Burritophile: The Burrito Files

The Cross Section is Back!

2009-06-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

Since I've had a string of just-ok burritos recently, it seemed appropriate to break the chain by heading down to Taqueria San Francisco on this foggy Thursday. I met up with fellow burritophile Aaron and ordered a super carne asada. Bliss.

Big chunks of avocado, melted cheese, smoky meat, piping hot, washed down with a bottled real-sugar Mexican Coke. Yum.

A mis-step, and a renewal

2009-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

It's not that I haven't been eating burritos, it's that I haven't been writing much about the burritos I'm eating. Well, that, and that I'm reluctant to push the baby off the top of the page. The short of it - Gordo took a dive last week by giving me some other guy's burrito (mild salsa, sour cream, no guac, black beans) instead of what I'd ordered (hot, guac, no crema, refried). I was bummed, so I went to La Fonda last night instead. Who knew that they had al pastor? Who knew that it was decent?

Well, I know that now.

Baby burrito!

2009-06-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Those of you who follow our flickr feed on the left have probably noticed that every now and then shots of babies show up. Why? Well, there's a type of swaddling called the burrito roll, which involves wrapping your baby in blankets as if the tyke were our favorite food item! A friend of mine just had a baby, and decided to take this roll to its logical conclusion and...you can see the awesomeness for yourself. We're proud to present Charlotte - our first truly burrito-wrapped baby!

A spring day

2009-05-15T18:37:00.001-07:00

I happened to be up in Novato this morning, and decided to see what the North Bay burrito scene was like. As happy chance would have it, my meetings ended around lunch time, and I was able to make my way to Taqueria Real on a sunny spring day.

Check the review for the skinny - I'd just like to note that the staff was friendly, the people (Novatites) tanned and relaxed, and my burrito, though unwrapped, was hot all the way through. Have a good weekend, all.

Big (alt) Media Us

2009-05-12T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hey, I made the SF Weekly. Talking about burritos, natch. Really, I'm trying to throw some cold water on yet another NorCal vs. SoCal Internet argument. I like this quote:

More troubling than the north-south rift, Johnson told SFoodie, is the fact that a good burrito of any style is unknown to much of the nation. "You can't get a decent burrito in Oklahoma, in Maine, or in the entire city of New York," Johnson said. "Until that happens, we've got better things to do than fight over which is better."

Hey, I even sound smart. Seriously, though. There are poor Oklahomans who've never experience the true joy of a good burrito. We need to coexist, so as to best help those in need.

A Serendipitous Meeting

2009-04-27T20:41:00.000-07:00

I went down to Cuco's this evening to pick up a couple of burritos and bring them home. When I walked in, my old friend Jeff was standing there, and he broke into a wide smile. We exchanged handshakes and pleasantries, then caught up a bit. It turns out he's moving out of the city (sad), and tonight was a clean-out-the-apartment night, which they were going to do while fortified with plantain burritos and cerveza.

On the bright side of things, they're moving down to the other axis of Bay Area burritodom, Mountain View, to a house that's only a short hop from La Bamba, La Costena, and Los Altos Taqueria. So while they're going suburban, their burrito lifestyle may get even better. I left a little happier upon seeing an old friend. A few minutes later, I was full and my mouth was on fire. A good night, this.

Salmon from a Stranger

2009-04-16T22:29:00.001-07:00

We went to El Castillito tonight to take advantage of a two-for-one coupon I had lying around. As we waited for the woman and child ahead of us to finish ordering their taco plates, a disheveled-looking guy walked up to the doorway between the eating area and the kitchen. He proceeded to take a package of salmon out of a ripped grocery bag and tried to sell it to one of the kitchen staff, who was busy cutting up a tub of fresh cilantro.

Nothing really to say about this, other than...where did this guy get the salmon? Why was he trying to sell it to a taqueria? And why did his other, plastic bag contain what appeared to be cheap champagne?

It was all very confusing. Luckily, our al pastor burritos were not as confusing. They ruled, as usual.

The Next Generation

2009-04-07T20:27:00.000-07:00

The first non-mom-made thing we gave to our son was Gerber rice cereal. His enthusiasm for this was, shall we say, unenthusiastic. It struck us that we were not being true to our Burritophile roots, and we went with the best fruit Mother Nature produces. You can see the results below.

