Everybody was pretty stoked on Burrito King except my brother. Turns out I kind of agreed with him. That's when everyone started saying stuff like, "yeah, but it's really good if it's 2 a.m. and you just need a burrito", and "yeah, but it's really good when it's 2 a.m. and you're really drunk." I guess it wasn't bad, just not what one might hope for from a spot in the heart of Echo Park.
Quality of meat (1-10): 5.3
The meat was super salty and didn't really have a great consistency. It was relatively chewy and was still way better than, like, Baja Fresh, but it was the main reason I didn't finish my burrito. Oh, and word is that their fish tacos are just a tortilla, a fish stick, and mayo.
Quality of house salsa (1-10): 4.1
The only salsa they had was this runny chipotle juice that was probably made months ago and frozen. I don't really even like chipotle.
Quality of guacamole (1-10): 4.1
There is a pretty hard line between fresh guac and the stuff that comes in a plastic bag.
Quality of chips (1-5): ?
Once again, not paying for chips.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5): 3.7
The Burrito King had a lot of stuff I had seriously never heard of, which is pretty awesome. Props to them for that. Maybe that's just a statement about how I don't live in Los Angeles.
Size of burrito (1-5): 2.3
Pretty small! Pretty small. Just compared to other burritos, though. It's still a lot of food.
Approximate price: $6.50
Locally owned? Yes
Overall (1-10): 7.3
Burrito King
2109 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
Friday, August 7, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Special Report: Iowa
For the sake of this blog, just assume that I spent the last 7 weeks of my life in central Iowa solely for the purpose of coining the namesake of "burrito snob".
Firstly, I would like to emphasize that I was very careful to get a clear consensus on the best burrito in the whole damn state before trying anything that could be considered a burrito. Surprisingly, there was one. It was for a spot called The Fighting Burrito, which happened to be in Ames, where I am staying. Well, if anybody tells you they have had a burrito in Iowa, they are lying to you. The Fighting Burrito's meat is worse than dining hall fare. Their website says they have soyrizo, but that's not true. Their guacamole very obviously comes out of a plastic bag, and it had to come a long, long way to get to freaking Ames, Iowa. They have two kinds of rice: white rice and wild rice. Their salsa births an abundance of questions that I will dub the precursor to "burrito theory," one of these questions being, "can one make salsa using just any ingredients?" Chips cost extra. They don't have a salsa bar, even with their own sad excuses for salsa. And...they don't have pinto beans. I have had literally dozens of Iowans tell me that this burrito is far and away the best burrito they have ever had in their (sad, deprived) lives. They admit that they haven't been to California.
Firstly, I would like to emphasize that I was very careful to get a clear consensus on the best burrito in the whole damn state before trying anything that could be considered a burrito. Surprisingly, there was one. It was for a spot called The Fighting Burrito, which happened to be in Ames, where I am staying. Well, if anybody tells you they have had a burrito in Iowa, they are lying to you. The Fighting Burrito's meat is worse than dining hall fare. Their website says they have soyrizo, but that's not true. Their guacamole very obviously comes out of a plastic bag, and it had to come a long, long way to get to freaking Ames, Iowa. They have two kinds of rice: white rice and wild rice. Their salsa births an abundance of questions that I will dub the precursor to "burrito theory," one of these questions being, "can one make salsa using just any ingredients?" Chips cost extra. They don't have a salsa bar, even with their own sad excuses for salsa. And...they don't have pinto beans. I have had literally dozens of Iowans tell me that this burrito is far and away the best burrito they have ever had in their (sad, deprived) lives. They admit that they haven't been to California.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Review review
So I've been looking over past posts noting errors in my, erm, reporting. I decided to tweak a few numbers. Here they are:
Taqueria Las Palmas: What the hell? This place is WAY better than Taqueria Santa Cruz. Raise the 7.9 overall to an 8.6.
Celia's Mexican Restaurant: So I haven't been back to Celia's since it sucked but upon comparing with other scores, I've decided to drop this one overall to a 6.0. It was pretty bad. I can't believe people go there. Note this drops the score of Presidente in LA also.
Burrito cart on Bancroft and Telegraph: Has $1 tacos every day for a few hours that are supposedly legitimate.
