Fajitas at Casa de Bandini

Beef, chicken, shrimp, veggie, or a combination. That's the only question, and there's no wrong answer. Whatever you pick comes out sizzling on a hot platter with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Fresh homemade tortillas, creamy guacamole, charro frijoles and fluffy Mexican rice come with it. The fajitas at Casa de Bandini in Carlsbad are built for sharing, one soft taco at a time.

This kitchen's story starts in an adobe. Juan Bandini, an Italian immigrant from Peru, built a one-story home in Old Town San Diego in 1829. It was a place for family, for entertaining and for civic meetings. Later it became a hotel, then a rooming house, and then it sat empty.

Diane Powers changed that. In 1971 she had won the State Parks bid to reimagine a dormant motel nearby, and Bazaar del Mundo was born. In 1980 she brought the Bandini adobe back to life as Casa de Bandini, with a lush patio and a fountain over the original cistern.

The Old Town restaurant closed in 2005. On June 30, 2009, Casa de Bandini opened again in a space in The Forum in Carlsbad. The hand-wrought iron chandeliers came along, and so did the Cantera stone fountain. So did the recipes, most of them from that first kitchen and Diane's own collection.

Our menu has one fajitas card, and it's a generous one. You choose the filling: beef, chicken, shrimp, veggie, or a combination of more than one. Everything else stays the same, and that's the point.

The meat is marinated in a blend of zesty spices, then grilled with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. It all lands on a hot platter, still sizzling. On the side: creamy guacamole, homemade charro frijoles, fluffy Mexican rice and fresh, homemade tortillas. Then you build your own soft tacos.

Beef fans, chicken fans, shrimp fans and veggie fans all order from the same card. The combination is for the table that can't agree, or doesn't want to.

Straight from the Casa de Bandini menu, nothing added:

• Beef, chicken, shrimp, veggie, or a combination
• A blend of zesty spices
• Bell peppers
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Tomatoes
• Creamy guacamole
• Homemade charro frijoles
• Fluffy Mexican rice
• Fresh homemade corn and flour tortillas

Ten things, and every one shows up in the tacos you build. The protein is the savory heart. Peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes grill right alongside and pick up the sizzle. Guacamole brings something cool and creamy. Charro frijoles and rice fill out the plate. The warm tortillas hold it all together. Fold, bite, repeat, and build the next one a little differently.

It starts with the marinade. We marinate high-quality cuts of meat in a blend of zesty spices. That marinade is a time-honored tradition here, and the recipe hasn't changed since Casa de Bandini opened its doors in 1980. Same spices. Same care. We like it that way.

Then the grill. The marinated meat goes on with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. Everything comes off hot and goes straight onto a hot platter, so it's still sizzling when it reaches you. You'll probably hear it before you see it.

The tortillas are the other half of the story. Every order comes with fresh, homemade corn and flour tortillas, made at our tortilla station and served hot off the griddle. The station is open, so guests can watch, and it's framed in hand-painted Talavera tile from Puebla.

Behind it all is Diane's rule for the kitchen. Fresh vegetables. A good assortment of spices. Everything made fresh daily. The sizzle is the show. The recipe is the reason it tastes good.

Fajitas turn dinner into something the whole table does together. Everyone reaches for a warm tortilla. Everyone builds a taco their own way. Nobody has to argue about beef or chicken, because the combination settles it.

They also say something about this kitchen. A marinade that hasn't changed since 1980 is a promise kept for a long time. That's authentic Mexican cooking, done the same way on purpose.

The room fits the meal. Most of our chairs are covered in Zapotec handwoven wool made just for this restaurant. Saltillo pavers sit underfoot, and tin, brass and glass lanterns glow in the bar. Add live Mexican ballads from Tinku Duet, Thursday through Saturday 5 to 8 PM and Sunday 1 to 4 PM and a sizzling platter, and a big table gets louder, in the best way.

Big platters call for a big table. Watch our patio video on Instagram or on Facebook. For the tortilla station, day and night, see this post on Instagram or on Facebook.

Frequently asked questions

What fajitas do you serve? Beef, chicken, shrimp, veggie, or a combination.

How is the meat marinated? In a blend of zesty spices, from a recipe unchanged since 1980.

Are the tortillas made in-house? Yes. Corn and flour, made at our tortilla station.

What comes with them? Creamy guacamole, charro frijoles and Mexican rice.

Keep the sizzle going on the blog. Read about our Vegetarian Fiesta Fajitas, a separate eight-vegetable plate, and the Carne Asada Tampiqueña. Feeding a crowd? See the Fiesta Express Fajita Meal.

Then come see us at 1901 Calle Barcelona in The Forum, Carlsbad. We're open 11 AM to 9 PM, seven days a week. Bring an appetite.