.

In a nutshell, OTB is good for a mini group gathering where you can sample a few items on the Happy Hour menu. I don't often go for their Happy Hour actually. I typically go for Taco Tuesdays where tacos are on a special price at 99 cents. I also like their Chips and Salsa. So, I go for a lighter meal and not for the all out Appetizer spree. Either way, with the apps being half-price, at least go check it out.

LIMITED TIME: Freebies at On the Border

While I talk a lot about ongoing economic eats deals in Las Vegas, I also run across a lot of deals that are great but are only available for a limited, and sometimes very limited, amount of time. This post is about On the Border, a neighborhood joint that serves Mexican food. To the best of my knowledge, there is only one of them in Las Vegas and it's in Centennial - just off of US-95 and Ann Road. It sits between Panda Express and Cane's Chicken. I searched in Henderson as well and the On the Border site yielded no results.

Through tomorrow, On the Border is offering a free bowl of Original Queso and a smaller order of Sopapillas with the purchase of one or more entrees at full price. I've tried both of these items before and they are good! This is a limited time offer and is good through Thursday, October 4.

I really like On the Border for several reasons. I haven't had any dish there that I didn't like. Their free chips and salsa is awesome because they are all made in-house. The chips come out warm (when served right) and the salsa is a really nice fresh loose mix with a little kick to it.

When I go to this restaurant, I've always preferred to sit at the bar counter seat only because a large flat screen occupies the space above the bar and it's nice to watch a nice sports game while enjoying my meal. There are other smaller flat screens around the bar area as well.

I often order their enchiladas, the chicken or pork ones with a request for green sauce on both. The green sauce (chile verde) typically comes on the pork enchilada but I really like it on everything. Otherwise, the chicken enchilada comes with a red sauce which is also very good but I simply can't resist the green sauce sometimes. Their plates are served with rice and beans and I like ordering the black beans with my entree.

I'll do an On the Border post part two where I talk about their regular specials which change every day but are consistent from week to week. Does that make sense? I just wanted to give a quick shout out about the freebies that are offered through tomorrow - Oct. 4.