Everything else is close enough, I guess. Here's a complete ranking of all the burritos I have reviewed thus far:
--------yess
Taqueria La Cabaña (9.2)
Taqueria Pancho Villa (9.1)
Tacos Moreno (9.0)
Taqueria Los Pericos (8.9)
Taqueria Las Palmas (8.6)
El Nopal (8.5)
Taqueria El Castillito (8.4)
Bronco Burrito (8.2)
Jalapeños (8.1)
Taqueria Santa Cruz (7.9)
Jilberto's (7.9)
Taqueria Monte Cristo (7.8)
--------good enough
Cancun Taqueria (7.6)
Sharky's (7.2)
Gordo's (7.2)
Arriba (7.1)
Santa Fe Cafe (7.1)
Lily's (6.5)
-------not so good
Casa Latina (6.0)
Presidente (6.0)
Celia's (6.0)
Andale (5.4)
Burrito cart on Bancroft and Telegraph (5.3)
-------avoid
La Burrita (4.1)
La Salsa (4.o)
Baja Fresh (3.5)
Taqueria Vallarta (3.3)
La Cascada (3.1)
El Sombrero Taqueria (2.6)
You won't be hearing about burritos from me for a while, since I'm going to Iowa for two months. If there are burritos of note I'll let you know.
Taqueria Las Palmas: What the hell? This place is WAY better than Taqueria Santa Cruz. Raise the 7.9 overall to an 8.6.
Celia's Mexican Restaurant: So I haven't been back to Celia's since it sucked but upon comparing with other scores, I've decided to drop this one overall to a 6.0. It was pretty bad. I can't believe people go there. Note this drops the score of Presidente in LA also.
Burrito cart on Bancroft and Telegraph: Has $1 tacos every day for a few hours that are supposedly legitimate.
Everything else is close enough, I guess. Here's a complete ranking of all the burritos I have reviewed thus far:
--------yess
Taqueria La Cabaña (9.2)
Taqueria Pancho Villa (9.1)
Tacos Moreno (9.0)
Taqueria Los Pericos (8.9)
Taqueria Las Palmas (8.6)
El Nopal (8.5)
Taqueria El Castillito (8.4)
Bronco Burrito (8.2)
Jalapeños (8.1)
Taqueria Santa Cruz (7.9)
Jilberto's (7.9)
Taqueria Monte Cristo (7.8)
--------good enough
Cancun Taqueria (7.6)
Sharky's (7.2)
Gordo's (7.2)
Arriba (7.1)
Santa Fe Cafe (7.1)
Lily's (6.5)
-------not so good
Casa Latina (6.0)
Presidente (6.0)
Celia's (6.0)
Andale (5.4)
Burrito cart on Bancroft and Telegraph (5.3)
-------avoid
La Burrita (4.1)
La Salsa (4.o)
Baja Fresh (3.5)
Taqueria Vallarta (3.3)
La Cascada (3.1)
El Sombrero Taqueria (2.6)
You won't be hearing about burritos from me for a while, since I'm going to Iowa for two months. If there are burritos of note I'll let you know.
El Nopal
Homecoming to LA. Gotta get a real burrito. It should be noted that El Nopal is "famous" for its "Pregnant Burrito," which replaces cow/pig/chicken meat with a human fetus. (It's just big and holds a lot of stuff.) I didn't get the pregnant burrito, but my regular burrito was still good enough to want to go back.
Quality of meat (1-10): 8.7
Hell yeah. Crispy and juicy and really flavorful. My only complaint is that the meat was really really salty. Also, carne asada costs 50 cents extra, which is unusual, but it's RAD asada.
Quality of house salsa (1-10): 5.4
I've probably tasted hundreds of different salsas in my life thus far. You have too. This one doesn't stand out. It's good enough. They only have one kind.
Quality of guacamole (1-10): 8.6
Oh man. So good. And they give you a LOT of guacamole. Maybe more than I've ever gotten in any burrito. Could have just been a mistake, but whatever amount they give you is worth the extra charge.
Quality of chips (1-10): 2.9
Just barely sub-par.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5): 2.8
http://pregnantburrito.com/id53.html
Size of burrito (1-5): 3.8
The burrito is fer sure big enough. El Nopal has a running competition to see who can eat the most Pregnant burritos in one sitting. One sitting means no bathroom breaks. If you win you get your picture on the wall and free burritos, or something.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $9-10
Locally owned?: Yes
There's a chain in the midwest called El Nopal. Not related.
Overall taste (1-10): 8.5
El Nopal
10426 National Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Quality of meat (1-10): 8.7
Hell yeah. Crispy and juicy and really flavorful. My only complaint is that the meat was really really salty. Also, carne asada costs 50 cents extra, which is unusual, but it's RAD asada.
Quality of house salsa (1-10): 5.4
I've probably tasted hundreds of different salsas in my life thus far. You have too. This one doesn't stand out. It's good enough. They only have one kind.
