Baja Fresh brings fast-casual to Florida.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

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MIAMI _ As time-stressed South Florida diners continue to look for high-quality, quick and affordable places for lunch or dinner, Baja Fresh brings a new alternative.

A leader in the growing restaurant industry segment known as fast-casual, Baja Fresh has opened its first locations in Boca Raton and Coral Gables. Others are soon to follow this summer and early fall in Fort Lauderdale and Coral Springs.

The Thousand Oaks, Calif.-based chain uses only fresh ingredients, with everything made from scratch. It boasts about using no microwaves, can openers, freezers, lard or MSG.

Every day the avocados are scooped to make the guacamole, tomatoes are chopped for the salsa, and tilapia filets are hand-breaded for the fish tacos. Chicken and steak are hand-cut, then marinated before they are grilled for the burritos, tacos and fajitas.

But the quality doesn't mean high prices or long waits. The average check at Baja Fresh is under $10 and orders are usually ready in about seven minutes.

``We want to prove you can get great food, served quick,'' said Mike Brumagin, vice president of Cambridge Mexican Foods, the franchisee that has the South Florida territory for Baja Fresh from Boca Raton to Key West. ``Once people taste the food, that's the best advertising. The food really sells itself.''