Baja Taqueria
4070 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA
http://www.bajaonpiedmont.com/baja/menu/ 
Review date: June 2012

We first tried this small neighborhood chain many years ago, when we moved to in the East Bay. But we infinitely preferred Gordo's/Berkeley burritos, until Gordo's became so erratic we felt that half the time we were wasting our $$. We've become very fond of Los Calacas/Oakland for their marvelous tortillas and flavorful hot sauces. Still, Baja has survived for over two decades. It was worth another try.

Surprisingly, Baja has calamari on the menu, both fried (served with chipotle aioli) and sauteed to make a spicy burrito. Baja makes good fish tacos, but they only offer it with shredded cabbage. This is not the style we prefer, so we chose other items.

Baja loves limes, and so do we. The fried calamari came with three lime wedges, all of which we used. The spicy aioli was definitely spicy – about a 6 on a scale of 10. The calamari were perhaps a touch greasy, but the serving of baby squid was generous. We adored having limes instead of lemons. I liked this dish, but Carlos was so-so on it.

I chose a prawn quesadilla. All prawn dishes are sauteed with a splash of lime. The cheese is a mix of Jack and cheddar, with salsa on the side. The salsa was surprisingly good, although a very small serving. Fresh tomatoes were salted just right, with the bare minimum of chopped red onions and sufficient cilantro. No acid was used so the salsa had a fresh, sweet flavor. It's a standard, simple dish but when well done, satisfying. It isn't as good as the old 360-Degree Burrito (another local chain) used to offer – they sauteed the shrimp with red and green bell pepper shreds, very tasty – but if we return to Baja I would order this again.

Carlos ordered a prawn deluxe burrito, but neither of us thought it was remarkable. We did like the lime flavor, but there's too much rice, and we don't care for the use of shredded cheese. We wouldn't order it again.

Baja's not a bad place to stop in, but they don't rate up with La Calaca, in our eyes.

Two people, lunch: three dishes, two beverages, no tip needed, came to $36.