Quality of guacamole (1-10): 8.6
Oh man. So good. And they give you a LOT of guacamole. Maybe more than I've ever gotten in any burrito. Could have just been a mistake, but whatever amount they give you is worth the extra charge.
Quality of chips (1-10): 2.9
Just barely sub-par.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5): 2.8
http://pregnantburrito.com/id53.html
Size of burrito (1-5): 3.8
The burrito is fer sure big enough. El Nopal has a running competition to see who can eat the most Pregnant burritos in one sitting. One sitting means no bathroom breaks. If you win you get your picture on the wall and free burritos, or something.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $9-10
Locally owned?: Yes
There's a chain in the midwest called El Nopal. Not related.
Overall taste (1-10): 8.5
El Nopal
10426 National Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Casa Latina
So I have been really lagging on my burrito consumption. Living in Berkeley is fully not conducive to successful burrito reviewage as you may have read in the past. When finals ended I went and drank beer in the forest during the daytime and decided to embark on a mission to Casa Latina on San Pablo which came highly recommended.
Quality of meat (1-10): 5.5
So I didn't like the meat here but almost everyone who recommended Casa Latina to me is a vegetarian, so take that into account. The meat was very chewy and "fresh" tasting, but in a bad way, like sort of stringy and more like beef than asada. Another place with "fresh" tasting meat like this was that place Andalé in SFO. The problem I have with this faux-fresh tasting meat is that it's sort of tasteless. It is meat, but it might as well not be, since it doesn't add the necessary flavor to the burrito. Maybe I just like super greasy burritos, or something?
Quality of house salsa (1-10): 7.3
Okay, to be honest, I don't really remember how good the salsa was since it was a few weeks ago, but the score comes from exactly that. I'm pretty sure it was nothing special. 7.3 is an overapproximation, if anything.
Quality of guacamole (1-10): 8.2
Great job!
Quality of chips: (1-5): ?
We were so incredibly hungry when we arrived at Casa Latina that the chips we got right after ordering tasted like God's toenails. I have no idea how good they actually were. If I ever go back to Casa Latina I'll put a real number score. I guess it's not like chips will sway your decision to go there one way or the other, mm?
Size/diversity of menu: 4.4
Well, I am pretty sure the menu was really general and standard, but this is where it's worth mentioning that Casa Latina has supposedly great flan and all sorts of Mexican pastries. It's actually more of a bakery than it is a taqueria. If you find yourself down on San Pablo near Hearst you might just want to go in for some pastries because they are super good.
Size of burrito: 3.6
Coming back to blogging, this is maybe the hardest part, because I can't remember how big my previous burritos ACTUALLY were, and my stomach is smaller since I don't eat as many burritos. This is my best guess.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$9
Locally owned?: Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.7
This is based on the circumstance, really. We were HUNGRY.
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.0
I wouldn't go back here. If you're veg it's worth checking out, I guess, but you might just want to trek up University and go to Monte Cristo. If anyone knows where in Berkeley or even Oakland where I can get a burrito better than a Taqueria Monte Cristo burrito, please let me know!!
Casa Latina
1805 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702
Quality of meat (1-10): 5.5
So I didn't like the meat here but almost everyone who recommended Casa Latina to me is a vegetarian, so take that into account. The meat was very chewy and "fresh" tasting, but in a bad way, like sort of stringy and more like beef than asada. Another place with "fresh" tasting meat like this was that place Andalé in SFO. The problem I have with this faux-fresh tasting meat is that it's sort of tasteless. It is meat, but it might as well not be, since it doesn't add the necessary flavor to the burrito. Maybe I just like super greasy burritos, or something?
Quality of house salsa (1-10): 7.3
Okay, to be honest, I don't really remember how good the salsa was since it was a few weeks ago, but the score comes from exactly that. I'm pretty sure it was nothing special. 7.3 is an overapproximation, if anything.
Quality of guacamole (1-10): 8.2
Great job!
Quality of chips: (1-5): ?
We were so incredibly hungry when we arrived at Casa Latina that the chips we got right after ordering tasted like God's toenails. I have no idea how good they actually were. If I ever go back to Casa Latina I'll put a real number score. I guess it's not like chips will sway your decision to go there one way or the other, mm?
Size/diversity of menu: 4.4
Well, I am pretty sure the menu was really general and standard, but this is where it's worth mentioning that Casa Latina has supposedly great flan and all sorts of Mexican pastries. It's actually more of a bakery than it is a taqueria. If you find yourself down on San Pablo near Hearst you might just want to go in for some pastries because they are super good.
