The Burrito Blog




From Fenway To Ashes To Boston College

El Pelon is making a comeback! Again. Recall that this hot spot was struck by fire, twice.

From Grub Street Boston:

Owner Jim Hoben confirms, telling us that the second coming of El Pelon is set to open in mid-March at 2197 Commonwealth. "Right now, we have about three weeks of construction left and then some final permitting. Everything will be exactly the same: same menu, same prices, same vendors, same employees, we even managed to save some of the decor from the wreckage."

The official El Pelon site has not yet confirmed. But believe it. There is an El Guapo burrito in my future.

Thanks to John Liu for the tip.

This entry is filed in El Pelon Taqueria.

Thursday, February 25, 2010 by Jonah. Permalink for From Fenway To Ashes To Boston College

The Obama Burrito Veto

After six straight days of eating at Anna's MIT for breakfast, I was denied this morning by El Presidente himself. Sort of.

Barak Obama is in town to deliver a speech on American leadership in clean energy at MIT. Cops and barricades lined the sidewalks and blocked the streets.

No parking. Burrito veto.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Friday, October 23, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for The Obama Burrito Veto

Mark Is Unconvinced

You'd think the kid with the burrito website would be able to convince Mark to order more than chips and salsa at his first trip to Anna's Taqueria.

Nope. Chips and salsa only.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Sunday, March 01, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Mark Is Unconvinced

How Convenient For Me

I don't like to shovel. I don't like the snow either. Put the two of them together and what you get is my car looking like an igloo.

Seth (pictured) and David were nice enough to pick me up and take me to Anna's MIT.

My car got to stay cozy inside its igloo. I got warmed up by a super steak burrito with extra hot sauce.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for How Convenient For Me

New Unemployment Benefits: Free Burrito

If you send California Tortilla proof of your layoff, you'll get a gift card with a free burrito, plus double points for future purchases.

Those who can mail proof of termination to the company can receive a “Burrito Elito” card loaded with a free burrito. Paperwork dated from November 2008 forward is accepted.

The promotion runs through Feb. 27. Recipients are also eligible for double points on their Burrito Elito card for a month, which awards free items when purchases begin to add up.

The paperwork for the promotion must be sent to the company’s Rockville headquarters or to bailout@californiatortilla.com.
California Tortilla has locations in five mid-Atlantic states plus DC.

Thanks to Tevvy for the tip.

This entry is filed in California Tortilla.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for New Unemployment Benefits: Free Burrito

Location Location I'm Stuck Here

T-Rex Taqueria had just opened. Maybe they didn't have their act together.

My burrito took a while to make and somehow the hot sauce was left out. The wrap was a little messy and ingredient distribution was poor. And they only had black beans. While waiting I did enjoy the decor: an eclectic mixture of fossil logos and vintage photos of professional wrestlers.

If I were in the area I'd go back, maybe even regularly. But T-Rex is no destination.

This T-Rex Taqueria meal was rated: 3.8.

Saturday, February 07, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Location Location I'm Stuck Here

Welcome To T-Rex Taqueria

Burrito speed eating rivals John Liu and Sheb both brought T-Rex Taqueria to my attention mere days after its opening.

Located on Cypress Street near the Brookline Hills T stop and Brookline High School, T-Rex is mighty close to competition at Boca Grande, Baja Betty's, and Anna's Taqueria. Expect nothing less from the self proclaimed king of taquerias.


View Larger Map

My bet is they're going after the open campus foot traffic of the high school students and municipal workers at the nearby library and town hall.

This entry is filed in T-Rex Taqueria.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To T-Rex Taqueria | Comments (2)

Airport Burrito, Airport Prices

Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled to be able to order a burrito at Logan airport's Terminal C. That counts for a lot, but that's where the thrill ends.

I went with the steak classic burrito from Currito, add guacamole. As a long time adversary of the cilantro lime rice, I wasn't expecting much.

Expectation correct.

The Currito burrito was strictly average in every way but one.

$8.33 for a burrito. Wow. I didn't have my scale with me, but the FDR must have been a record low.

See also: Caution: The Moving Walkway Is Ending

This Currito meal was rated: 3.0.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Airport Burrito, Airport Prices

Welcome To Currito

Currito is a national franchise chain operating in nine states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, and Washington. The origins of Currito were difficult to track down, even for a sneaky Internet hombre (me).

Founding:
Headquartered in Ohio, Currito's first year of operation was difficult to glean. Their website was written in Latin as recently as July of 2007. No, Currito does not predate English; websites are often mocked up with Latin before the real content is written. By August 2007, the site noted seven locations in five states. So we'll guess they opened doors spring / summer 2007.

Meaning:
A few options here.

