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
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Friday, August 7, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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
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
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Lily's
Lily's has a strong reputation for being the spot for a good burrito in Malibu. I have many friends who ate there every day of senior year, who rank the Lily's burrito just below better-than-average sex, who have made Facebook groups titled with high-school style one-liners like "A Lily's Burrito is So Beefy It Could Beat Up Chuck Norris."
Before yesterday, I had only eaten there once. I lived with a friend this summer who urged me to challenge my previous, negative verdict of the Lily's burrito. Yesterday I found myself in Malibu, so I decided it would be a good time to hit up the one business the most Malibuites seem to remain loyal to.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 6.6
The meat was flavorful, but it tasted far too much like beef and not enough like carne asada. It was chewy and grew increasingly unappetizing as the burrito went on and on.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 1.5
I have to admit, I have tried a lot of salsas. The "salsa" at Lily's is not salsa. It has the consistency of pus and tastes like peas and carrots. I have had very, very few salsas that I have refused to eat after trying them a few times. I tried this one multiple times to make sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. No, it was really that bad. I hereby decree the least favorite of all the salsas I have tried to be the Lily's "salsa."
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : ?
I paid extra for guacamole, as I do when necessary. However, they must have only put a few drops or none at all. I don't remember tasting any guacamole, and I searched.
Quality of chips (1-5) : ?
Chips don't come with the burrito and are upwards of three dollars, without guacamole or salsa. Welcome to Malibu, ladies and germs.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.9
So I suppose the Lily's menu is somewhat diverse, but not as far as Mexican food is concerned. They have hamburgers, fish and chips, and other standard beach-food fare. I'm not sure if they have tacos, but none of my friends have ever mentioned Lily's tacos, so they're probably not worth noting.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.3/?
Lily's offers a small burrito and a large burrito. The small burrito was pretty big for its namesake, I must admit. I would guess that it would be a good idea to get the large burrito if and only if you're stoned or have a reliable fridge.
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $5-$7
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 7.5 (for a "small" burrito!)
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.5
There is one thing worth noting about the Lily's burrito, which is that mine got progressively less appetizing as the burrito went on. By the end, I was eating it out of sympathy for my wallet. I am not sure what it was exactly about the burrito that gave it this curious quality, but something tells me it might have been in my head. As far as the supposed superiority of the Lily's burrito, I do not see what the big deal is. I do not. Lily's fans, get yourself to a real taqueria. Details perpetually forthcoming.
Before yesterday, I had only eaten there once. I lived with a friend this summer who urged me to challenge my previous, negative verdict of the Lily's burrito. Yesterday I found myself in Malibu, so I decided it would be a good time to hit up the one business the most Malibuites seem to remain loyal to.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 6.6
The meat was flavorful, but it tasted far too much like beef and not enough like carne asada. It was chewy and grew increasingly unappetizing as the burrito went on and on.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 1.5
I have to admit, I have tried a lot of salsas. The "salsa" at Lily's is not salsa. It has the consistency of pus and tastes like peas and carrots. I have had very, very few salsas that I have refused to eat after trying them a few times. I tried this one multiple times to make sure my mind wasn't playing tricks on me. No, it was really that bad. I hereby decree the least favorite of all the salsas I have tried to be the Lily's "salsa."
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : ?
I paid extra for guacamole, as I do when necessary. However, they must have only put a few drops or none at all. I don't remember tasting any guacamole, and I searched.
Quality of chips (1-5) : ?
Chips don't come with the burrito and are upwards of three dollars, without guacamole or salsa. Welcome to Malibu, ladies and germs.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 2.9
So I suppose the Lily's menu is somewhat diverse, but not as far as Mexican food is concerned. They have hamburgers, fish and chips, and other standard beach-food fare. I'm not sure if they have tacos, but none of my friends have ever mentioned Lily's tacos, so they're probably not worth noting.
Size of burrito (1-5) : 3.3/?
Lily's offers a small burrito and a large burrito. The small burrito was pretty big for its namesake, I must admit. I would guess that it would be a good idea to get the large burrito if and only if you're stoned or have a reliable fridge.
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $5-$7
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 7.5 (for a "small" burrito!)
