The Burrito Blog

September 2005



Too Drunk And Too Loud

Please pardon my slacking.

This burrito was eaten many weeks ago. Ok about 7. Mike met up with me for some margaritas and a nice $9 burrito.

And by nice I mean average.

The burrito came served on a plate sans foil. The wrap was kind of a fold over, like when you try and flip a pancake and it goes poorly.

I'll admit, I couldn't tell the difference when I ordered the soy cheese as a free substitute. Hey, bland is bland.

The highlight of the meal was the story of Roman earning a police issued noise violation, while drunk and alone.

This Benny's Burritos meal was rated: 4.1.

Friday, September 30, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Too Drunk And Too Loud

Welcome To Benny's Burritos

Benny's was not only the first burrito place I spotted since arriving in New York, but also the first to enter the great burrito mausoleum known as my stomach.

There are two Benny's locations in Manhattan. The first night I was here I walked all over the place and spotted the Greenwich Ave location (Map) even though the Benny's Burritos on Avenue A and 6th is way closer to where I live (Map).

They've got table service and alcohol, which is nice. I think they also deliver.

There appears to be some affiliation with Blockhead's, as indicated in the locations section of the Blockhead's site.

This entry is filed in Benny's Burritos.

Friday, September 30, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Benny's Burritos

Strike A Pose

Kristin pays more attention to the camera than the tortilla filled with delicious goodness. We were at Cosmic Cantina, where they serve sangria by the pitcher and have happy hour specials.

Dear Boston,

I miss you, but you don't have happy hour specials.

Farewell,

-Jonah

This entry is filed in Cosmic Cantina.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Strike A Pose

As Seen On TV

Check out my appearance on The Phantom Gourmet - finally made available with the help of Andrew and Sterling.


I've enabled comments on this entry so you can share your thoughts on how Burrito Blog is saving television.

If you can't see the clip or want the full size, try here.

This entry is filed in {Press}.

Saturday, September 24, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for As Seen On TV | Comments (2)

Late Night Sour Cream

After a great night out in Cambridge with the kids from Overdrive, we went down Mass Ave to Harvard Square's Felipe's for a late night snack.

Felipe's has a habit of running out of food late at night. Fortunately they had just what I needed. The chicken verde cures all.

Kevin, pictured above enthusiastically points to some sour cream on his "Dammit how does a burrito place run out of beans?" burrito.

As usual, Sara didn't get anything.

This Felipe's Taqueria meal was rated: 7.6.

Monday, September 19, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Late Night Sour Cream

Grand Re-Opening At El Burrito

A few months after "The Great El Burito Fire" the doors are open again.

While they are offering only limited menu items at this time, we hope the full menu (especially the plantains) will return soon.

Thanks to Nikhiel for the news tip.

This entry is filed in El Burrito.

Friday, September 16, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Grand Re-Opening At El Burrito

Two Thumbs Up To Kyra

Dear Burrito Blog Readers,

Meet Kyra. John and I think she rocks. Here's why:

#1: She works at the Cosmic Cantina in New York's Union Square

#2: She knows burritos. She's an industry professional.

#3: She's the best waitress ever. True story.

#4: She is the only burrito employee to ever discover Burrito Blog before we discovered her.

#5: We found her menu knowledge and recommendations to be exceptional.

Sorry, Jessie, you are no longer The Cosmic Cantina Expert. There are two of you.

This entry is filed in Cosmic Cantina.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Two Thumbs Up To Kyra

The Height of Moe-deocrity

I'm becoming used to disappointment in Miami. I thought I might have stumbled onto something with Moe's. It was the first real burrito place I'd found (as opposed to a Mexican restaurant that serves burritos).

No such luck.

As I stood in line scanning the familiar tubs ingredients form which I would soon be creating my lunch, I noticed that all of the components look a little too much like stuff you could just buy at the grocery store. The cheese looked liked a generic bag of shredded cheese from the dairy aisle. The salsa looked like a bottle of Old El Paso spooned out into stainless steel bowl. The visual verdict: bland, unappealing, and average.

The taste verdict: the same. As I sat there eating my burrito in disappointment, I couldn't help but wonder if this is what the world is coming to. There was nothing wrong with the burrito, and nothing right with it either. I felt desperately trapped in the middle. I longed for the exciting flavors of Anna's Taqueria in Boston, or even Panchero's near my alma mater, the University of Michigan.