Size of burrito: 3.6
Coming back to blogging, this is maybe the hardest part, because I can't remember how big my previous burritos ACTUALLY were, and my stomach is smaller since I don't eat as many burritos. This is my best guess.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : ~$9
Locally owned?: Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.7
This is based on the circumstance, really. We were HUNGRY.
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.0
I wouldn't go back here. If you're veg it's worth checking out, I guess, but you might just want to trek up University and go to Monte Cristo. If anyone knows where in Berkeley or even Oakland where I can get a burrito better than a Taqueria Monte Cristo burrito, please let me know!!
Casa Latina
1805 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702
Friday, January 9, 2009
Jilberto's
So this is the first San Diego burrito I've had, but I guess it's not even really a San Diego burrito. People from San Diego will insist that Escondido is not San Diego, even in terms of burritos.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.0
The carne asada's downfall was that it was intensely salty. Actually, the carne asada burrito here originally had no beans or rice in it. I added beans. I suppose it is a personal belief of mine that beans in a burrito are indispensable. Anyway, the meat tasted pretty good, but it wasn't anything super fantastic-amazing.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.2
There are two salsas of note. One is the standard awesome pico de gallo and one is another standard sort of salsa, but this is the "house salsa." I'm running out of unique ways to describe house salsas...um...it was pretty heavy on the cilantro.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 9.5
Some of the best guacamole I have had, I think. There are loads of avocado trees around here.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.7
Nothing too extensive. There are carne asada fries, which are sort of like nachos with French fries, but San Diegans are used to this. Another one of these San Diego taquerial idiosyncracies is the California burrito, which is a carne asada burrito with potatoes and cheese.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.9
It was pretty heavy. I barely finished it.
Approximate price : $4-5
Locally owned? : Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 8.0
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.9
Jilberto's
1301 E Valley Pkwy Ste A
Escondido, CA
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.0
The carne asada's downfall was that it was intensely salty. Actually, the carne asada burrito here originally had no beans or rice in it. I added beans. I suppose it is a personal belief of mine that beans in a burrito are indispensable. Anyway, the meat tasted pretty good, but it wasn't anything super fantastic-amazing.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 8.2
There are two salsas of note. One is the standard awesome pico de gallo and one is another standard sort of salsa, but this is the "house salsa." I'm running out of unique ways to describe house salsas...um...it was pretty heavy on the cilantro.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 9.5
Some of the best guacamole I have had, I think. There are loads of avocado trees around here.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.7
Nothing too extensive. There are carne asada fries, which are sort of like nachos with French fries, but San Diegans are used to this. Another one of these San Diego taquerial idiosyncracies is the California burrito, which is a carne asada burrito with potatoes and cheese.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.9
It was pretty heavy. I barely finished it.
Approximate price : $4-5
Locally owned? : Yes
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 8.0
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.9
Jilberto's
1301 E Valley Pkwy Ste A
Escondido, CA
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Presidente Restaurant
SEE POST FOR CELIA'S MEXICAN RESTAURANT HERE:
http://caburritoblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/celias-mexican-restaurant.html
The only difference is that Presidente is a chain.
www.presidenterestaurant.com
You can and should avoid both of these places.
Presidente Restaurant
11451 Sepulveda Blvd
Mission Hills, CA 91345
http://caburritoblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/celias-mexican-restaurant.html
The only difference is that Presidente is a chain.
www.presidenterestaurant.com
You can and should avoid both of these places.
Presidente Restaurant
11451 Sepulveda Blvd
Mission Hills, CA 91345
Arriba Mexican
Seriously, let me know if any of you guys ever go here. Really. I'll be so surprised. It's in Idyllwild. When are you gonna go to Idyllwild?
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.2
I must admit, for sit-down unauthentic Mexican fare the meat was pretty okay. Of course it didn't hold a candle to any real taqueria, with the non-exception of Taqueria Vallarta, which is not an exception because it is not a real taqueria. Same goes for all sub-4.0 burritos on here and most sub-6.0s. Um...yeah, the meat was fine.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.5
The only salsa was just standard pico de gallo, and I haven't quite figured out what score to give to standard pico, but this stuff was just barely worse than that. The tomatoes were somewhat mealy and they added too much salt to the stuff.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.5
So I guess making good guacamole is about the easiest thing you can do, but most taquerias that fail at it fail because they don't want to spend money on good avocados. Too often guacamole comes squeezed from a plastic bag. Unauthentic sit-down Mexican food restaurants (USDMFRs) such as this one don't have that problem. Props.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 3.1
I must say, for a USDMFR the menu was not terribly diverse. But I guess it was a while ago, so I might not remember that well. I guess it doesn't really matter. Come on. It's in Idyllwild. Seriously.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.8
All USDMFRs have burritos in the 3.5-3.9 size range.