  1. Urban Dictionary said 'Currito' is what you get when you try to spell 'Burrito' with T9 on certain mobile phones.
  2. A Spanish-English Dictionary states: currito, -a, masculine or feminine noun, 1. (ordinary) worker (informal) (peninsular Spanish)
  3. The Currito site repeats the phrase "Currito serves the cure for the common burrito." Oh? I didn't know it was infected.

Menu:
The Currito menu (official pdf) features chicken, steak, or tofu fillings in one of many worldly wrap styles: Teriyaki, Mediterranean, Cajun, Buffalo, and Bangkok. Thankfully they also have what they call Uncured The Classic, which comes with beans, cilantro lime rice, cheese, and salsa. They also sell a bunch of smoothies.

This entry is filed in Currito.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Currito | Comments (4)

Take A Break From The Books

Mr. Fink has a pretty serious workload in grad school. Fortunately, he lives close enough to Olecito to walk over for a tortilla time out.

A couple years ago, Mr. Fink showed me The (Big) Enchilada. Now it was my turn.

For $5.50 we each picked up an Olecito burrito that comes with guacamole and a side of chips and salsa.

Take a break from Inman legend Punjabi Dhaba and check out Olecito. Definitely worth it.

This Olecito meal was rated: 7.6.

Saturday, January 17, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Take A Break From The Books

Welcome To Olecito

Located across the street from its upscale parent, Olé, Olecito is much more my style. They serve just the basics: tacos, tortas, burritos, and quesadilas.

Like the style, the pricing is also much more my flavor.

Olecito opened mid 2008, but Burrito Blog needlessly delayed reviewing this little Inman Square eatery. If you're headed in that direction, make sure you don't go too late; Olecito closes at 10 on weekends and 9 during the week.


View Larger Map

This entry is filed in Olecito.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Welcome To Olecito | Comments (1)

Far From Normal: Taco Or Wedding Bell

Not much surprises me anymore. But an highly unusual wedding in a town called Normal, Illinois at a Taco Bell gets the job done.

Thanks to Nancy for the tip.

Check out the full story, Customers continue to order tacos and burritos as vows are exchanged.

I especially like this part:

Caragh Brooks, 21, of Australia, met Paul Brooks, 30, on an Internet dating Web site. They already had the same last name.
And
"It's appropriate," groom Paul Brooks said. "It's an offbeat relationship."
No kidding. Way to break the mold and think outside the bun. I love it.

See also: Matrimony and Guacamole

This entry is filed in Taco Bell.

Sunday, January 11, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for Far From Normal: Taco Or Wedding Bell

El Pelon Closed Due To Fire, Again

This is really tragic. I can't imagine the nightmare of having your taqueria burn down twice in just over a year.

El Pelon, which first caught on fire in December of 2007, was rebuilt by February 2008. Early January 2009, the rebuilt El Pelon was the victim of a much more devastating fire that swept through all the restaurants that line Peterborough Street.

I'm not sure what their plans are this time, but we all hope El Pelon is able to make a second comeback.

More coverage.

This entry is filed in El Pelon Taqueria.

Sunday, January 11, 2009 by Jonah. Permalink for El Pelon Closed Due To Fire, Again

Bubba The Dog Vs Taco Bell Bean Burrito

Wow.

This entry is filed in Taco Bell.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008 by Jonah. Permalink for Bubba The Dog Vs Taco Bell Bean Burrito

The Streak Is Dead

The MIT Student Center has been closed for the past few days with chains on the doors. This prevents me from eating Mexican Plates from Anna's every morning. I think it has to do with

No more dining out for breakfast. Fire up the rice cooker.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Monday, December 29, 2008 by Jonah. Permalink for The Streak Is Dead

The Streak Is Alive

I know. I haven't posted in six weeks. It's the longest break I've ever taken from Burrito Blog. For those of you who were worried that I may have stopped

  • Eating the tortillas
  • Typing the keyboards
  • Breathing the air
I assure you that everything is just fine. Proof of my well being is the photo below.

Here's what my trashcan looks like after eating a Mexican Plate from Anna's MIT for seven straight breakfasts.

Hmm. Maybe there is something wrong with me.

This entry is filed in Anna's Taqueria.

Friday, December 26, 2008 by Jonah. Permalink for The Streak Is Alive

Evidence Of Ninjas, Pirates Seen At Anna's

After Halloween, everybody is all about sharing pictures. Burrito Blog is no different.

On my way to grab an early morning chile verde plate from Anna's MIT, I noticed evidence of typically conspicuous ninjas and their less covert arch rivals, pirates.

The chile verde plate with refried beans and guacamole was particularly excellent on this occasion. No too hot, not too mild. Just right. Maybe I should have been Goldilocks this year.

Hope you all had a great Halloween. See also: Where's Waldo Found at San Loco and The Human Burrito Project

This Anna's Taqueria meal was rated: 8.3.

Sunday, November 02, 2008 by Jonah. Permalink for Evidence Of Ninjas, Pirates Seen At Anna's

Still hungry? Dig into the archives.