Sometimes the food doesn’t matter.

Remember the dot com era? Business ideas that were formed in five minutes over beers and got their first million of VC funding because it was web-based and that alone was enough? Huge, funky-posh workplaces spaces where the 26-year-old CEO had an office the size of your studio apartment? Never, ever, ever actually making money? Ah, those were the days! Despite the nauseating roller-coaster ride that was the very definition of that time, I have nothing but fond memories. I was enormously fortunate to have found a job straight out of college with, quite literally, the best people in the world. Many of them are still amongst my best friends and, last night, I got to dine with four of them. At On the Border. The chain restaurant. Off the highway. In Woburn. Wow.

I am compelled to admit that this is not the first time I’ve been to On the Border. Or the second. I’ve been there at least five or six times. On the Border is – no exaggeration – the most convenient place on earth. It’s right off the highway, right at the intersection of 93 and 95. Most everyone can get there in about thirty minutes and everyone knows where it is (I bet you’re thinking to yourself right now, “I’ve been there…”), so it’s truly a great meeting spot. The food, service, and atmosphere, as with most chains, leave something to be desired.

First of all, On the Border is a really large place – it must fit a few hundred diners – and they have, approximately, two parking spots. After two loops around, I gave up and parked in the motel lot next door. My six-months-pregnant friend who was meeting us had to park across the street. Not an exceptional start. Secondly, the place is mobbed. I literally had to step around people to get in the door and then I waited en masse (no line, that would have actually been some form of organization that would have assured that we were taken care of the in the order we came in) for the hostess to put my name on the list. A forty-five minute wait. On a Thursday. In Woburn. Ok. Luckily, one friend wasn’t due to arrive until about then, so it was fine for us.

I was the first there, but another of my friends arrived within ten minutes, so we decided to fight our way to the bar. The two bartenders trying to serve about 800 patrons at once were understandably scattered. Though, forgetting my order four seconds after I gave it to him was still a bit much. My margarita arrived in a goblet that must have been used in Camelot and it was sticky, sweet, and clearly from a mix. However, it was a margarita, so, yum! Our other friends arrived and we were seated reasonably soon.

You know how I talked about loving tapas and appetizers and little nibbles of things? I’ll give you one guess as to how I feel about chips and salsa. Oh, sweet manna from heaven. I am truly not picky about chips and salsa; my strong preference is for chips that are super hot from the fryer with a reasonable layer of table salt and fresh, chunky salsa that is more what I would call pico de gallo. This is not what they have an On the Border, but that was fine… chips and salsa are chips and salsa (theirs was very spicy, which I enjoyed, but thought to be a funny choice for a huge chain serving hundreds of different palates), plus, the waitress brought three baskets of chips for the five of us. Right on.

I did mention that this was a girls’ night, right? Five girlfriends that worked together in our 20s, mostly single and all childless at the time, and totally, completely, fully insane. We are pretty tame now – all married and all with two kids, except me – but we love to relive the old days when we get together. So, needless to say, the poor waitress must have had to make three fly-bys before we’d actually stop talking for a millisecond to look at the menu. I literally chose the first thing I saw a picture of (ah, chains…) – carne asada soft tacos. I have to say, overall they were quite tasty. Having, naturally, totally filled up on chips before my meal even arrives, I focus on eating the tacos and ignoring the black beans and rice on the side, which looked a bit bland anyway. The tacos came with a few slices of avocado, shredded lettuce, and a small portion of pico de gallo, which were all welcome additions. The beef was a bit too charred on the outside, but was cooked to a perfect degree of done-ness otherwise and it came with this creamy sauce to drizzle on that was seasoned with chipotles – definitely the highlight of the dish. Weirdly, the tacos also came piled with fried, thin onion rings – I pulled most of them out and only left a few for the onion-y flavor. While I enjoy thick, soft tortillas, theirs were too doughy and more pita-like than even I wanted.

And you know what? None of it mattered. At one point, I laughed so hard at dinner, I actually had to sprint to the ladies room to avoid a potential “incident.” I got caught up with my girls and saw photos of their kids. We commiserated on frustrations and celebrated accomplishments. We stayed so late, they finally turned on the overhead lights and ushered us out. Then we all had to drive home. From Woburn. So, that part kind of sucked, but the company was hard to beat and I’ll go back to On the Border any time, day or night, to have a meal with those girls again. I may even order the carne asada tacos. They weren’t too bad.

I’d give On the Border at 19 Commerce Way in Woburn, MA a C+. Go with good friends and you won’t care.