The Burrito Blog

February 2007

Burrito Blog Rejected By The NSF

Before being rejected by The National Science Foundation, Burrito Blog was courted by this illustrious organization. Yes, Burrito Blog. I am serious. What an honor. But first, background from Wikipedia.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering...such as mathematics, computer science, economics and the social sciences

Plus they give funding to Nova. So what on earth would the NSF want with Burrito Blog? Well, nothing, in the end. But at first, they were interested in some footage of eating contests. From the NSF:

The footage will be used as part of an educational video that will be shown in museums and possibly appear on NSF's website as well. Let us know if you have footage and are interested in letting NSF use it for our video project.

I signed and faxed the forms granting permission to use Burrito Blog's first speed eating contest. It's all yours, NSF. Warn the people of the dangers of amateur speed eating. The rejection:

After consulting with my colleagues we have decided to go with other footage to illustrate the concept for the project.

Perhaps our contest was not dangerous enough. Bummer. Keep up the great work with Nova.

This entry is filed in {Press}.

Monday, February 26, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Burrito Blog Rejected By The NSF

Year Of The Boar: Carnitas

There's no better way (for me) to usher in the Chinese Year of the Boar than with a bite of a beast that shares the name.

This picture deserves to get blown up. The carnitas shown tasted amazing and visibly so. It's pretty hit or miss, so I try and make a last minute decision when ordering.

Let this be the standard. When the carnitas looks like this, get it.

Plate weight: 25.9 oz | Price: $4.80 | FDR: 5.40

This Anna's Taqueria meal was rated: 8.9.

Wednesday, February 21, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Year Of The Boar: Carnitas

El Presidente Of The Clean Plate Club

John and I hit Taqueria Mexico with big plans for a big feast. A meal of presidential portions - fitting for President's day.

Lucky for me, Taqueria Mexico has a plate cut out for the job. They call it, "El Presidente" as you may have guessed.

In descending order of deliciousness:

• Chile Relleno
• Chicken Enchilada
• Taco Al Pastor
• Refried beans
• Rice
• Tortillas (not shown)
• Lettuce and Tomato
• Sour Cream

You can' beat a good chile relleno, and the only place in town that can compete is TaQueria La Mexicana in Somerville. At around $10, this meal was absolutely killer.

I am El Presidente of the Clean Plate Club!

See also: President of the Clean Plate Club.
This Taqueria Mexico meal was rated: 8.8.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for El Presidente Of The Clean Plate Club

Welcome To Taqueria Mexico

In the history of bold moves, nothing tops the location choice of the new Taqueria Mexico. Well, as long as eligible bold moves are confined to taqueria placements.

At 1393 Beacon Street in Brookline (Map), Taqueria Mexico is almost directly across the street from hometown favorite Anna's Taqueria. One could speculate on the motives of this decision for hours, but it's late and I'm here for the beans.

Taqueria Mexico is small, with only three or four booths. Despite the small accommodations, the menu is gigantic. There are all kinds of traditional dishes to try. Or if you're uninterested in deviating from the standard burrito, they have that too.

Many places that have plated meals don't focus on or even offer burritos to go, but Taqueria Mexico has it all. Let's see how it tastes.

There are two other Taqueria Mexico locations in Massachusetts, one on Charles Street in Waltham (Map) and the other on Commercial Street in Lynn (Map).

This entry is filed in Taqueria Mexico.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Taqueria Mexico | Comments (3)

Felipe's Shuts Door On Boston Tourists

The Boston tourists were my friends Brian and Maria. We went to Felipe's Taqueria after meeting up at a bar. We got there around 2:15 am, and Felipe's was packed as usual.

But there were no more burritos.

I don't mean they ran out (which has happened before), I mean they stopped selling them.

What happened to the petition to stay open till 4:00 am? What happened to closing at 2:30 / 3:00 am? Ugh. We went to IHOP in Brighton. And you know what that means. IHOP gives you pimples.

This entry is filed in Felipe's Taqueria.