As my burrito began to deteriorate, rice tumbling from the top, and sour cream oozing through the tortilla, I felt myself going through the five stages of mourning. Denial and Isolation: the burrito wasn't that bad, I was being too hard on Moe's. Anger: was this the best Moe's had to offer? Was this the best Miami had to offer? Bargaining: What did I have to do to get a great burrito? Depression: perhaps it was me. Perhaps I lacked the ability to detect the quality of a burrito. Perhaps I should retire as a burrito analyst. Acceptance: finally, I sighed a sigh of submission. I would eat this burrito, but my search for Miami's best would not die as easily as I feared burrito standards had.

-Phil

This Moe's Southwest Grill meal was rated: 4.0.

Sunday, September 11, 2005 by Phil. Permalink for The Height of Moe-deocrity

Welcome To Moe's Southwest Grill


From Phil in Miami:

Advertising works. Moe's is the first burrito joint I've ever visited based on a radio spot. They continually play the Moe's ad on my classic rock station in Miami. It begins with a crowd of people shouting, "Welcome to Moe's!" The ad claims not only that they have great burritos, but that every time you walk into one of their stores, you will be greeted by dozens of employees and patrons yelling at you. Well, how could I pass that up?

They had some award on the door when I entered. I think it was from one of the local papers for best burrito. I try not to put too much stock in those things. Seems like every other store has some award for best hamburger since the birth of Jesus, or what have you. Still, it's always an encouraging sign.

I stepped inside, no one yelled anything at me. That's fine, I wasn't really looking forward to that part.

The menu weirded me out a little. All the items had bizarre names that I didn't get like "Joey Bag of Donuts," "The Ugly Naked Guy," and "Pinky Tuscadero." In fact the menu described the odd name choice as "Nothing fancy, just names that made Moe laugh." The menu also point out Moe's 30 some-odd Florida locations as well as locations throughout the Southeast, the West, the Midwest, and the Northeast. In fact, there is a Moe's Southwest Grill in 32 states plus the District of Columbia. That made me a little weary, but I tried not to hold it against them. Anyway, it was way passed lunch time.

Check out the official Moe's Southwest Grill site here, if you're bored, or click on our menu images for a larger size.

This entry is filed in Moe's Southwest Grill.

Sunday, September 11, 2005 by Phil. Permalink for Welcome To Moe's Southwest Grill | Comments (22)

From The Roads Near Santa Fe

Tonight I got a call from Junior Burrito Analyst John Furnari, who is en route to Santa Monica, CA, where he will be reporting from the West Coast for the foreseeable future.

Right now he's just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The conversation went like this:

Jonah: Hello?
John: I've found it!

This must be good.

This entry is filed in {News}.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for From The Roads Near Santa Fe

The Mad Amigo

There are about four things on the menu at Carl's. One is the Mad Amigo (a burrito). This is what he looks like.

As far as handmade signage goes, the Mad Amigo is second only to the defending champ, the Sopa Sale at Tacos Lupita. Man, I miss that place.

This entry is filed in Carl's.

Tuesday, September 06, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for The Mad Amigo

They Can Mini Anything

Not to be confused with Anthony, Master Of The Mini, John displays how a menu item at the Union Square, NY location of Cosmic Cantina can be reduced in both size and price.

How efficient! Dim sum burritos?

This Cosmic Cantina meal was rated: 7.0.

Saturday, September 03, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for They Can Mini Anything

Burritos From A Sub Shop

Ordinarily this would be a terrible idea. I mean, why not just get your burritos at a 7-11? Disclaimer: do not take that seriously. Do not get the microwaveable bean burritos from the 24 hour convenience store.

Return to Carl's, a noteworthy exception.

The burritos from this sub shop were pretty amazing. While they don't have the ingredients selection to which I have become accustomed, they do make a mean burrito.

As the last meal from with the guys from Brighton, none were disappointed with the burritos from Carl’s.

For consistency's sake, we tried the steak and cheese sub, too. Review to follow.

This Carl's meal was rated: 7.7.

Thursday, September 01, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Burritos From A Sub Shop

Welcome To Carl's

John and I first heard about Carl's in Waltham (Map) when we had our sit down with Eric and Dan from The Phantom Gourmet at Qdoba.

These dudes know food. They're professionals.

Wait so are we. We're professional food analysts, too. Only they get paid.

Casting aside their "paid to eat" status and our "pay to eat" standing, we knew we had to give Carl's a try. Although they specialize in steak subs, we were told not to underestimate the burritos and the character of the place. I consider it an historic event: the last exploration of Burrito Blog setting out from Brighton, MA.

This entry is filed in Carl's.

Thursday, September 01, 2005 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Carl's | Comments (1)