The Burrito Blog

September 2006

The Good, The Bad, And The Sleepy

The good: From a truck. Authentic. Excellent.

The bad: From a truck. Greasy. Laced with sleeping pills.

Welcome To El-Charro Mexicano

Like the mobile missile launchers of Desert Strike for Sega Genesis, El-Charro Mexicano is a force on wheels.

The truck appears only on weekends between on Columbia Road in Washington DC's Adams Morgan, between 16th and 17th (Map). The menu claims an extensive selection of dishes, but it is a lie: they only have tacos.

That's ok, the tacos are pretty delicious. All food is served "to-go" but many patrons congregate outside the El-Charro Mexicano to eat, undisturbed by the lack of seating.

For a comprehensive list of other taco truck reviews (especially in LA), check out Bandini's Taco Hunt.

This entry is filed in El-Charro Mexicano.

Friday, September 29, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To El-Charro Mexicano | Comments (1)

Santa Fe Style Salad

An associate of mine, known only as, "Burrito Chris" ordered the Fiesta Salad with Chicken, for $5.95.

It comes with lettuce, chicken, cheese, corn, and heaps of guacamole.

Burrito Chris said, "Yeah man, it's good," and, "Don't point that camera at me."

This entry is filed in Santa Fe Cafe.

Wednesday, September 27, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Santa Fe Style Salad

Cabeza Means Head

Quatro cabeza does not mean forehead.

Beef head tacos from La Taqueria are heavy on the onions and cilantro. And delicious.

This La Taqueria meal was rated: 7.7.

Thursday, September 21, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Cabeza Means Head

Silent Protest

I'll admit, I'd been to Lime before and wasn't impressed. I liked the owner though, and figured it needed a second chance. I ordered something called the "Big Cali." Being a California resident now, I have high expectations of something that carries a name like that (see also: a burrito called Baja California). Results were not in line with expectations.

The burrito was served to me with a grilled tortilla, in a wax paper wrapper, already a sign of poor burrito engineering. I was not asked what kind of beans I would like, and as I feared, the burrito came standard with refried, which as you probably know by now, I hate in my burrito.

Preconceived notions of taste aside, I went for it. I was sorely disappointed. The burrito was bland and starchy. Combined with the mushiness of the refried beans, I wondered if I wouldn't have been better off with the vegetarian family dinner. The worst part: the burrito alone cost me a whopping $9.30 with tax.

Then I, Phil Jonas, did something I've never done before. I left the last bite of my burrito on my plate as a silent protest of the experience.

This was one burrito I would not finish.

This Lime Fresh Mexican Grill meal was rated: 2.5.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 by Phil. Permalink for Silent Protest

Welcome To Lime Fresh Mexican Grill

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be able to go back to Miami for a nice long weekend to visit some family. The weather was gorgeous, and it was great to see everyone.

Unfortunately though, some of my family there is vegetarian.

When faced with the thought of going to a vegetarian dinner on Friday night, I new I had to take action. My plan: a quick stop at Lime Fresh Mexican Grill for a clandestine burrito ought to do the trick.

Lime originally got its start on the notorious South Beach, among the beautiful people. Just before I moved to San Francisco, they opened up a second location in North Miami Beach, closer to my stomping grounds. You can check out Lime's website here and you should because the website is pretty cool. Unfortunately, the food isn't.

They should have spent less time at the computer and more time in the kitchen.

This entry is filed in Lime Fresh Mexican Grill.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 by Phil. Permalink for Welcome To Lime Fresh Mexican Grill | Comments (1)

Baja Fresh Denies Faneuil Hall Tortillas

This happened forever ago, but I should alert Bostonians rather than ignore it: Baja Fresh in Faneuil Hall has closed.

There's some new restaurant going in there, and they will not be serving frijoles, tortillas, or anything resembling Mexican food.

Baja Fresh was a paltry improvement, and Faneuil hall has regressed to its former status: my least favorite place.

This entry is filed in Baja Fresh.

Sunday, September 17, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Baja Fresh Denies Faneuil Hall Tortillas

Segregation Not Welcome

As a big fan of Romano's, it is with regret that I publish bad news. The top photo is a carnitas plate from Romano's with no beans. The bottom archive footage is of John dropping some Blair's Jalapeño Death (our review here) on his Al Pastor plate from Anna's.

The problem is that Romano's puts the meat off to the side; nothing in this plate is ready for mixing. Anna's has the meat on top of the rice.

Some might offer that this is caused by my no beans request. I would like to point out that there are no beans in the bottom photo, either. Had there been, they would have been in the upper left corner of the plate, at the site of the lettuce.

I don't like my food segregated. Mix it up, amigos.

This Romano's Pizza meal was rated: 4.9.

Thursday, September 14, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Segregation Not Welcome

Zest Fest 2006

Nick over at Hot Sauce Blog has some coverage on Zest Fest including the Fiery Food Challenge Winners, as well as tons of pictures like the one at right.