Saturday, February 17, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Felipe's Shuts Door On Boston Tourists

Chipotle Makes Effort To Be Earth Friendly

Not sure if you can make out the footer of this burrito certificate, but it reads:

This used to be paper you threw in your recycling bin. (100% PCW, Acid Free, FSC Certified, Green Seal Certified, Made With Wind Power!)

PCW = Post Consumer Waste
FSC = Forest Stewardship Council

Love it. Yeah, throw in that exclamation point for bragging effect. You deserve it, Chipotle. Don't let the print make me sound sarcastic - I mean it. I doubt their napkins or to-go bags boast this spectacular sustainability, but hey, it's a start.

This entry is filed in Chipotle.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Chipotle Makes Effort To Be Earth Friendly

Burritos Inspire Music Videos

Title: Opportunity Doesn't Knock
Inspiration: Taco Bell
Choice line: The aftertaste of hot sauce it just burns down to my soul.

Title: Felipe's Is Over There
Inspiration: Felipe's Taqueria
Choice line: Wrap it up all in a tortilla. It's 2am I'm in a taqueria.

I think this rules. I made a website about food, these kiddos made music videos. If you know of any others, email me, por favor.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Sunday, February 11, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Burritos Inspire Music Videos

Too Cold For A Steak Quesadilla

It's about 1am and I'm on the couch watching Snakes on a Plane with one eye and uploading photos of my food to Flickr. I come across this amazing looking steak quesadilla from Anna's Taqueria.

Wow, I'd like one of these about now.

Felipe's is open and offers similar excellence. Unfortunately I happen to live in Massachusetts at this February moment, and it's too cold to go outside. Ironic that I reach into the freezer for something to eat.

Quesadilla weight: 14.6 oz | Price: $3.20 | FDR: 4.56

This Anna's Taqueria meal was rated: 7.3.

Saturday, February 10, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Too Cold For A Steak Quesadilla

Boca Grande Opens In Kenmore

From the Ashes of Burrito Max rises a better, stronger, more delicious place to get burritos. Approximate location: Raleigh and Beacon (Map).

Burrito Blog was never a fan of Burrito Max, but I'm never happy to see a taqueria close. Especially in Kenmore square, which has been hurting since that miserable Hotel Commonwealth decimated the neighborhood. El Pelon is close, but still over a half mile away.

This is the fifth Boca Grande. Congratulations!

This entry is filed in Boca Grande Taqueria.

Friday, February 09, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Boca Grande Opens In Kenmore

Menu Pick: Enchilada Rellenos Combo

I've been hitting TaQueria LaMexicana a good bit recently, and there's nothing better for my money than the enchilada rellenos combo. Looks like I reviewed this before, but I'm saying it again, this time louder and with FDR.

The plate shown is half eaten, both served with pork, and verde sauce on the enchilada. They ask if you want spicy or mild sauce on your enchilada. Spicy is gringo for verde, but I swear it's not hot at all. In fact, the chile relleno is probably spicier but nothing you can't handle.

I've spread the good word on their chile rellenos and enchiladas, but the combo dominates. Their enchiladas are all packed with meat, and there's just something magical about that combination that neither item reaches on its own. The weight is a little low, but the medium grease factor fills you up.

The enchilada rellenos combo is greater than the sum of its parts.

Plate weight: 11.8 oz | Price: $6.00 | FDR: 2.74

This TaQueria La Mexicana meal was rated: 8.6.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Menu Pick: Enchilada Rellenos Combo

I Bow To Reader Demands

In response to recent comments:

My friend Nate loves burritos. You should feature him on your site.
Signed, Fu

and:

My friend Me loves burritos. You should feature a picture of him eating a burrito on your site.
Signed, Nate

I have no choice but to share Nate's face with the world.

He is seen eating his very first super burrito from Anna's Taqueria. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Nate was overwhelmed by the superiority of this Massachusetts burrito. He was unimpressed by the local sunshine.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Thursday, February 01, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for I Bow To Reader Demands