Laid-back Ghent grill has over-the-top burritos

When a foodie friend at work suggested I try Pelon's Baja Grill in Ghent, I knew it would be worth my while. She described a neighborhood place tucked into 22nd Street that served a mean margarita and plump, interesting burritos. She's a caterer and an aficionado of good cheap eats, so I knew I couldn't go wrong.

Pelon's sits by railroad tracks but has the look of a place off the beach in Southern California. Grass awnings hang over a large communal table. Smaller tables are arrayed around walls painted with murals of surf and sunset. Art-glass lighting provides a glow to the tabletops.

The evening started with flavorful, fresh salsa and warm, crisp chips ($3.25). Additional housemade salsas stood on the table in squirt bottles - salsa verde, pineapple habenaro and chipotle. Or you could select from the library of hot sauces sitting on wall shelves. On a future visit, I will try one of the soups. The posole ($6.25) particularly caught my eye with its grilled pork, hominy and chiles.

We followed the chips with burritos and tacos from the nicely conceived menu. Most menu items can be converted to vegan with a 20 percent surcharge.

We tried the Grass Hut burrito ($7.25), a tasty vegetarian assortment of sauteed peppers, onions and zucchini combined with rice, beans, cabbage and cheese. Each bite burst with flavor.

The Unemployed Surfer ($5.95), amply filled with beans, rice and cheese, was also a hit. A dude could thrive on this meal.

The Hang Ten ($7.25) finished off our burrito round. A flour tortilla arrived wrapped around charbroiled chicken and accompanied by the usual suspects - rice, beans, cheese, cilantro, guacamole and verde sauce.

We also enjoyed an assortment of three tacos, made easy by simple pricing - they all cost $2.75 each, with the exception of shrimp for $2.95. The carnitas consisted of tender pulled pork, with cilantro, onion, guacamole and salsa verde. The carne asada featured similar garnishes with cubes of grilled steak. For the fish taco, a corn tortilla enveloped fried fish, shredded cabbage and salsa, with a spicy cream sauce that rounded out the flavors. All were excellent, and the next visit will definitely involve the chicken and shrimp versions.

We finished with hot cinnamon churros ($1.95) and bunuelos ($5.50). The extruded and fried churros were good. The bu-nuelos - a crunchy fried flour tortilla topped with Mexican vanilla ice cream, drizzled with sweet cinnamon sugar and accompanied by scoops of whipped cream - came with multiple spoons. Thank goodness. It was too much for one person.

Pelon's is a great and comfortable addition to the Ghent dining scene. Its laid-back atmosphere captures the easy flow of the unpretentious side of California dining.

Jerry Cronin, flavor@pilotonline.com