Overall taste (1-10) : 6.5
There is one thing worth noting about the Lily's burrito, which is that mine got progressively less appetizing as the burrito went on. By the end, I was eating it out of sympathy for my wallet. I am not sure what it was exactly about the burrito that gave it this curious quality, but something tells me it might have been in my head. As far as the supposed superiority of the Lily's burrito, I do not see what the big deal is. I do not. Lily's fans, get yourself to a real taqueria. Details perpetually forthcoming.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bronco Burrito
I love hole-in-the-wall Mexican food places. For some reason, they always satisfy me. This place is no different. My friend and I were driving down Ventura Blvd. and decided to eat the first burrito we saw. This was it. It was a knife-and-fork burrito, not a hand-friendly burrito. You go ahead and have your prejudices about non-handy burritos.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.4
I went with the carne asada, as I normally do, and I was not disappointed. The meat was juicy and flavorful, but not too greasy and not too shredded.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 5.2
The salsa wasn't nearly as bad as it was strange. It consisted of cabbage, tomatoes, cilantro and nothing more. They didn't have any other kind of salsa, either. It went well with the burrito, as you can imagine, but I had never been to a burrito joint that put less of a general emphasis on their original salsa.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 6.7
Guacamole is extra in the burritos here. They must have only put a few drops in mine because I could only taste it when I really searched. It's worth adding in, as guac tends to be, but don't expect all that much. Unfortunately, it was runny and farther away from avocadoes than one would prefer their guacamole to be. Than I would, at the very least.
Quality of chips (1-5) : ?
No chips! I didn't even think to ask if they had chips. They really might not even have any.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 4.1
I'm beginning to understand that the size and diversity of a menu at a Mexican food place is positively proportional to the number of actual Mexicans that eat there. Bronco Burrito, taking as data the single time I ate there, exemplifies this idea.
Size of burrito (I will buy a tape measure) : 3.7
Not enormous, but a good size. I hesitate to call it "standard size," because that would make my blog boring. Let's call it "burly."
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $6-$7
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 8.6
Overall taste (1-10) : 8.2
Bronco Burrito
19511 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.4
I went with the carne asada, as I normally do, and I was not disappointed. The meat was juicy and flavorful, but not too greasy and not too shredded.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 5.2
The salsa wasn't nearly as bad as it was strange. It consisted of cabbage, tomatoes, cilantro and nothing more. They didn't have any other kind of salsa, either. It went well with the burrito, as you can imagine, but I had never been to a burrito joint that put less of a general emphasis on their original salsa.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 6.7
Guacamole is extra in the burritos here. They must have only put a few drops in mine because I could only taste it when I really searched. It's worth adding in, as guac tends to be, but don't expect all that much. Unfortunately, it was runny and farther away from avocadoes than one would prefer their guacamole to be. Than I would, at the very least.
Quality of chips (1-5) : ?
No chips! I didn't even think to ask if they had chips. They really might not even have any.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 4.1
I'm beginning to understand that the size and diversity of a menu at a Mexican food place is positively proportional to the number of actual Mexicans that eat there. Bronco Burrito, taking as data the single time I ate there, exemplifies this idea.
Size of burrito (I will buy a tape measure) : 3.7
Not enormous, but a good size. I hesitate to call it "standard size," because that would make my blog boring. Let's call it "burly."
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $6-$7
Locally owned? (Y/N) : Probably
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 8.6
Overall taste (1-10) : 8.2
Bronco Burrito
19511 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Santa Fe Café
I decided last night that I would hit Santa Fe Café on my bike when I woke up this morning. I rode through suburban "traffic" up the hill to the single burrito haven of the immediate vicinity. I have heard lots of good things about the hilariously named "café" and even went there once, but that was before that fateful first burrito at La Cabaña that changed my perspective on life and burritos. So this was, for all intents and purposes, my first time.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.4
The meat here is pretty legit. I am not sure exactly what it reminds me of, but it tastes fresh and truly grilled, like carne asada from a hole-in-the-wall carniceria should always taste. It wasn't as juicy as it could have been, but we are in Calabasas.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.1
The salsa was very okay. The standard red salsa tasted as if the ingredients weren't fresh or necessarily of the highest quality, but it was well-mixed. It was even a bit sweet, though I'm certain there were no special ingredients added to make it so.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 4.7
The guacamole was disappointing, especially considering the amount it costs. It was just barely not disappointing enough for me to have wished I hadn't gotten it. Still, I wouldn't recommend it. Sadly, it does not synergize well with the rest of the burrito.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.4
I'm not sure what it was about these chips, but they were definitely unique. They were not stale, but they tasted very slightly of cardboard. Strangely enough, they went really well with the burrito. Go figure.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 1.9
Yeah, the menu was pretty small. The most interesting part about the menu is the kinds of burritos they offer. They feature a fajita burrito that I haven't tried, but I am generally a big fan of such experiments. Why don't more places serve them? To my knowledge, only chains and Santa Fe Café do. I find the crunch and flavor of bell peppers and onions to be refreshing, especially in a burrito. Other than the fajita burrito, there wasn't much interesting choice. They only serve two kinds of meat: chicken and steak (as with most Mexican food joints in the suburbs).
Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.1
I was impressed by the size of the standard Santa Fe burrito. I finished it all right, but I was definitely feeling full by the end, and I went in with a burrito-sized appetite. If you aren't conditioned for large-ish burritos, there's a chance you won't quite kill this one on your first go.
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $7-$8
Locally owned? Probably
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 7.7
I left feeling full, but regretted spending an exorbitant amount of money on a sub-par burrito. Still, if you're accustomed to La Salsa and its ilk, Santa Fe Café is surely a legitimate lunch destination.
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.1
I felt that the burritos at Santa Fe Café reminded me way too much of UCSC dining hall burritos. The only thing I can point a finger at is the presence of whole corn kernels in the burritos. It is my firm belief that non-ground corn has no place in or on a legitimate burrito. However, whatever strange quality about the taste of this burrito that drew a connection between it and UCSC fare was not immediately recognizable as corn, so I could be mistaken about the presumed yellow culprit. It could have been the substandard salsa as well, clearly made with a blender rather than a knife, as in the clean kitchens of UC Santa Cruz. Once I go back to try the fajita burrito, I may write an addendum to this review, hopefully a positive one. Now I know there are a lot of Santa Fe Café fanatics out here. Got a recommendation? A rebuttal? That's why you can leave comments.
Quality of meat (1-10) : 8.4
The meat here is pretty legit. I am not sure exactly what it reminds me of, but it tastes fresh and truly grilled, like carne asada from a hole-in-the-wall carniceria should always taste. It wasn't as juicy as it could have been, but we are in Calabasas.
Quality of house salsa (1-10) : 7.1
The salsa was very okay. The standard red salsa tasted as if the ingredients weren't fresh or necessarily of the highest quality, but it was well-mixed. It was even a bit sweet, though I'm certain there were no special ingredients added to make it so.
Quality of guacamole (1-10) : 4.7
The guacamole was disappointing, especially considering the amount it costs. It was just barely not disappointing enough for me to have wished I hadn't gotten it. Still, I wouldn't recommend it. Sadly, it does not synergize well with the rest of the burrito.
Quality of chips (1-5) : 2.4
I'm not sure what it was about these chips, but they were definitely unique. They were not stale, but they tasted very slightly of cardboard. Strangely enough, they went really well with the burrito. Go figure.
Size/Diversity of menu (1-5) : 1.9
Yeah, the menu was pretty small. The most interesting part about the menu is the kinds of burritos they offer. They feature a fajita burrito that I haven't tried, but I am generally a big fan of such experiments. Why don't more places serve them? To my knowledge, only chains and Santa Fe Café do. I find the crunch and flavor of bell peppers and onions to be refreshing, especially in a burrito. Other than the fajita burrito, there wasn't much interesting choice. They only serve two kinds of meat: chicken and steak (as with most Mexican food joints in the suburbs).
Size of burrito (1-5) : 4.1
I was impressed by the size of the standard Santa Fe burrito. I finished it all right, but I was definitely feeling full by the end, and I went in with a burrito-sized appetite. If you aren't conditioned for large-ish burritos, there's a chance you won't quite kill this one on your first go.
Approximate price (For a standard burrito) : $7-$8
Locally owned? Probably
Satisfaction Factor (1-10) : 7.7
I left feeling full, but regretted spending an exorbitant amount of money on a sub-par burrito. Still, if you're accustomed to La Salsa and its ilk, Santa Fe Café is surely a legitimate lunch destination.
Overall taste (1-10) : 7.1
I felt that the burritos at Santa Fe Café reminded me way too much of UCSC dining hall burritos. The only thing I can point a finger at is the presence of whole corn kernels in the burritos. It is my firm belief that non-ground corn has no place in or on a legitimate burrito. However, whatever strange quality about the taste of this burrito that drew a connection between it and UCSC fare was not immediately recognizable as corn, so I could be mistaken about the presumed yellow culprit. It could have been the substandard salsa as well, clearly made with a blender rather than a knife, as in the clean kitchens of UC Santa Cruz. Once I go back to try the fajita burrito, I may write an addendum to this review, hopefully a positive one. Now I know there are a lot of Santa Fe Café fanatics out here. Got a recommendation? A rebuttal? That's why you can leave comments.
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