The True Cost of Recession

2009-04-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

I went by Cuco's tonight for the first time in a while. It was twenty minutes to closing, and the placer was empty except for one glasses-wearing guy finishing a rellenos plate and a beer. Carmen was there with her daughter, keeping watch on a quiet night. She greeted me with a smile and a "where have you been?"

I explained that I've been busy - working long days, doing some household things, being both in and out of town. After I asked how things were going, she shrugged.

"Slow, very slow," she said. "I've been here eighteen years, and...never like this. I don't know. My husband is usuall here, but now he's only two nights per week, the busy nights. I might have to open on weekends, you know. My [blood] pressure, it's high, and the medicine it's not cheap."

I had the super carnitas that you see in the photo below, but...open on weekends? Cuco's has never had to be open on weekends in the five years I've lived in this neighborhood. I've always admired them for that, and...well, I don't want to see that end.

So, San Francisco readers: I know you're out there. If you haven't had a platano or a carnitas burrito at Cuco's recently, get over there. You'll have one of the best burritos in the city, and you'll be helping a good family get some more time together.

Meat three ways

2009-03-31T08:29:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, I had spicy sausage patties and grits for breakfast.
I had a Polker Burger for lunch.
What better way to finish a long day of walking around hilly San Francisco than with an al pastor/pollo asado burrito from La Favorita? You gotta love the drive-thru.

Man, was it good. And I got in all the major meat groups in one day: red, white and pork.

Grilling

2009-03-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things that people often ask me is "Dan, why are you such a grilled tortilla snob? What's wrong with steaming?"

Steaming isn't the worst thing that can happen to a burrito (that would be lettuce), but...well, it just doesn't add anything to the burrito-eating experience. Grilling, on the other hand, gives the tortilla that toasted, naan-bread-like consistency. Think about it - isn't buttered toast almost always better than buttered bread? Same deal here. A well-made tortilla can survive the grilling process and still forego any bursting problems, like this one here from the Little Chihuahua.

Those brown spots are what makes a heavenly burrito.

Best of the Bay?

2009-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Dan had mentioned this contest a while ago, but at the time voting was still in progress. Today however, a coworker urged me to have a look at the results. Not all of the top 5 are places i'd have picked (that 2nd place pick in particular), but one of my faves was voted tops. What do you think- worthy picks?

A note

2009-03-11T12:32:00.000-07:00

To Tacos San Buena: When I ask for no sour cream, that does not mean "put sour cream on it." And when I ask for "hot and mild salsa together" that does not mean "skip the salsa.

What a mess.

A 10th anniversary worth attending

2009-03-10T23:14:00.000-07:00

I was over at Papalote the other night, and picked up a burrito with transcendent carne asada.

See, that's what they do there. Carne asada that transcends. It was, as usual, great. I was perhaps even more excited by the news that they're throwing a 10th anniversary party this Tuesday the 17th at 330 Rich in San Francisco. Happy Birthday, Papalote! We'll see you there.

Blue Burrito'd

2009-02-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

Acting on a hot tip from one of our correspondents, I ambled down south to pick up some chow from Lalo's, which had been touted as "the best burrito I've had in Sacramento." It's an extra stop down the freeway, and right next to the light rail tracks across from some warehouses. I'd had a burrito from a different Lalo's a couple years prior, but I'd actually walked by this one a couple weeks prior on a morning constitutional, and it looked pretty authentic.

As I rolled up at 7:30 pm on a Tuesday night, however, the place was darker than that burnt crap you have to scrape off your toast when you leave it in the toaster oven for too long. No burrito for me tonight.

Vexed, annoyed, and generally hacked off, I steamed home. A couple microwaved tortillas and a pot of vegetarian refried beans later, I was in business. A little cheddar, a little salsa from Mercado Loco...partial redemption.

Also, if you're in the market for some really outstanding tortilla chips, check out La Finca Tortilleria, based in Oakland. Their corn chips are, quite simply, the best I've ever had out of a plastic bag.

3 days, 6 burritos...

2009-02-22T07:52:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since i blogged anything. Moving tends to eat up one's time, and sadly, things have been light on the burrito front.

