Best Quesadilla

It may be tough figuring out who holds the title of best taqueria, but choosing the best quesadilla-maker is easy. Nestled in what was supposed to be the modish Bryant Street stretch (Blowfish, the Monkey Club, et al.), El Metate's small, unimposing site belies its tantalizing menu. The place opened late last year, offering an amazingly simple, tasty quesadilla: With three cheeses and a choice of meat, placed between tortillas and then grilled and quartered, it lacks the oiliness and abrasive aftertaste that plague other taquerias' quesadillas. El Metate adds a bag of its homemade multicolored flour tortilla chips along with sides of fresh salsa and guacamole. Light on the stomach and the wallet -- and with just a bit of California cuisine's greaseless lilt -- El Metate's quesadilla is a welcome alternative to the tiresome burrito.