The Burrito Blog

March 2007

Dry Cleaning And An Unknown Snack

I was dropping by A-List Cleaners on Harvard Street in Brookline Village to pick up some dry cleaning and say hello to owner and friend, Sheb Shumar.

Two birds with one parking spot: I'll grab lunch next door at Baja Betty's. Perfect.

Recall that Baja Betty's makes a monster burrito. I wasn't in the mood, and so decided to try their edition of my new obsession, chile relleno.

I don't pretend to be a culinary expert, so I'll default to Wikipedia for a description:

The chile relleno, literally "stuffed chile", is a dish of Mexican cuisine, consisting of a roasted green New Mexico or poblano chile pepper stuffed with cheese (traditionally queso fresco), and / or more rarely minced meat), covered in an egg batter, and fried.

Hmm. This was more like an omelet.

For comparison purposes, here are a couple (1, 2) other photos of chiles rellenos I've had the pleasure of eating. Decide for yourself. Either way, the food wasn't that good and was a bit pricey. No complaints on the laundered shirts.

Next time you're at A-List Cleaners, consider the organic dry cleaning and a different menu item from Baja Betty's.

Weight: 24.9 oz | Price: $7.25 | FDR: 3.43

This Baja Betty's meal was rated: 3.6.

Thursday, March 29, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Dry Cleaning And An Unknown Snack

Mary Had A Little Cordero Adobo

You've got to appreciate the occasional specials at Boca Grande. Not that I get tired of the 34 years worth of possible burrito combinations, but I like it when they sneak in something totally unexpected.

One day they were offering Cordero Adobo, which appears to be lamb marinated with cumin and cinnamon.

It's not traditionally served in a burrito, but I was in need of something to eat on the run. It was moist, tender, a little fatty, but completely amazing.

Hopefully we'll see the Cordero Adobo again.

Weight: 18.4 oz | Price: $4.25 | FDR: 4.33

This Boca Grande Taqueria meal was rated: 7.8.

Sunday, March 25, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Mary Had A Little Cordero Adobo

Anna's Taqueria Rumor #1: Mass General

Many have heard rumblings of a new Anna's Taqueria location opening at Mass General Hospital (MGH). Well, I haven't seen it with my own eyes, but I think this rumor can be confirmed.

An email from Mike Kamino, founder of Anna's:

I'm working on Anna's Mass General location and should open this spring / summer

Fans of Anna's residing in Beacon Hill, prepare to rejoice.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Friday, March 23, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Anna's Taqueria Rumor #1: Mass General

Southwest Burritos At SXSW

Reporting from Austin, John Furnari.

South by Southwest is:

• A music festival
• Located in Austin, Texas
• Abbreviated SXSW
• Where the world first saw Hoooka, a DRM free, artist friendly way to share and sell music

Nate, Carly (pictured) and I went to see Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, which was expectedly amazing. But let's focus on Austin for a second.

Austin is:

• Where you can eat at Freebirds

Freebirds makes a mean burrito, and it was right next to my hotel. In less than a week I became a regular.

Proof is in the different colored shirts.

This entry is filed in Freebirds World Burrito.

Monday, March 19, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Southwest Burritos At SXSW

Welcome To Freebirds World Burrito

Though the first Freebirds World Burrito opened in Santa Barbara, CA, most locations currently in operation reside deep in the heart of Texas.

Well, this Yankee doesn't know much about the Lone Star state, but with locations in Dallas, College Station, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio and the brief consultation of Rand McNally, some Freebirds are definitely in the Texas heart.

According to word on the street, there's a good amount of difference now between the Freebirds in CA and those in TX. This category applies to those in TX, and so is not filed under 'Multi-State Chains.' Plus Freebirds is privately owned and not franchised, so I don't know how much of the chain definition they fit.

Freebirds is a little trendy, trying real hard to be a good time. I appreciate the decor, but we're here for the food.

Check out the truncated menu at left and their official site.

This entry is filed in Freebirds World Burrito.

Monday, March 19, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Freebirds World Burrito | Comments (5)

Burrito Begins Vacation Revival

After a many weeks with little break from the cold and keyboard it was time for a revival. Vacation revival!

Cora and I made our way up to the slopes for a few, well, trips back down the slopes by way of snowboard. This, all on the heels of a super chicken burrito from Anna's in Porter Square.

Splendid.

Recall that burritos also pair well with skateboards. And sunbathing. Is there ever a bad time for a burrito?

This Anna's Taqueria meal was rated: 7.1.

Friday, March 16, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Burrito Begins Vacation Revival

Name Change From Mariachi To Amigo

Waltham, MA's Taqueria El Mariachi has changed their name to Taqueria El Amigo. It's fitting I suppose. I've never seen a mariachi crew in there and doubt one could fit.

Pictured above is a Mexican steak, ordered by Mr. John Liu. Unlike the type of thing you find at the local Outback or whatever, a Mexican steak is cut thin and cooked in a fry pan.

