Fresh Mex

"No freezers. No microwaves. No can openers. No lard. No MSG."

Baja Fresh's promises--and its food--have apparently struck a chord. It and cousin Chipotle are two of the fastest growing Mexican restaurant chains in the U.S., and the two market leaders have plenty of regional competition, including West Coast-based Rubio's and La Salsa.

These "fresh Mexican grills" have obvious appeal: Their speedy, inexpensive, and zesty dishes make burgers and fries seem duller than dog food. Beans, grilled chicken and seafood, avocado, tomatoes, onions--fresh Mex certainly has the makings of a vegetable-rich, high-fiber, low-saturated-fat meal. But only if you steer clear of the pitfalls.

* Size. It's not unusual to find burritos, nachos, quesadillas, and platters with more than 1,000 calories at fresh-Mex restaurants. That's because you're getting calorie-dense ingredients like tortillas, guacamole, cheese, and chips. In many cases, you're also getting a pound of two of food. Solution: Order carefully. If your plate still holds 1,000 calories or more, take half home.

* Saturated Fat. It's not just the steak and pork, but the cheese and sour cream that can boost the sat fat. You can dodge much of it if you skip them. Our Better Bites have no more than five grams of saturated fat (three grams for smaller dishes like tacos).

* Salt. Mexican restaurant food is salty. And that's a shame. More than half of all Americans have high blood pressure by the time they reach age 60. And hypertension raises the risk of heart attacks and strokes. That's why experts recommend that we eat no more than 2,400 milligrams (and ideally no more than 1,500 mg) of sodium a day. You can reach 2,400 mg with one chicken burrito.

Unfortunately, there's no way to dodge the sodium. It's in the beans and the marinated chicken and meat, the tortillas and the rice, even the guacamole and the salsa. Except for a handful of items--like Rubio's HealthMex Grilled Fish or Chicken Tacos--all fresh Mex is salty.

Had we set a sodium limit, there would be little to recommend. That's why we awarded no Best Bites. You can use our Better Bites to limit saturated fat, but the only way to avoid the salt in fresh Mex is to eat it less often.

Chipotles are sprouting up everywhere. Sales for the 260-outlet chain, which is partially owned by McDonald's, grew by 55 percent in 2002. Clearly, Chipotle is one hot pepper.

While Chipotle sells tacos and "bols" (tortilla-less burritos or fajitas in a bowl), burritos are its business. They're fast, filling, high-fiber, and, at about $5 a shot, a bargain. Then again, they may be more than you bargained for.

Unlike the other fresh-Mex chains we contacted, Chipotle doesn't disclose the calories, etc., in its burritos. But we do...at least for the items we purchased and shipped to an independent laboratory for analysis. Hold on to your tamales, folks.

A typical Chicken Burrito (tortilla, chicken, rice, beans, cheese, and salsa) has nearly 1,000 calories, a day's worth of sodium (2,500 mg), and hall a day's saturated fat (12 grams). You can save six of those sat fat grams if you hold the cheese, but you'll still be getting 850 calories. That's partly because the (white-flour) tortilla has 340 calories (not to mention two grams of sat fat and 860 mg of sodium).

Interested in a Vegetarian Burrito (tortilla, rice, beans, cheese, guacamole, and salsa)? Think of its 1,120 calories, 2,270 mg of sodium, and 14 grams of sat fat as an overstuffed corned beef sandwich plus 350 calories.

The Vegetarian is almost as bad as the Barbacoa Burrito (tortilla, shredded beef, rice, beans, cheese, and salsa), with 1,120 calories, 2,870 mg of sodium, and 15 grams of sat fat. Add sour cream and guacamole and the total rises to 1,270 calories and 16 grams of sat fat. That's a Quarter Pounder, a large order of fries, and a large Coke.

Worst of all is the Carnitas Burrito (tortilla, pork, rice, beans, cheese, and salsa). Its pork may be "free-range," but the 1,130 calories, the (gulp) 3,050 mg of sodium, and the day's worth of sat fat (19 grams) are no free lunch.

If you want to leave Chipotle without an extra 1,000 calories under your belt, here are a few options:

* Get your burrito without cheese or sour cream. No cheese saves about 150 calories and (more importantly) six grams of sat fat. Chipotle has no numbers, but other chains say that a one-ounce gob of sour cream adds 60 calories and three grams of sat fat. If you need more zip, add extra salsa or (if you can afford 150 calories) guacamole. No cheese or sour cream brings a Chicken Burrito down to 850 calories and six grams of sat fat. Dropping the rice probably cuts about 200 more calories.

* Take home half of your burrito. Ask your server to wrap the two halves separately.

* Go with a Burrito Bol--a burrito without the 340-calorie tortilla. If you stick to chicken and no cheese or sour cream, you could walk away with "just" 630 calories. Better yet, swap the rice for romaine lettuce. A Burrito Bol with chicken, beans, salsa, and lettuce has an impressive 13 grams of fiber and just 430 calories and four grams of sat fat (it still has 1,600 mg of sodium). If your salad needs more oomph, add half a side of guacamole.