portland burrito blog

Chilangos Taqueria Y Tienda****

2010-01-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to try this place, since I see it all the time, and it's green faded facade intrigues me. On Prescott at NE 15th.

Aside from the communication issues, this place was good. The communication issues were that I got a kid's burrito and D got a huge burrito. Mine did not have pico, but rather some watery salsa on the side. D got the pico inside. Had it been the correct size and included pico de gallo inside the burrito, it would have been close to measuring up to El Farolito*!

It had whole pinto beans, rice with slight Mexican seasoning, and whole slices of avocado. The tortilla itself was excellent (not the pasty kind some places offer, nor the crispy kind that a lot of newer places sell). And the price was comparable to that of La Bonita. We got two regular burritos, a kid's burrito, a large bag of chips, and a soda all for $16 before tip.

The burritos were not huge, and were not packed with beans and rice, but it was a tasty burrito with all the right parts. Kind of like the smaller cousin of El Farolito's.

*speaking of El Farolito, rumor has it (my Dad): the place has changed ownership. I can't confirm this, but I will do some investigating.

Catalina's **

2010-01-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

I should not really review the burrito here, because this is one of those sit-down family-style restaurants, where no matter how a la carte you want something, it will still (apparently) be covered in a sauce or in cheese, still have a side of something, and still be baked onto the plate.

As usual, I ordered a burrito with just beans, rice, guacamole and salsa, or pico de gallo. What I got was a flattened, baked mass, smothered in cheese, and a side of lettuce, cucumber and tomato. And it was not cheap, either. $6 or $7 or so.

I gave it two stars, however, because as a meal it was not bad. Nothing to write home about, but not bad as food goes. I did scrape off cheese (which was difficult) so that I could see what the actual burrito tasted like: salty and devoid of any distinct flavors. Will enjoyed it, but he likes baked cheesey things, usually, no matter what the situation.

Anyway, I'm glad we tried this place, because we have probably driven past it 5000 times and never gone in. Now we know. On Killingsworth just East of MLK.

Taqueria Santa Domingo Oaxaca **

2010-01-12T19:53:00.000-08:00

This is the taqueria across the street from Ole Frijole (yet to be reviewed, even though I have been there already a few times), at 42nd and Killingsworth.

I was excited because they seem to be connected to the cheap clothing/phone cards/wedding dress place next door. That is, there was a good chance they are the real deal and not just some white man's version of a taqueria.

But I was disappointed. The beans and rice seemed to sort of meld together with the tortilla; the beans were very grey and soupy, and there was virtually no guacamole anywhere. The burrito was also very salty. I'm a huge salt fan, but even this was too much. Looking at their pretty extensive menu, it seemed that perhaps if you were into some of their specialty dishes, perhaps it was another experience entirely. they seemed to offer some very authentic dishes, and the prices were on the cheap side (also a plus). Unfortunately this is not a restaurant review, just a burrito review, and their burrito left me wanting a lot more.

Pepino's Mexican Grill **

2009-09-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

I used to think this place wasn't bad. And it isn't bad, it's just, well, really boring.

Pepino's is a chain, and I went to the one in NW Portland the other day. I had El Cheapo burrito, which really is a deal and for a cheap burrito it's not bad: pinto beans, rice, salsa fresca, and cheese (but I omitted the cheese) for $3.25.

They have that kind of lime-flavored rice which I really don't care for. It's a particular taste and one I'm not into. A lot of people love it, but it's the same flavor as Chipotle's rice and that is all I taste as I'm eating. I love limes and lime flavored pretty much anything... except rice in my burrito. Anyway, aside from that the burrito was dry, had a teeny amount of salsa in there, and no quacamole or anything. I guess you could add 2 oz of quacamole for 1.25, but then it wouldn't be El Cheapo. The burrito was a good size, not huge or that big, but not small.

All in all, I'd go back if I felt like a burrito and was in the neighborhood without another option, and I'd be satisfied, but not happy.

Taqueria Santa Cruz ****

2009-07-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

This taqueria in St. Johns was a great find! I haven't been to a place like this since San Francisco, where you walk through the bakery/grocery store to get to the place. Reminded me of places back home, complete with the cafeteria seats/lighting. The food was also similar. My burrito was rice, beans, avocado - real avocado slices, which is unusual and definitely a plus. Word has it they make their own tortillas and they tasted like it. Also, a burrito is $2.50 (the kind I ordered), and if you get cheese it's their regular vegetarian burrito which is $3.50, still a bargain.

I went with a friend who has eaten there many times and she said the burritos are normally bigger than what we had. They were definitely on the small/thin side. But for $2.50 I could have gotten two! The other drawbacks for me were 1) the hint of coriander, which is sometimes used and which I do not care for; and 2) the burrito could have used some pico de gallo/salsa inside. It was a little dry. I am assuming I could add on the pico for cheap considering the place was very inexpensive. Otherwise, I had no complaints - if I lived closer I'd be there alot.

