The Burrito Blog

January 2006

Passing Up Anna's By Choice

The other day, DJ Turbz let me know that he reached a new day in his burrito eating life.

He was coming home from work, consumed by hunger. In a brazen move, he drove past Anna's (pictured) without stopping for a meal.

It was not for lack of money.
It was not for lack of time.
It was not for lack of parking.

It was Romano's. The burrito gem of Roslindale, Romano's was under our nose the whole time.

This entry is filed in Romano's Pizza.

Monday, January 30, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Passing Up Anna's By Choice

Hot Sauce For A Cause

Our friends over at Hot Sauce Blog just unveiled Hot Blog Sauce, a rocking potion that has the approval of the aficionados. It's flavored with habanero and serrano peppers, garlic, vinegar, limes, and salt.

All the proceeds (over $5 per bottle) will be donated to the American Cancer Society. It's $7.95, sold at the best hot sauce site around.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Saturday, January 28, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Hot Sauce For A Cause

Huevos Rancheros Burrito

Real huevos rancheros is a favorite of mine and is never in a burrito.

At BurritoVille, the huevos rancheros is in the burrito, and this is my favorite item on the menu.

Ordinarily I never cut my burritos in half, but the visual demonstration required it. And I was splitting it with Justin.

This BurritoVille meal was rated: 7.1.

Friday, January 27, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Huevos Rancheros Burrito

Indecent Tortilla Exposure

Unless served 'enchilado style,' most burritos are served with some layer of protection not fit for consumption, usually paper or aluminum foil.

Wahoo's Fish Taco serves 'em naked. They have table service and real plates, so one could make the argument that no wrapping is needed.

No. This is indecent tortilla exposure, and Burrito Blog is slapping the cuffs on you. Wahoo's, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you email me can and will be used in future posts.

This entry is filed in Wahoo's Fish Taco.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Indecent Tortilla Exposure

Chipotle Sees Bull, IPO

Chipotle, owned by McDonalds Corp., is set to hit the stock exchange in the very near future - probably this Thursday. Trading under the symbol CMG, the chain of 489 restaurants expects to raise boatloads of cash and open a store on every corner.

Chipotle owns almost all of its restaurants. This allows the company to open new restaurants close to existing restaurants without having to deal with franchisees who want geographic exclusivity.

-Burritophile

Little taquerias be warned. Chipotle is coming.

This entry is filed in Chipotle.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Chipotle Sees Bull, IPO

The Guacamole Hemorrhage

El Pollo Loco. Ultimate burrito. Guacamole is standard. Guacamole is uncontained.
This El Pollo Loco meal was rated: 4.7.

Monday, January 23, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for The Guacamole Hemorrhage

Welcome To El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco is unlike any other burrito establishment I have ever visited.

They only serve chicken. Crazy chicken.

Translated as, "The crazy chicken," it...[I struggle to come up with some mad cow joke here but can't. Email me if you've got a good one.]

Self proclaimed as the

leading quick-service restaurant chain specializing in marinated, flame-broiled chicken

they've got 320 locations, some of which are franchised, in an unknown number of US states. After playing around with Google Maps and El Pollo Loco's own restaurant locator, they have restaurants open in California, Arizona, and Nevada, but possibly others, too.

The history of El Pollo Loco was equally laborious to research. They opened in 1975 in Mexico. At one point, they were part of the publicly owned organization that runs Denny's. They were sold in the end of 1999 to American Securities Capital Partners, a private investment partnership. In November of 2005, they were sold again to Trimaran Capital Partners.

Being that my business is burritos, not finance, I can't tell if El Pollo Loco is the AOL of Mexican food chains or the tortilla equivalent of Google shares.

This entry is filed in El Pollo Loco.

Monday, January 23, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To El Pollo Loco | Comments (12)

The Taquitos y Quesadilla Platter

Returning from a great day at the beach, John and I pulled off the road and what-do-you-know there was a tortilla vending establishment (La Salsa) right there. I got the carnitas California burrito, and John got the Taquitos and Quesadilla Platter.

We were impressed, with both the sun and surf as well as the taquitos and quesadillas.

This entry is filed in La Salsa.

Saturday, January 21, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for The Taquitos y Quesadilla Platter

Banzai = Zucchini At Wahoo's

The Banzai burrito was featured on the menu, so I figured I'd give it a try. Included in the Banzai are "fresh teryaki sauteed veggies."

I was, of course, alarmed.

There are first times for everything. Zucchini is:

variety of squash having an elongated shape and a smooth, thin, dark green rind

and this was the first time it appeared in my burrito. Red peppers were the complementing vegetable included in the teryaki medley.

I think this would have been a little better as a rice bowl. Like the buffalo sauce at Boloco, this was just a little too experimental for my taste.

This Wahoo's Fish Taco meal was rated: 4.4.

Friday, January 20, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Banzai = Zucchini At Wahoo's

Welcome To Wahoo's Fish Taco

Please note: though commonly spoken as Wahoo's Fish Tacos, the taco is actually singular. Of course, as a paying customer, you are permitted to purchase more than one taco at a time.

They feature table service and beer, but you order at the counter.

Wahoo's has over 30 locations in California and Colorado, with more on the way in Texas and Hawaii. Like many of the other multi-state chains, Wahoo's is a franchise, though at this time they are not seeking franchise applicants.

When you walk into Wahoo's you get this overwhelming California feel. There are skate, surf, and music stickers all over everything. I mean everything.