We met up with Waltham residents and diner fanatics Darius and Dharia. They are such diner fanatics that they have a blog dedicated to their passion, Dinersaur. Like the Bostonist crew, these are my kind of people.

This entry is filed in Taqueria El Mariachi.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Name Change From Mariachi To Amigo

Brunch With Bostonist At Picante

I met up with Jon Petitt and Caroline Roberts of Bostonist (plus Caroline's husband, not of Bostonist) for breakfast at Picante in Cambridge's Central Square. We talked about Massachusetts, California, and the Internet. These are my kind of people.

Jon got in touch with me after seeing my huevos rancheros struggles and offered to help. Call it an intervention.

I'd been to Picante before but never for brunch. Table service on Sunday mornings. Surprise. I made a clown out of myself and ordered at the counter.

The food was only ok. Surplus tortillas were served absent a delivery vehicle resulting in unneeded sogginess. The tomatoes were a little flat, likely hailing from a can. Hey, at least the food was as described, unlike some.

Jon ordered a spinach omelet. Others in our party got potatoes instead of rice and frijoles. No buyer's remorse there.

I'd go back only because it's close and there's no line for brunch. But uninspiring taste, weekends only, and open after 10am doesn't fulfill the mission requirements.

The huevos hunt continues!

Weight: 21.9 oz | Price: $4.95 | FDR: 4.42

This Picante Mexican Grill meal was rated: 4.4.

Monday, March 12, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Brunch With Bostonist At Picante

The More Elusive Breakfast Taco

Related to the elusive breakfast burrito, the more elusive breakfast taco is smaller, smaller even than the regular taco. In fact, I've never only on their al pastor taco seen such a small tortilla.

Note: physical size is unrelated to size of flavor, amigo.

The breakfast taco comes with all the same ingredients as the breakfast burrito: huevos, potatoes, salsa, and Mexican sausage. It is available only at the Anna's MIT location.

Weight: 5.4 oz | Price: $1.85 | FDR: 2.92

This Anna's Taqueria meal was rated: 6.7.

Sunday, March 11, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for The More Elusive Breakfast Taco

Upscale Uninspired Enchiladas

It's been a while since I've been to Tacos El Charro, one of the nicer restaurants that fall within the Burrito Blog tier of dirty / fast casual / truck / counter service. Before moving to California, this was about as close as I could get to some serious non-burrito authentic Mexican food without going to East Boston on Somerville.

I just noticed a lot of the recently reported meals haven't been burritos. I'll get back to them soon.

Anyway, a lot has changed, and my level of enchilada expectation has only grown. Incidentally, so have the prices at Tacos El Charro. Am I spoiled? Perhaps. California makes some damn fine enchiladas. Sadly, I’m the one who suffers for it, because this meal back in Boston's Jamacia Plain didn't measure up.

I got one chicken and one pork. You'd think I'd learned my lesson by now: in side by side comparisons I always prefer the pork. There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this enchilada plate, just uninspiring.

Yeah, I guess it's time to get back to burritos.

Plate weight: 24.4 oz | Price: $9.95 | FDR: 2.45

This Tacos El Charro meal was rated: 4.7.

Thursday, March 08, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Upscale Uninspired Enchiladas

Still Looking For Huevos Rancheros

You may recall the fruitless quest for huevos rancheros in Boston. Well, dear readers, I thought I had found the end. An end to macaroni and cheese in the morning. An end to cereal (sorry, Chris). An end to longing for breakfast in Los Angeles.

I was wrong.

John and I hit Taqueria Mexico bright and early for two servings of huevos rancheros. It's on the menu. Eggs sunny side up with beans, rice, and tortillas. Surprise! We were given scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Of course we ate it anyway.

Not sure how this happened. What was served was not even on the menu. The huevos rancheros quest continues.

The shirt in the picture is my new favorite. It's from Burrito Blog friends and sponsors The Ryde. Jump on that.

This Taqueria Mexico meal was rated: 4.4.

Monday, March 05, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Still Looking For Huevos Rancheros

Not Sedentary, Paralysis - Burrito Blamed

Wacky stuff like this always seems to take place in Florida. Quoting from WKMG Orlando:

TAMPA, Fla. -- A man who can no longer feed himself said an uncooked chicken burrito put him in a wheelchair.

Roger Anderson said he ate the burrito at a Moe's Southwest Grill in Land O' Lakes in September and became sick with stomach cramps, diarrhea and joint pains.

Anderson's attorney said the burrito caused a bacterial infection, which led to a disease that affects the body's nerves.

Anderson and his wife filed a lawsuit against Tampa-based GCF Ventures LLC, which operates the restaurant.

The company said all of its employees are trained in safe food handling and preparation practices, and the restaurant is regularly checked by health inspectors.

I think it's sensationalist garbage that they blamed the burrito. If this whole gag is even true, obviously chicken was the culprit.

Thanks to Chris for the tip.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Thursday, March 01, 2007 by Jonah. Permalink for Not Sedentary, Paralysis - Burrito Blamed