The Burrito Blog

November 2005

In Cahoots: Harry's And Benny's

The Harry's Burritos truck was spotted outside of Benny's Burritos. It was parked. This is not a coincidence.

Investigation to follow. Call me Sherlock.

This entry is filed in Benny's Burritos.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for In Cahoots: Harry's And Benny's

Busses, No Busses

A few weeks ago I was in DC. For all you kiddos outside the east coast bus circuit, there's a network of non-stop, dirt cheap busses that hit all the major cities. Book online here.

Just don't miss your bus. No matter what.

If you miss the bus, the next one probably doesn't pick up near that corner, and your ticket is no good. I digress.

After a very full weekend, I hustled to meet up with Dave Stuart, the Junior Burrito Analyst who discovered Tacos Pepitos [Time: 5:00]. I was super late [Time: 5:45]. There was a line. The kitchen was backed up. The bus was leaving at 6:00.

Burritos are delivered in plastic bags but no tin foil [Time: 5:55], Anthony and I ran out of there and fly through the grid of the capitol city to get to the bus. I call and foolishly ask them to hold the departure [Time: 6:05]. My request is refused [Time: 6:06].

We arrive at the pickup location [Time: 6:15]. The bus has not yet left. I get the last seat, heart pounding, and dive into my 'Burrito Gringo.'

Was the big guy who thought he had an empty seat next to him happy to see me sneak in with my stinky burrito? No. Was the burrito delicious? Yes.

This Tacos Pepito's Bakery meal was rated: 7.4.

Monday, November 28, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Busses, No Busses

Free Burritos In Boston

Boloco will be giving away free burritos during the day on 11/29/05 in Cleveland Circle (Map) and 11/30/05 in Harvard Square (Map).

Go.

Sunday, November 27, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Free Burritos In Boston

Thanksgiving Sized Feast

This meal is so old but I've been saving it.

Appropriately analogous to my favorite holiday dedicated to stuffing our faces, this picture documents a meal for only two people. Even without the tryptophan, the turkey's secret ingredient, Ethan and I were sleepy, and we didn't even finish it.

Happy Thanksgiving from Burrito Blog!

This entry is filed in Angela's Burrito Style.

Thursday, November 24, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Thanksgiving Sized Feast

Liars! Again!

Last time Anthony and I went to Tacos Pepito's, they claimed to be open, but were, in fact, closed.

This time, the reverse was true.

I don't care that your 'open' sign doesn't work correctly. Just give me my food.

This entry is filed in Tacos Pepito's Bakery.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Liars! Again!

Adios New York

It's been a great four months, and this town rocks. Sadly, it is devoid of quality burritos. As a result, I am forced to flee.

Boston awaits, to be followed by California.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Adios New York

Out Of Retirement

Blockhead's doesn't wrap their burritos; they fold them. And that just didn't sit right with the boys.

Sterling logged many hours at Taco Bell some years back, and performed some hand modifications to turn that chicken filled flop into a burrito.

That's right. A Taco Bell retiree shows these blockheads how it's done.

This entry is filed in Blockhead's.

Monday, November 21, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Out Of Retirement

Al Pastor Dyslexia

My subway stop is Astor Place.

I see burritos all around me.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Saturday, November 19, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Al Pastor Dyslexia

When In Rome

You all know how the famous saying goes, right?

Allow me to re-purpose the proverb for my own, selfish use, according to the menu offering at La Salsa:

When visiting California, order the California burrito.

And so I did.

The California burrito is the same as burritos of another geographic locale, except that it has avocado in it. The story of this particular California burrito lies in the lean carnitas - best carnitas from a chain I've ever come across.

Is it worth returning to California for ubiquitous, trim carnitas? Perhaps.

This La Salsa meal was rated: 7.7.

Friday, November 18, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for When In Rome

Welcome To La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill

With many locations across eight ten US states including California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Indiana, Florida, Connecticut, New Jersey and Missouri, La Salsa is a major nationwide franchise.

Want your own location? With a commitment to build a minimum of 3-5 La Salsa units at an initial investment of approx. $431,000 to $612,000 (per unit, does not include real estate), you might be better of as a patron. Prices for lunch are reasonable.

Like Chipotle, Qdoba, and Baja Fresh, La Salsa is publicly owned - part of CKE Restaurants, which also owns Hardee's and Carl's Jr. Update: La Salsa was purchased by the investment group that owns Baja Fresh from CKE Restaurants in 2007. Thanks to Chelsea for the tip. Details here.

They claim to avoid lard, preservatives, or artificial additives. Check out the corporate site here.

John and I came across this particular location on the way back from the beach on the Pacific Coast Highway. Yes.

This entry is filed in La Salsa.

Friday, November 18, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill | Comments (2)

The Phantom Reruns, Episode IV

Yes, Burrito Blog was re-broadcast on The Phantom Gourmet for the fourth time. Why? Because we rule, or because there's nothing new left to see on television.

See the clip here.

This entry is filed in {Press}.

Friday, November 18, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for The Phantom Reruns, Episode IV

Phil Versus The Burrito

Title fight re-cap from Junior Burrito Analyst Phil in Miami:

In one corner, measuring in at 16 inches, filled with steak, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, the Taco Rico "Ultimate Big Burrito" first mentioned here.

In the other corner, the bottomless pit, the burrito graveyard, Phil Jonas' stomach.

Yes, the burrito was big (it barely fit on the elongated oval plate). Yes, my girlfriend and I had seen one man try to conquer it and fail (like Jonah and the Baja). But Phil's stomach is more than a man. Well, I guess it's technically less than a man, but you understand what I mean. I'm not sure why, but for some time I had been intimidated by the "Ultimate Big Burrito," having only seen it once, and left only half eaten by a man of lesser burrito-devouring prowess.

