Sharky's

I was surprised by Sharky's. I haven't been there in a while, and I was expecting it to be just another chain (that happened to use organic ingredients), but it was much more. Granted, it's a chain, and Sharky's does score low in the authenticity category, as expected. I ordered a fajita burrito and...well, let's just say I'm not used to eating burritos with zucchini and squash in them, but it didn't make the burrito bad, necessarily.

Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.6
The meat was a little bit dry and tasted a lot more like steak than carne asada, if you catch my meaning. However, it was flavorful, thick, and tasted of glorious charcoal.

Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.3
The pico de gallo contains too many tomatoes, but the "original" salsa is somewhat legitimate. It's obviously fresh and the ingredients seem to complement each other well. But don't believe their spiciness ratings. They're transposed upwards to make the place seem authentic.

Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.6
YES, the guacamole here is very, very legit. It's mostly just whole avocado, but it boasts flavor to rival the guacamole you made that one time when you had too many avocados.

Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.2
The chips are greasy and taste exactly like the chips from Baja Fresh, La Salsa et al. Nothing more. You might not even eat them, which is really saying something.

Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.5
The menu is about as diverse as other chains, that is, not very, but what gives Sharky's the leg up is that they offer organic tofu as a substitute to chicken and steak in every would-be meat dish.

Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.2
This was, for me, the most surprising part about Sharky's. The burrito was BIG, big enough to hold one over for half a day or so. Longer if you can't finish it all in one sitting, which is a possibility, even if you go in hungry.

Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $6-$8

Locally owned? (Y/N) : No

Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 7.6

Overall taste (1-10) : 7.2