#baja fresh

[fangedprince-reblogs]

Discourse: baja fresh or chipotle? Which is the true shit roadside generic Mexican restaurant?

[dustedmagazine]

Bitchin Bajas — Bajas Fresh (Drag City)

Bajas Fresh by Bitchin Bajas

Most Bitchin Bajas records have one long — that is, really long — track. On Bajas Fresh, it’s “2303.” How long is “2303”? Twenty-three minutes and three seconds, of course. Initiating the back half of a superbly varied but balanced album, it’s perhaps the simplest piece of the seven, at least on the surface: a gently spreading pool of soft organ and synth drones, rounded out in places by warm brass. And as much range as the Chicago trio has demonstrated over the last several years’ full-lengths, EPs and collaborations, there’s a way in which “2023” epitomizes what they do best: get out of their own way to let the listener in.  

Almost in the manner of Cage’s 4’33” — Cage being known for his attempts to mitigate the effects of his personality and artistic will on his compositions — “2303” and its neutral title invite the tautological observation that this music simply is what it is. What you hear in the specified duration, in other words, is best experienced as an in-the-moment(s) experience of listening, free of the influence of language. It’s stuff that doesn’t lend itself to description, summary or conceptual propping up. Well, that last may be one of the places Cage and Bitchin Bajas part ways, since the latter’s stoner persona corresponds to music more likely to bewitch the powers of attention than hone them, more likely to transport the listener to a deeper inner space than awaken them to the world around them. There’s nothing wrong with that, since either method could be argued as the key to finding a pure state of consciousness. And as Cooper Crain asks, “Doesn’t everyone want to find a pure state of consciousness?”  

Lofty goal — just the kind scared off by active pursuit. That’s why the band comes at it sideways, putting the listener at ease with the album’s disarmingly silly title before kicking things off. “Jammu” bubbles to the surface with nimble science-lab synths, gradually solidifying into a moving-but-static Terry Riley motorik. “Circles on Circles” further exploits the polyrhythmic tendencies of pulse and arpeggio, building a jam with just enough detail — simple percussion, organ swells, fizzy synth adornments — to focus the listener without calling undue attention to itself. Even these shorter tracks hover around the 10-minute mark, but with good — which is to say not self-indulgent — reason: Extreme length (plus a fair amount of repetition) gives the music room to breathe and grow as if on its own, shifting the emphasis from “Look what these musicians created” to “Look what this music can do.”  

The double album’s second side finds the group retreating further from the spotlight, in a sense. Though Bitchin Bajas has never been guarded about their influences — just in case you couldn’t sense Robert Fripp’s shadow on their Drag City debut, they named it Bitchitronics — they don’t often make the transmission of musical inheritance cover-version efficient. Their take on Sun Ra’s classic “Angels and Demons at Play” is wonderfully elongated and gauzily muted, almost as if beamed in from a far-away cosmos. The clanging, shimmering “Yonaguni,” on the other hand, finds the trio ceding prime sonic real estate to guest musicians Nori Tanaka and Masaki Batoh, whose contributions on percussion and guitar give the track much of its definition.  

On the other side of the pacific expanse that is “2023,” “Chokayo” takes the idea of letting the music speak for itself almost literally, exploiting the vocal qualities of its wah-ing synths and cooing flutes to weave a kind of gently respiring instrumental chorus. Finally “Be Going” and its mildly exhortatory valediction, ends the album by setting Rob Frye’s fluttering, soporific sax against slowly churning organ and synth drones. Eighty minutes after Bajas Fresh started, it eases back into silence: a long album to be sure, but only exactly as long as it needs to be — no more, no less.  

Eric McDowell

[garnetmatcha]

I’m gonna eat Baja Fresh. Like, the whole restaurant. Building. I’m gonna eat the building.

[montavillanews]

Chipotle to Replace Baja Fresh at Mall 205

Earlier this year, Mexican-themed fast-casual restaurant Baja Fresh closed its 10090 SE Washington Street location at the outer edge of Mall 205. Last week, architects working for the Chipotle chain submitted building permits for a new store at the same address. Both brands position themselves in a similar space within the corporate foodservice marketplace. However, Chipotle offers a smaller menu…

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[motherhoodinhollywood]

Best Budget-Friendly Catering Options for Your Holiday Party

Best Budget-Friendly Catering Options for Your Holiday Party

The 5th annual Motherhood in Hollywood Holiday Swag party featured some of the most delicious food in town! Seriously we ate so much that we all needed naps after this party. So I’m sharing with you the best budget-friendly catering options for your holiday party so you can take some of the pressure off of hosting events this holiday season. Heather Brooker hosts the 5th annual Motherhood in…

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[rodspurethoughts]

Baja Fresh Introduces New Poblano and Mexi-Poblano Burritos

Baja Fresh Mexican Grill the fast-casual Mexican food chain, is introducing two new menu items this month featuring the rich flavor profile of poblano peppers.

Chicken Tortilla Soup is also back for a limited time SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. /PRNewswire/ — Baja Fresh Mexican Grill® (www.BajaFresh.com), the fast-casual Mexican food chain, is introducing two new menu items this month featuring the rich flavor profile of poblano peppers. Additionally, the popular Chicken Tortilla Soup is returning to stores just in time for some cooler weather. Baja Fresh’s…

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[motherhoodinhollywood]

2022 Back-to-School Supplies and Fun Food for Busy Parents

2022 Back-to-School Supplies and Fun Food for Busy Parents

It’s time to get those kids ready to go back-to-school and I have a list of helpful back-to-school supplies that busy parents will want to stock up on.  Heather Brooker hosts the 4th annual Motherhood in Hollywood Back-to-School Party! If we’re being honest, most parents are relieved when school rolls around. It means we get a few hours back in our day to binge watch “Outlander” or scroll TikTok.…

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