My intimidation proved unjust.

I ate the burrito with ease, though I had to cut it in half, because you can't stand up a 16 inch burrito. My girlfriend watched with disgust as I also ate the chips and salsa. Then, we immediately went out and played tennis for 2 hours, which proved slightly uncomfortable.

I should know better than to doubt my abilities, which have been tested time and again, both with burritos, and the great Pizza Mart wager of 2003.

Winner by way of knockout, Phil's stomach.

This Taco Rico meal was rated: 5.0.

Thursday, November 17, 2005 by Phil. Permalink for Phil Versus The Burrito

Guacamole Promotion, Pricing

According to the signage on the back of the Chipotle truck, "Tailgating May Result In Guacamole."

Yeah, and ordering guacamole at Chipotle may result in the loss of $1.75.

I plan to conduct a study, documenting the distribution of guacamole pricing. This is not a joke.

This entry is filed in Chipotle.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Guacamole Promotion, Pricing

Avocado Sales, Half Birthday

Some may remember my birthday is Cinco de Mayo from the burrito cake post. That makes my half birthday November 5th. In honor of this event, I wanted to share with you a little information:

According to the California Avocado Commission, more avocados are sold in honor of my birthday than any other holiday.

Sadly, my half birthday did not make the chart.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Sunday, November 13, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Avocado Sales, Half Birthday

Messy And Marvelous

The food at Tito's Tacos caught me by surprise. It's not like most places I've been to. Think, "Super Authentic" as in, they don't have chicken burritos for silly little gringos like me.

After a few tries I'll have a better idea of what to order at Tito's.

With a line about 10 people deep and maybe 5 people wide the kitchen of Tito's is a bit concealed. Once you get up to the front, you can see inside. Picture a factory that would make Henry Ford proud.

My burrito was quite a mess but really good. Yes, it was greasy with a soup-ish consistency, and most definitely not very healthy. While this isn't my burrito of choice, I'm glad I got to taste it, and I recommend you do, too.

This Tito's Tacos meal was rated: 7.6.

Thursday, November 10, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Messy And Marvelous

Welcome To Tito's Tacos

Winner of 2003's Best Mexican Food in Los Angeles, Tito's Tacos is located in Culver City, CA (Map) - that's just plain LA to the non-locals. There's only one location, and they've been in business for over 40 years.

That's 40 years with no seats. Unbelievable dedication.

After running into David, I of course asked him where the best cheap Mexican food was hiding. Following confirmation with City Search, John and I plotted a course to Tito's Tacos for some burritos.

There are some things to keep in mind about Tito's:

• There are no seats
• They have a parking lot...
• There is nowhere to park
• There are no chicken burritos

Check out the official site here.

This entry is filed in Tito's Tacos.

Thursday, November 10, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Tito's Tacos | Comments (27)

Back To The Kitchen

I've been to a lot of establishments that serve frijoles. This, I have never seen.

It's the black bean soup from San Marcos, for $5.75. Are you kidding?! It was just black beans! Plus it looks gross - worse than the plantains not poops. Maybe I'm a dummy and black bean soup is standard stuff. That, my friends, is immaterial. I hated it.

Excuse me, waiter, please take this back to kitchen, add some rice, chicken, salsa, hot sauce, then wrap it in a steamed tortilla and then serve it. Of course then it wouldn't be black bean soup I suppose.

This San Marcos meal was rated: 1.3.

Tuesday, November 08, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Back To The Kitchen

Lesson #1: Not A Burrito

Please choose from one of the following:

• Crepe
• Pancake
• Moo Shoo
• Burrito
• Disaster

Don't make me say it.
This Blockhead's meal was rated: 2.2.

Sunday, November 06, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Lesson #1: Not A Burrito

Welcome To Blockheads

With six locations in Manhattan, Blockheads is one of the most well known NYC burrito spots.

While well known, I didn't really get the word - Blockhead's has table service. It's more of a restaurant, and the prices prove it. The burritos start at $7.75 for the veggie and climb to $12 for the fish fajita burrito.

I prefer places without waiters, but hey, they do have a liquor license.

Their site is pretty nice, and they've got an endearing obsession with sock puppets.

This entry is filed in Blockhead's.

Sunday, November 06, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Blockheads | Comments (3)

Company Better Than Carnitas

They say that Los Angeles is a city full of celebrities, and Mexican food.

Enter David Karlsberg, my former housemate distanced by a few years and many miles (along with Jessie, Dave, and Kristin). I ran into this kiddo unexpectedly on the second day of my west coast trip at some bar in Santa Monica.

On Sunday we met up for lunch at Los Burritos. While he got the quesadilla and questioned my judgment on consuming the local tap water, I questioned why 'Los' had been built up as such an amazing place. Maybe it was just an off day.

My company was better than my food (no crema carnitas burrito - detailed review will follow) and that's not saying much when your company is David Karlsberg. I kid.

Check out David's quality television commercials here and other work here.

This Los Burritos meal was rated: 4.8.

Thursday, November 03, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Company Better Than Carnitas

Taco Truck vs Taco Truck

David and Goliath.

This Chipotle truck is property of the publicly owned giant, McDonalds Corporation. Pedro & Vinny's taco cart is owned, presumably, by Pedro & Vinny.

How can a one man operation compete with the corporate kitchen and sophisticated supply chain management? Quality. Heart. Enthusiasm. Steamed tortillas.

Comments are enabled on this entry to discuss the tortilla wars.

This entry is filed in Chipotle.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Taco Truck vs Taco Truck