Approximate price : $7-9
Locally owned? : No
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.1
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.1
Arriba Mexican
25980 Highway 243
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Quality of meat (1-10) : 7.2
I must admit, for sit-down unauthentic Mexican fare the meat was pretty okay. Of course it didn't hold a candle to any real taqueria, with the non-exception of Taqueria Vallarta, which is not an exception because it is not a real taqueria. Same goes for all sub-4.0 burritos on here and most sub-6.0s. Um...yeah, the meat was fine.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.5
The only salsa was just standard pico de gallo, and I haven't quite figured out what score to give to standard pico, but this stuff was just barely worse than that. The tomatoes were somewhat mealy and they added too much salt to the stuff.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.5
So I guess making good guacamole is about the easiest thing you can do, but most taquerias that fail at it fail because they don't want to spend money on good avocados. Too often guacamole comes squeezed from a plastic bag. Unauthentic sit-down Mexican food restaurants (USDMFRs) such as this one don't have that problem. Props.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 3.1
I must say, for a USDMFR the menu was not terribly diverse. But I guess it was a while ago, so I might not remember that well. I guess it doesn't really matter. Come on. It's in Idyllwild. Seriously.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.8
All USDMFRs have burritos in the 3.5-3.9 size range.
Approximate price : $7-9
Locally owned? : No
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 7.1
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.1
Arriba Mexican
25980 Highway 243
Idyllwild, CA 92549
Las Palmas Taco Bar
So I finally made it down to Las Palmas, months after I moved out of Santa Cruz. I must say, I was pretty underwhelmed...for a greasy, cheap burrito it wasn't that great.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.0
So I guess the meat was good; it was crispy and obviously pretty greasy. Taquerias in the suburbs have much to learn about "quality of meat" from taquerias like this one.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.8
There was only one kind of salsa here, which is definitely not (necessarily) a bad thing (see Tacos Moreno), but it wasn't outstanding. It was definitely good enough to eat with the whole burrito, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it again.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.1
Hard to mess up guacamole. Pretty hard. Nothing special, but it sure isn't bad.
Quality of chips (1-5) : N/A
Chips are extra, so Las Palmas should really be getting a penalty here, but I'm not going to split hairs. Hahahahahaha. Penalty.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.8
Pretty average; all the old standbys and a few more.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.8
This burrito was definitely sizeable. I was able to finish it, but I can imagine numerous situations in which I would not have been able to. The size is really not what makes you feel full, though. Las Palmas food sits with you.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $6
Dude, the veggie burrito is only $3! Seriously!!
Locally 0wned? : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 8.3
The burrito feels like lead in your stomach at first, but that slowly turns into not being hungry for several hours.
Overall taste (1-10) : 8.6
Update: Definitely way better than Taqueria Santa Cruz, contrary to what I said before. Santa Cruz destination burrito status.
Las Palmas Taco Bar
55 Front Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.0
So I guess the meat was good; it was crispy and obviously pretty greasy. Taquerias in the suburbs have much to learn about "quality of meat" from taquerias like this one.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.8
There was only one kind of salsa here, which is definitely not (necessarily) a bad thing (see Tacos Moreno), but it wasn't outstanding. It was definitely good enough to eat with the whole burrito, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find it again.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 8.1
Hard to mess up guacamole. Pretty hard. Nothing special, but it sure isn't bad.
Quality of chips (1-5) : N/A
Chips are extra, so Las Palmas should really be getting a penalty here, but I'm not going to split hairs. Hahahahahaha. Penalty.
Size/diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.8
Pretty average; all the old standbys and a few more.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.8
This burrito was definitely sizeable. I was able to finish it, but I can imagine numerous situations in which I would not have been able to. The size is really not what makes you feel full, though. Las Palmas food sits with you.
Approximate price (for a standard burrito) : $6
Dude, the veggie burrito is only $3! Seriously!!
Locally 0wned? : Probably
Satisfaction factor (1-10) : 8.3
The burrito feels like lead in your stomach at first, but that slowly turns into not being hungry for several hours.
Overall taste (1-10) : 8.6
Update: Definitely way better than Taqueria Santa Cruz, contrary to what I said before. Santa Cruz destination burrito status.
Las Palmas Taco Bar
55 Front Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
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