At my first visit to Wahoo's in Santa Monica, I spotted a sticker for Elliott's False Cathedrals.

I was love struck by the ambiance.

Check out the official site here.

This entry is filed in Wahoo's Fish Taco.

Friday, January 20, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Wahoo's Fish Taco | Comments (3)

Ron Loco

Ron shows how to put down some after-the-bar food at San Loco. Ron Loco!

This entry is filed in San Loco.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Ron Loco

The Last Supper

Flashback to when John and I first met Nikhiel. We knew early on that this kid rocked, then we found out he likes burritos, too.

Before moving to The Philippines, we had one last lunch at Anna's. As expected, he got the Al Pastor. And as expected, it was delicious.

Do they have tortillas in The Philippines? Poor kid.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for The Last Supper

And The Burritos?

Never had 'em at Lauriol Plaza, myself. I stick to the fajitas and enchiladas which never fail to disappoint.

The menu is quite extensive and portions are large, so bring an appetite. And a sense of adventure (which I don't have).

My burrito adventures in the DC metro area and beyond are now underway. You've heard enough from me for now. Happy eating, ye fellow seekers of tortilla mecca.

Reporting from Washington, DC, Anthony.

This entry is filed in Lauriol Plaza.

Monday, January 16, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for And The Burritos?

Welcome To Lauriol Plaza

Lauriol Plaza is arguably DC's most popular Mexican establishment.

Located in the Adams Morgan / Dupont Circle disputed territory of 18th and T NW (Map), the restaurant boasts 4 floors of dining, if you count the small bar area. There is plentiful outdoor seating for the warmer months.

Due to its massive popularity, waits can sometimes extend to over an hour, but the restaurant's "turn 'em and burn 'em" mentality guarantees that your service will be swift and accurate, without sacrificing quality.

The same folks who own Lauriol Plaza also own Cactus Cantina on upper Wisconsin Avenue. The menu is the same, but that restaurant deserves its own entry, and thus will be discussed independently.

Check out the official site here.

This entry is filed in Lauriol Plaza.

Monday, January 16, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Lauriol Plaza | Comments (4)

Enchilada From The Enchilada

Justin drops some onions y cilantro on an enchilada from The Enchilada. I had a few bites and man, that thing was good.

Then our apartment flooded. Seriously.

PS: The flood was not caused by any plumbing conflicts related to this meal's consumption.

This entry is filed in The (Big) Enchilada.

Sunday, January 15, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Enchilada From The Enchilada

Return To The Internet

As one of Burrito Blog's original Junior Burrito Analysts, Anthony figured it was time to actually show up to work for a change.

With a new laptop and Internet access for the first time in 18 months, he is expected to author his first review shortly.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Saturday, January 14, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Return To The Internet

Investigation Complete: Cahoots Indeed

Harry's Burritos and Benny's Burritos are, in fact, the same.

It's kind of similar to how Clear Channel owns the airwaves and gives them different names to fool you. Turn off your radio and television. The Internet is on.

Oh and by the way, Harry's was no better than Benny's.

This entry is filed in Benny's Burritos.

Friday, January 13, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Investigation Complete: Cahoots Indeed

Celebrity Guest Appearance

That hand right there is the appendage of Nick Lindauer, the man behind the best hot sauce site around. We met up for dinner so I could review Taco Chulo and he could review a bottle of Endorfin Encounter Hot Sauce.

Here's an except of what he had to say:

The night before Jonah (Burrito Blog) left NYC, we met up at a burrito joint in Brooklyn that he had received rave reviews about. The burritos at the place were pretty awful, so bad I can’t remember the name of the joint, because I sure as hell won’t be going back there. But the saving grace for the night was the bottle of Endorfin Encounter I had packed with me.

Check out his full review of Endorfin Encounter.

This Taco Chulo meal was rated: 1.7.

Thursday, January 12, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Celebrity Guest Appearance

Steak Teryaki Review By Rich

Green Like The Forest Canopy

Chile Verde
Guacamole
Lettuce

Though not as beautiful as the greens on National Geographic, those of the chile verde Mexican plate are more delicious.
This Anna's Taqueria meal was rated: 8.3.

Friday, January 06, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Green Like The Forest Canopy

Green, But Not Quite Verde

My burrito findings in Manhattan were very disappointing. I hate to call the biggest city in the US, 'a small pond' and BurritoVille, 'a big fish' but there's really no other way to say it.

This particular chicken burrito was on a spinach tortilla, which does not qualify as chicken verde.

This BurritoVille meal was rated: 5.9.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Green, But Not Quite Verde

Go Out With A Flop

For my last burrito in NYC, I walked block after block through the Brooklyn rain to get to Taco Chulo.

I ordered a chile verde burrito. It wasn't that great. It sucked, actually.

It was nice to have a farewell dinner with the all my roommates. It was just too bad dinner was at Taco Chulo.

This Taco Chulo meal was rated: 2.4.

Monday, January 02, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Go Out With A Flop

Welcome To Taco Chulo

When I first arrived in New York City, I emailed a few local food bloggers to ask where the good, cheap Mexican food was hiding.

After a few discouraging responses, one foodie directed me towards Taco Chulo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (Map).

Despite what it says on their website, the walk is anything but short from the Bedford Ave. stop on the L train.

Also, it's a restaurant, not a burrito shop.

I was mislead from the start.

This entry is filed in Taco Chulo.

Monday, January 02, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Taco Chulo | Comments (3)