It looks like a real hot sauce lovers' convention. Well, that's because it is, I guess.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Zest Fest 2006

Boston Globe Ratifies Burrito Contest

Burrito Blog made an appearance in The Boston Globe this weekend where they published the results of the Burrito Blog Speed Eating Contest #1. They also reported, as I had said, that there will be another speed eating contest.

Well, I didn't really mean it.

But I suppose it has to happen now. I cower before that big media pressure. Give it a year, and we'll hold another contest and make a big deal about it.

This entry is filed in {Press}.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Boston Globe Ratifies Burrito Contest

Forgo The Guacamole, Oh No

This, an email from Mr. David Reynolds regarding recent price hikes, recalls the days when people knew what two quarters and two pennies were good for: exact change on a super burrito with guacamole at Anna's Taqueria.

Quoted in entirety:

Seriously, who would have thought this CPI would hit so close to home- or quite literally, my stomach? I remember the good old days when my super Carnitas, beans and rice, salsa, hot sauce and guacamole only cost $4.52. I used to keep 52 cents in my car at all times, just in case I had an unexpected Anna's attack. These days I can hardly keep pace with inflation. If this keeps up, I might have to even start forgoing the guacamole.

-Dave

Dave, I miss it too. We all do. But my demand for guacamole is inelastic.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Thursday, September 07, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Forgo The Guacamole, Oh No

Burrito Blog Speed Eating Contest #1

After some trans national trash talking between Phil and DJ Turbz regarding the rapidity of burrito consumption capabilities, the two finally met for a showdown at Anna's. Sheb Shumar, with a reputation for brief meals, requested inclusion in the competition. Enter John Liu, last minute entrant, ringer, and soon to be Junior Burrito Analyst.

Enough hype. To the tape! From left to right: Phil Jonas, DJ Turbz, Sheb Shumar, John Liu.

Stick around for the closing seconds of commentary from the contestants where John Liu delivers a proverbial chest thumping assertion of dominance.

Results:

Gold: John Liu - 1:35
Silver: Sheb Shumar - 1:56
Bronze: DJ Turbz - 2:24
Aluminum: Phil Jonas - 2:45

Super burritos were nearly agreed upon, with all participants ordering at least cheese, rice, beans, salsa, with a choice of steak or chicken. John and Phil decided to get guacamole and sour cream postulating that a favorite burrito can be eaten faster than the bare minimum.

At the weigh in, Phil's burrito tipped the scale by a moderate but non critical margin.

Burrito Blog will hold another speed eating contest, this time open to the public. Though the date is to be determined, renowned Medford dentist Dr. Steve Lentine has already registered.

Update: Seth Shuman has allegedly shown the video to the delight of Johnny Damon, expatriated Anna's Taqueria junkie.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006 by Jonah. Permalink for Burrito Blog Speed Eating Contest #1

Burritos Are For Lovers

I realize that I have not yet done an actual review of a meal at La Corneta Taqueria, but something more important has come up. Please reference the picture at right. From left to right: Caitlin, Andrew, Jen, Me (Phil).

Caitlin and Andrew are college friends of mine. In fact, I lived with Andrew for all four years. The two recently visited me out in San Francisco from Boston, and though Andrew is a huge Chipotle fan, I took him them to La Corneta.

While the meal was solid, the company was better. We laughed and shared stories over sour cream and guacamole. But that's not the best part.

During their trip to wine country later that week, Andrew proposed to Caitlin and the two got engaged. I don't claim to know whether or not the burrito from La Corneta had any influence on Andrew's actions, but perhaps an experiment on the aphrodisiac effect of pinto beans is in order.

Congratulations, you two. We will toast horchata at your wedding.

This La Corneta Taqueria meal was rated: 9.0.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006 by Phil. Permalink for Burritos Are For Lovers

Welcome to La Corneta Taqueria

You may recently have seen a post in which Nate, one of Burrito Blog's friends, goes to town on a quesdailla from La Taqueria. However, Nate has done more for Burrito Blog than simply make entertaining cameos in our photos.

Nate lived in San Francisco before I moved here, and one of the first places he took me was La Corneta Taqueria on Mission St. between 23rd and 24th (Map). At first I was skeptical. The inside of La Corneta has an odd look wherein it is both colorful, and at the same time looks almost sterile. My first impression was that it sort of looked like one of those playgrounds they have at McDonald's. Apparently, many people are initially skeptical about La Corneta for the same reason.

As it turns out, the food is pretty good there. If it weren't a bit far from me (relative to the other 3,000 taquerias in the Mission), I'd probably go there much more often. Still, it's worth a trip every once in a while.

This entry is filed in La Corneta Taqueria.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006 by Phil. Permalink for Welcome to La Corneta Taqueria