Details
No lard
Homemade tortillas

Criteria for Rating Burritos

2009-07-19T22:36:00.000-07:00

In each post, I will rate the place for it's burrito - five stars (*) being the absolute best. This is where El Farolito stands for me. It doesn't need to taste like their burrito, but it needs to be equally as good to get five stars! Four stars is very good, and three is decent. I'd continue to eat at places with four and even three stars (three stars on occasion when I might be a bit desperate).

I will also note if a place uses lard or not. I will eat first and then ask. I don't want my opinion of the taste be in any way compromised!

A few of you have asked whether a place choosing local/sustainable ingredients bumps up its score any. I am very much a fan of places who choose to use such practices, and in my own life I tend to support these places over others. However, this blog is simply for the purpose of rating the taste of burritos. So I might give a place four stars and then note that they do indeed use lard, or rat poop or some other nasty ingredient in cooking their beans. They still get four stars, if the burrito passes muster for it! I probably won't eat there again, but that is irrelevant.

It's an odd thing. I am tempted to write a big ol' restaurant review, since I do enjoy reading reviews of food and am quite opinionated on the subject, but this blog is simply to describe the burrito (and any relative ingredients) and rate it and give some details for people should they think of trying the place. These details are important, but they will not be part of my rating.

La Bonita ****

2009-07-19T22:10:00.001-07:00

I have eaten at La Bonita for a few years now, and between friends and family, there continues to be heated debate on who likes this place and who doesn't. The general public seems to love it here. I have grown to love it here. But there are some staunch opponents to the style here and I can see their points.

La Bonita is homey, family owned/operated, and provides a clean setting for good food. When I first tried a burrito from here (newly arrived in Portland from San Francisco), I didn't care for it at all. First of all, they use black beans, and their pico de gallo has a particularly strong and "overripe tomato" flavor, which has since grown on me and I quite enjoy. Overall the burrito just tasted unlike any burrito I'd had before.

Then they grew on me. Still, I have my own detailed complaints, so here is the scoop:

A veggie burrito is $4. It comes with black beans, rice, cheese, and pico de gallo. Since I'm omitting the cheese, it's pretty bare bones after that. So what I do is add guacamole in the burrito. This makes it good, but to add the guacamole is $1.50! They are generous with it, but I think that $1.50 to have some guacamole in your burrito is pretty pricey. An avocado costs that much, and ... well anyway, I digress.

So the burrito becomes $5.50 and is good, but just not really worth the $5.50. It is also somewhat on the salty side. I love salt, and their ingredients strike me as particularly salty. But I like supporting them, and it's still inexpensive for a very filling meal.

Details:
No lard

About This Blog

2009-06-17T23:23:00.000-07:00

I am a burrito enthusiast. And I mean enthusiast.

I need to warn you, I grew up in San Francisco, where the burritos are the best in all of America. Well, unless you hit a plastic chain or a tourist place. No one in this country, I am convinced, makes a better burrito than they do at El Farolito at 24th and Florida in the heart of the Mission District. You have to ignore the duct tape on the menu (for discontinued items), the torn futbol and Corona girls posters, the grime, the homeless alcoholic guy barfing outside on the corner... their burrito is amazing, and is huge and cheap.

What makes El Farolito good, well, is everything, but the whole pinto beans, the many real slices of avocado... and the green salsa they have on the side.

Sometimes, when I am particularly annoyed by Portland, and missing my hometown (specifically my burrito place), I go here and reminisce.

But enough about El Farolito. Enough about San Francisco burritos.

This is Portland, and I'm having a hard time finding a really good burrito. When I say "really good" I mean basic, tasty, without the fancy stuff. Places like Chipotle with their white rice and lime flavoring, or small, plastic-tasting burritos that cost $6.95 at Lloyd Center. Granted, this isn't where I should be comparing things from, and they have these places in San Francisco too. But I'm having a hard time at the neighborhood places too, and some of the carts are just serving up bland bland bland.

So here is a burrito blog, to really snuff it all out.

I will try to post every month at least, hopefully twice a month.

The burrito I will order will be the same: rice, beans, salsa, avocado/guacamole. This is the heart of the burrito. You can add cheese, sour cream, chicken, beef, etc, but if the burrito is going to be worth its salt, you have to be able to look at the basic four ingredients and be thrilled. El Farolito makes an incredible burrito with these four ingredients. You don't even need anything else. You shouldn't. This way, you can tell if the basics are solid; you can always add more. I also promise not to do my tasting after a night of drinking or when I am so hungry my hands are shaking. That isn't fair. Anything could be good then.

If anyone has a place that they swear by, email me. I will go check it out.

Really though, this is just an excuse for me to eat more burritos.