But i recently made a trip to SF for a few days. I made the most of it with a burrito for lunch and dinner every day. First up, a darn fine carnitas from Charlie's (though it could have used more guac). Then possibly my favorite pollo asado from De Amigos. Day two started with a return trip to De Amigos for a fine chile verde, and then a trip all the way to Mountain View for possibly the best carnitas i've ever had at Los Charros. Day 3, a darn fine chicken mole from Pancho Villa for lunch. Finally, i met with Dan and Aaron to try a new place, El Burrito Express, which produces a pretty tasty chile verde.

Overall, a good trip, which will hopefully tide me over for a little while until i find some good places in my new home town.

A new (well, new to me) salsa on the block

2009-02-18T17:22:00.001-08:00

I was up at the Little Chihuahua the other night and had three great things happen:

The pollo en chile verde was quite good.
Beer is $2 per pint.
Their chipotle salsa is good enough to inspire me to write bad poetry about it. Now, I'm not going to actually write bad poetry, but...wow.

Those guys are really hitting a stride. Good on 'em.

Slump-busting

2009-02-16T19:28:00.001-08:00

It's been so long since I had a burrito. At the mall today, I went to Dos Coyotes and ordered a burrito just so I could break my string of burrito-less days.

Given that it was a slump-buster, it wasn't as ugly as it could have been.

Question for the day

2009-02-13T12:54:00.001-08:00

Hey, La Parrilla, what did you do with the spice? That was like eating a chicken, cheese, and guac sandwich.

Economy's tough all over

2009-02-09T21:10:00.001-08:00

I ran the 10K at the Davis Stampede on Sunday, and came in second in my age group, which I attribute more to the slowness of the other 35-39 year-olds rather than blinding speed on my part--I came in second in my age group *last* year also, and ran a minute faster.

Anyway, last year I got a cool steel horseshoe medal, and a very nice insulated coffee mug that I still use constantly.

This year, things were a bit more down-market. My "medal" was cheap acrylic, and the prize was...

"Burritos for two" at Chipotle, including chips & guacamole, good only at the 3rd & E Street location in Davis. I guess I shouldn't look a gift burrito in the mouth...

An ill-publicized contest

2009-02-02T22:46:00.000-08:00

I went up to the Little Chihuahua the other day to satisfy a carne asada craving, and saw a little notice on their sign, urging customers to vote for the Lil' C on SFgate's Best of the BayList Burrito Competition. I hadn't heard of this competition. Neither had anyone else I asked.

And really, why bother? It's not like there's a dearth of competitive burrito-scoring events in San Francisco. Perhaps SFGate should turn the list over to those of us who really know what they're doing - readers over there tend to like Pancho Villa, which just really isn't that good.

OK, we're back

2009-01-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

Sorry we've been a bit quiet lately - the holidays, you know. It's not like we weren't eating burritos. Well, actually, we weren't. I was off in Southeast Asia, Chris is getting set to move to Canada, Cate was in Indiana, and Eric was taking care of some other things. So, little writing. But, I did pass by something that looked like a taqueria whilst in Bangkok.

No, I didn't stop by - I was too interested in eating real Thai street food (go to the big mall near Siam Square, head to the food court on the 6th floor and find the guys who do crispy pork with rice. Yum) to try an ersatz burrito. But...my first food stop after getting home?

El Castillito, of course. Super al pastor. Scrumptious.

Haute Cuisine meets Haute Couture

2008-12-15T23:29:00.000-08:00

Looking for that perfect last minute Christmas gift? Look no further than the t-shirts available at burritoeater.com.

Perfect for that burrito-loving fashionisto/a on your list.

Comfort food

2008-12-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

I woke this morning with an aching back, sore legs, and feeling a bit under the weather. As the day went on, things didn't improve. By Monday Night Football time, I knew I needed a burrito. Luckily, Cuco's was right there. I was feeling meatophobic, so I ordered a veggie, which earned me a cocked brow and a suprised "vegeteriano"?

Even swine-lovers like myself need a break every now and then. The burrito was good. I feel a bit better. What more does a boy need?

Thanksgiving Burrito Feast

2008-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

OK, it was technically the day after Thanksgiving, but I went into the city on Friday afternoon. I had lunch at Los Jalapenos, toured a big warship, and then went for an early dinner at Dos Segundos. And then i was legitimately more stuffed than any bird of the previous day. Thanks to Burrito Club Philly for pointing me towards these two places.